Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 18, 2022 09:00PM
Bobby Hourigan is my grandpa that’s been gone now 7 years. Him and his brother Eugene pulled an 1155 in Kentucky up until I believe around 2005. I know this is a shot in the dark but is there anyone out there that has any pictures or videos of him on that 1155? Been trying to find some for years and haven’t been successful. Found a video of Eugene on it in 2010ish but really trying to find my grandpa Bobby. Thanks
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 18, 2022 11:11PM
I don't have any info pertaining to your family. But just wanted to wish you good luck in your search. If there are pictures out there, somebody here will know about them. Good Luck!
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 11:15AM
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Stretch
I don't have any info pertaining to your family. But just wanted to wish you good luck in your search. If there are pictures out there, somebody here will know about them. Good Luck!

Thank you!
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 12:47PM
Your family has a lot of history with tractor pulling in KY i knew Bobby and Eugene Eugene was a good friend i watched them pull the little 3000 ford with writing all over it the Massey Harris THE 674 IH the 1100 Massey and others ,Eugene had the first or one of the first weight transfer sleds in KY i pulled it back a many of times before they became motorized .There should be pictures out there i would love to se pictures of the little Ford in a 4500 pound class It was tough Eugene could lean back in the seat and raise the front end lean forward and bring it down that was when pulling was pulling
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 01:03PM
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Lewis Conner
Your family has a lot of history with tractor pulling in KY i knew Bobby and Eugene Eugene was a good friend i watched them pull the little 3000 ford with writing all over it the Massey Harris THE 674 IH the 1100 Massey and others ,Eugene had the first or one of the first weight transfer sleds in KY i pulled it back a many of times before they became motorized .There should be pictures out there i would love to se pictures of the little Ford in a 4500 pound class It was tough Eugene could lean back in the seat and raise the front end lean forward and bring it down that was when pulling was pulling

Wow. I didn’t know all that. All I knew of was the 1155 and an 1150 that they say never would run very good. I’ve always heard something about the sled. Didn’t know much about it but it was the first of SOMETHING but didn’t know what it was exactly. Believe he wanted to patent it but couldn’t afford it or something along those lines. So they had a 674?? I can’t believe that LOL. My mom said my grandpa would always make fun of Phillip Craig saying he had the right color but not the right brand.
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 01:10PM
Others here in KY can Vouch your family has a lot of history in modernizing tractor pulling
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 02:10PM
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Lewis Conner
Your family has a lot of history with tractor pulling in KY i knew Bobby and Eugene Eugene was a good friend i watched them pull the little 3000 ford with writing all over it the Massey Harris THE 674 IH the 1100 Massey and others ,Eugene had the first or one of the first weight transfer sleds in KY i pulled it back a many of times before they became motorized .There should be pictures out there i would love to se pictures of the little Ford in a 4500 pound class It was tough Eugene could lean back in the seat and raise the front end lean forward and bring it down that was when pulling was pulling

That's correct Lewis.
Eugene ran the sled at many farm stock pulls and alot of ktpa pulls.
Eugene was a nice guy!

One night in Danville at the Boyle Co. Fair something broke on the sled.
Someone there had a helicopter (or maybe one of Eugenes friends from home base) and flew Eugene or the guy that helped him to their shop in Gravelswitch, picked up the part and was back in like 45 minutes and the pull went on.Cool This would have been in the 1980s or 1990s.

Then he sold the sled to Bill Cox in Frankfort and he ran it for many years.

Back in the 1970s and 80s there were a few sleds that did the KY pulls:
Eugene Hourigan's, Ed Devere in Berea, Harold & Mike Whitt in Mt. Washington, Robin Wood in Union City TN, Heavy Stuff in Georgetown, Harold Hayes in Vevay IN, Jim Allens KY Hillbilly sled in Corbin
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 21, 2022 10:12AM
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kevinh

Your family has a lot of history with tractor pulling in KY i knew Bobby and Eugene Eugene was a good friend i watched them pull the little 3000 ford with writing all over it the Massey Harris THE 674 IH the 1100 Massey and others ,Eugene had the first or one of the first weight transfer sleds in KY i pulled it back a many of times before they became motorized .There should be pictures out there i would love to se pictures of the little Ford in a 4500 pound class It was tough Eugene could lean back in the seat and raise the front end lean forward and bring it down that was when pulling was pulling

That's correct Lewis.
Eugene ran the sled at many farm stock pulls and alot of ktpa pulls.
Eugene was a nice guy!

One night in Danville at the Boyle Co. Fair something broke on the sled.
Someone there had a helicopter (or maybe one of Eugenes friends from home base) and flew Eugene or the guy that helped him to their shop in Gravelswitch, picked up the part and was back in like 45 minutes and the pull went on.Cool This would have been in the 1980s or 1990s.

Then he sold the sled to Bill Cox in Frankfort and he ran it for many years.

Back in the 1970s and 80s there were a few sleds that did the KY pulls:
Eugene Hourigan's, Ed Devere in Berea, Harold & Mike Whitt in Mt. Washington, Robin Wood in Union City TN, Heavy Stuff in Georgetown, Harold Hayes in Vevay IN, Jim Allens KY Hillbilly sled in Corbin

forgot 2 sleds:

1. I'm pretty sure the sled that Ed Devere from Berea had, was Woody Naylor's sled (from Lancaster / Garrard Co.)
It was used at Central KY pulls (early 4x4 pulls around Lexington and Versailles etc.)

2. Litzinger Bros. sled from Maysville area (Northern KY)

That's all I can remember.
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 03:09PM
The first pass i ever made i was hooked to Eugenes sled at Bardstown with WD45, Lewis you probably remember it, ive got a picture of me getting ready to takeoff and Eugene is standing in the background, i cant get it to load on here, but its a cool picture.
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky September 09, 2022 11:13AM
Hi, this is Eugene’s Daughter. I would love to have that photo to share with my dad. I can give you my email address.
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 01:12PM
I knew about the sled but I didn’t know they made that much of an impact. That’s awesome
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HourIgan Sled Rental Gravel Switch KY January 19, 2022 02:04PM
Some of you old guys give Nalley a little touch of history until there sled came around i was a kid lined up down the track at the Russel County FAIR waiting for my turn to step on the sled



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2022 02:10PM by Lewis Conner.
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 02:15PM
So if he built the first weight transfer sled in KY. What were sleds like before then?
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 02:24PM
step on sleds

as the sled would pass by your spot on the track, you would jump on
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Re: Bobby Hourigan, Kentucky January 19, 2022 02:36PM
Not sure he built the first one but one of the first .The old sled were a long drag sled weights would be piled on the sled and the heavier the class more weights would be added people would line up beside the track and step on the sled as it went by until enough stopped the tractor other tractors would also be parked on the sled for weight for the heavy classes.Now heres something funny for several year say you had a 4500 pound class only the tractor was weighed with no driver people was getting the bigest heaviest guys they could find to drive there tractors then they started weighing the driver with the tractor
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