07:12:27pm, Tuesday, April 16, 2024
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At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 08/27/2019 Posts: 212 |
I asked a question in a discussion that Brian Lively locked the other day, I asked at what point do we need safety equipment ....ie: kill switches, roll cages, wheelie bars etc in regards to stock tractor pulls, (brush pulls) ?
More specifically, at what percentage "over" a tractors, (companies), rated HP, should safety equipment, )as mentioned above), need to be used, (50%, 60% or maybe 70% over ) ? Many tractors were sold , (and still are), where the actual HP is well over 20%, 30% or more. Most brush and or county fair pulls I've attended years ago, where tractors were brought in right out of the field , had NO safety equipment on them. Curious about any opinions regarding this . |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Opinion
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In my opinion it is a speed thing once you have the horsepower to run 3rd gear and over in an IH 15-18mph you need safety equipment. To me there is no better money spent than safety I personally would never put myself or my loved ones on a tractor that could have a catastrophic failure don’t get me wrong I was young and dumb once and didn’t care about this but there is too much at stake I know there will be guys who will say I’m making 500-750hp running no safety never had a problem etc and that’s probably true but it only takes once to have a failure and injure yourself or someone else and that failure won’t just affect you or the fair or the association who’s insurance is covering you it will affect the entire pulling community it gives insurance companies a case study to force associations to have stricter rules and also raises the cost of insurance and thus the cost of pulling. We as a pulling community have honestly been lucky to have such few issues it really goes back to excellent engineering but like I said it only takes one mistake to cost everyone so wisen up pony up and be safe. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Moderator Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 1,445 |
I was the person that closed the topic. I closed it because it was becoming a problem. Please respect the rules of the page. Dick Morgan www.PULLOFF.com Independent Pulling News |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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viable
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Even the 3 & 5 mph Antique Div 2 & higher, have safety equipment. And that is a good thing.
In the heavier pulling classes, even the 8 mph and more Farm Stock Enhanced classes, that I attend, fortunately have some excellent safety rules that pertain to each tractor entered in the class. This is the point where I believe the tractors need not only wheelie bars, but a steel flywheel. And a fuel shutoff, like used on PS and SSD. Insurance carriers will likely continue to demand more. However, some of these Unsanctioned so called Farm Stock / Field Stock classes are totally out of hand. Very minimal or no safety equipment other than the wheelie bars. Plus the drivers are not wearing any safety apparel. And yet the tractors are running several hundred, if not a thousand plus, horsepower and whipping down the track in the 20 to 30 mph range. These tractors are downright SCARY. A big time accident waiting to happen. And the diesel so called work stock truck classes are just as guilty. And when it does, it likely will be a big negative on the whole pulling sport. Just imagine the heyday the tattle-tail national mainline mass media will have. As running in the 20 to 35 mph range is pretty common these days, in most tractor and truck classes, it is not pulling. It is a speed race and compounded with the cubic $$ syndrome. Unfortuantely, that is survival of the best financially fittest. And a huge deterrent to keeping the pulling sport viable. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 08/27/2019 Posts: 212 |
First off......Bryan Lively said he deleted the problem post , and apparently you locked the thread down, Dick.....my bad. And yes I agree , it needed locked once the valgar lang. was being thrown around.
Bryan saw nothing wrong with me starting a new discussion regarding the question that I asked in that thread. so here I am. 
To everyone chiming in here, I'm not against safety equipment , when tractors are turned up or pushed to a limit that the manufacturer NEVER intended.....ie: a 100hp tractor pushing 400 to 500 hp. or more I am looking at starting a small circuit for farm tractors , (it's going to be more of a hobby of mine and for anyone else who wants to make this into a club, of sorts, with a points race , and the tractors will be held to within a certain % over stock rated pto hp . using a dyno. This club will be for those who don't want turn their stuff up to the exstent of that seen in to-hot-to-farm, modified farm , and so on, that are still wanting to use it on the farm.......there are some of us out there. So back to my original question.........at what % over manufacture's rated power does one need to start throwing the safety equipment on if HP can be policed ? |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Puller 8
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If I were involved, I would say 30 percent of manufacturers rated hp, or not to exceed 225 hp maximum whichever is less. I've been around tractor pulling all my life and have competed at many different levels. If you are wanting a class for true farm tractors it is imperative that you keep a lid on it! Otherwise it will get out of control faster than a hobo would be on a ham sandwich! You would or at least should put a speed limit in place as well. Yes I know many think its stupid, however I know without it, the higher hp tractors will dominate. I wish you and your venture success as you move forward. Most of all enjoy the time spent doing what you enjoy with your family and friends! |
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Don't forget rpms
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Puller 8
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One other thing, monitor and limit rpms to no more than 2850. |
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Re: Don't forget rpms
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Registered: 08/27/2019 Posts: 212 |
So, Puller 8, if hp can be kept under 30% or somewhere very close to that, what safety equipment do you think is necessary / not necessary, at those power levels ? |
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Re: Don't forget rpms
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Puller 8
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Basically, at that power level, AND RPM'S, are kept in check via a data log rpm monitoring system from Fair Valley Performance, you really won't need scatter blankets, steel flywheels, roll cages air kills, ect... However it is never a bad idea to incorporate some safety device's such as factory ROPS, wheelie bars, RPM MONITOR, seat belts, RPM MONITOR. At that power level they won't be able to pull beyond 6th gear on most tractors. Again this is for true Farm Tractors as you stated you wanted. Did I mention a RPM MONITORING SYSTEM? Keep them below 2800 or less than 10% over factory rpms, whichever is less for a specific make and model. Rpms and speed limits are your friends when it comes to true farm stock pulling. The slower the speed limit the better chance a fresh off the farm tractor can compete. 4 to 6 mph is plenty. If you creep up to 8 or 10, then the higher hp units have a greater advantage! The pto dyno would be your friend as well to keep everyone in check, when dyno testing an official should operate the throttle controls, including foot controls which usually provide a few more rpms as well as tricky throttle levers make sure you pull out on levers to be sure there isn't another stage of throttle in there somewhere, however the RPM MONITORING SYSTEM should tell on them while hooked to the sled. Some people might say it boring to watch slower sleed.limit classes, however it is a great stater class and doesn't require big wallets! Again, I have pulled at many different levels, yes the higher levels classes are fun to pull in and watch, however they come at a cost that many cannot afford unfortunately. Even though I compete at higher levels, I still enjoy watching and competing in the antique classes and farm stock classes as well. I would think that pullers of all levels would support and encourage beginners classes to keep the stairs of pulling full of competition from bottom to top. After all, this is "Tractor Pulling"!!! No better place to start than at the bottom and work your way up to the next step, but leave the step behind you alone so others can have a place to start, DO NOT change the rules because some want to "Get Just a Little Bit Faster". If they want to go faster, then take the next step and leave the step behind you alone. Too many guys want to be a Big Fish in a Little Pond, and can't stand to pull in a class where anyone has a chance to win, and they can't dominate! Sad but true! |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Tomah winner
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Ou here in eastern Iowa, we have a class called to hot to farm, where you can run a 3x3 turbo with everything else stock, and the class has a 16mph speed limit. We have a competitor who has a 5 point harness, roll cage, and helmet because they can also run other hot farm classes. The person said they have the safety equipment just in case, which is never a bad thing. Just look at rick peters with his mini. It was the mid to late 80s, and he had a roll cage before any competitor. I've had this question: should twd and fwd trucks have roll cages? |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 08/22/2019 Posts: 84 |
They moment they intend to hook to the sled there should be added safety. I feel that everything that hooks to a sled should have a kill switch at minimum. Regardless of what it is. All tractors should have wheelie bars. We have all seen those pictures with some farm tractor hooked to a sled looking like it's about ready to tip over backwards. There should always be a way to kill the machine. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 01/10/2016 Posts: 183 |
I agree. I have watched too many "Stock Tractors" pop wheelies very high coming off the line. I would not drive a "Stock Tractor" that can compete because of lack of safety equipment.. My LLSS has all the best safety equipment and I feel safe driving it. If they are turn over stock RPMs they need a steel fly wheel and a safe clutch. I watch a " Stock Tractor" John Deere blow the clutch out on the ground splitting the tractor in two. Luckily it went down not sideway into the fans. Merry Christmas. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 02/08/2014 Posts: 406 |
We had to have safety equipment on our stock tractor at some places we pulled. Then you go to another pull and they would say you must be a hot stock with all the safety equipment. I remember going to an ATPA sanctioned stock pull. They came to inspect the tractor before I unloaded it and said put the sticker on the tractor because he knows not to use the drawbar to chain it to the truck. One of the reasons I quit the stock pulling was when a young man lost his life while working on the same brand and number tractor I was running. He was standing near the clutch housing when the flywheel came out. He was a rising star in professional pulling and a great kid that gave me good advise on my tractor. So when is safety important- before you even start the tractor, truck or whatever you're pulling. Some mechanic's, pullers and spectators get a 2nd chance and some don't. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Registered: 10/25/2009 Posts: 66 |
We just built the nephews a farmstock tractor. Most places it will run have a speed limit. The first thing we all agreed on was safety equipment. The tractor has a steel flywheel blanket tie bars wheely bars dead man's throttle air shutoff and side shields. 5he biggest reason for that is there is NO reason to take a chance of something happening to them for a hobby. SHOULD ALWAYS BE SAFETY OVER PERFORMANCE. |
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Re: At what point should safety equipment come into play ?
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Moderator Registered: 01/11/2009 Posts: 1,576 |
The moment you decide to become a puller at a level beyond a true-blue, out-of-field tractor, you need appropriate safety equipment for the class you're pulling AND liability insurance...and liability insurance is frankly a no-brainer the moment you decide to become a puller no matter the class you are in.
A puller I know, been pulling 50 years or more, told me one time that though the classes he runs in do not directly require a steel flywheel he runs them in his tractors so that "nobody owns my farm but me." Think about that; safety equipment protects the physical well being of bystanders AND the physical and financial well-being of competitors. A puller who disregards safety measures who competes and spits parts into the crowd won't have a pot to pee in if the parts hit a fan or fans that lawyer up. That flywheel, blanket, or other safety device seem pretty cheap in comparison. Bryan Lively - 
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