Top Ten Pulling States November 05, 2014 03:00AM
10) New York
09) DelMarVa
08) Michigan
07) Pennsylvania
06) Kentucky
4/5) Indiana/Wisconsin tie
03) Illinois

1-2 TIE: Ohio and Missouri

I tried ranking one over the other but in my mind it didn't work. Both states mean too much in terms of pullings' history and evolution. Two slightly different pulling mentalities but a common love for the sport. Missouri likely has more pullers/clubs/associations than any other state, my experience indicates as much; it is the epicenter of pulling "west of the river."

Ohio...as a famous cartoon character once uttered on MTV years ago, "if you have to ask, you'll never know." Please dont think I'm being smug in that statement, Ohio lays claim to being the most "visible" state as well. In terms of top flight pulling, it's the spot. The sheer strength of PPL/OSTPA/NTPA Reg. 2 and other clubs is impressive. The Brown County Fair pull remains a favorite of mine, brush pulling at it's finest.

Two awesome states, I dont see the need to defend the top two or the tie any more. Its just that way.

There you have it, discuss the list and if I find reason to change my thoughts, I'll repost. Defend your turf people!


Bryan Lively -

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Re: Top Ten Pulling States November 05, 2014 04:19AM
Glad to see Ohio at the top, figured it had to be towards the top.
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Re: Top Ten Pulling States November 05, 2014 10:03AM
Really?

Wisconsin does not rank over Illinois???



Badger State Tractor Pullers

Wisconsin Tractor Pullers

NTPA Region 3

Tomah

Hillsboro

Some of the best tractors in the country come from Wisconsin

Some of the best looking tractors are in Wisconsin

Many national championships have been won by Wisconsin Tractors

Grand National and PPL Championship tour

Prostock Super Farm and Light Super Stock Open Super, have been won numerous time by Wisconsin tractors
mabey more than I know about.
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Re: Top Ten Pulling States November 07, 2014 04:45AM
The sheer volume of pulling in Illinois gets the nod over Wisconsin. There were hard choices made for my list, and the list flip-flopped quite a bit on 3-5. I don't see how the 1-2 choices can be disputed but I'd like to hear opinions for sure. Hillsboro is the gold standard to me in terms of a national pull. BG is an event, there is a difference.

There's another list to work on...top ten pulls...


Bryan Lively -

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Re: Top Ten Pulling States November 07, 2014 12:20PM
Very interested in the top ten pulls list. I've been to many pulls in Ohio and Indiana but would definitely like to hear about big ones from other states.
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Re: Top Ten Pulling States November 07, 2014 12:40PM
If you look at the whole event, Louisville would be hard to top!
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Re: Top Ten Pulling States - Pennsylvania November 08, 2014 02:12AM
It's surprising to see Penn. that high on the list. Top 10 no doubt, and I have no problems with the list, but in my experience New York should be 7 and Penn. should be at no. 9 or 10. However, I will say the the Keystone State would be higher if not for the major blunder by the NTPA to give up on Region I some 15 years ago. It only further splintered a scattered pulling landscape. Although there is a state wide sanctioning body, the PTPA, it appears to exist in name only these days, with multiple groups running under their collective umbrella. You look online and see OSTPA, NYPTA, ITPA, etc. but never PTPA pulling.

Pulling themes here don't follow state boundaries, much like the #8 on your list (Del-Mar-Va) Blame the geography if you want to, because that's exactly where the dividing line is among Penn. pullers. The Allegheny Mountains divide the state into two pulling ideologies. The western portion is more consistent with Ohio and the Midwest with classes and is more likely to go to Ohio to a pull than stay in-state for a pull that is closer, but on the other side of the mountains. One prominent Penn. puller told me that it's easier to travel 200 miles west from here than it is to go 100 miles east. That's because of the mountains; you can't make good time. So as a result, we're back in the horse-and-buggy days (sort of ) in that Penn. pullers east of the mountains are segregated from the rest of the pulling world. Some make the journey through, but many do not. The turnpike rates don't help either, for those traveling in the southern portion.

Many pullers from the western portion (where I'm from) cross into Ohio on a regular basis, both now and back in the glory days of pulling. Full Pull Prod./USA East, a Penn. based organization, has several events in Ohio, including the huge Canfield Fair, complete with two tracks and even an NTPA GN portion of the show. So kudos to putting Ohio at the top of the list. But anyway, Penn. pullers from the past that stand out that competed with OSTPA regularly are the Shulers (Super Moose), John & Sue Ellen Oswald (Keystone Kop) and Dick Book/Gerald Brown (Harlansburg Horror).

It works the opposite way as well. Some big Ohio iron would roll into the Keystone State for some small fairs, some that weren't even part of their respective points race, as the Lorenz/Wilkins team would go to the little Hookstown Fair in Beaver County, Penn. regularly, as it was just off of US-30 just as you cross into Pennsylvania.

I guess my concerned view about the state of pulling in this area comes from experience, as I can count on one hand how many tractor pullers or pulling families there are in my home county. It's a microcosm for the pulling world as the number of farmers continues to dwindle as a generation of farmer's children move away from the home farm in search of more lucrative lifestyles and acres are eaten up by coal mines and state game lands.

Unfortunately, this area is more of a spectator for pulling than a participant and it's anyone's guess as to what will reverse that trend.
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