11:33:54am, Saturday, May 11, 2024
Tractor Upset
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Mark II
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My wife picked up some old farm items at an auction and was putting them on E-Bay.
One Item was a magazine called "The Farm Quarterly April/May 1971"...there is a story with pictures of Tom Hollinger flipping a Farmall 460 over backwards at the National Tractor Pull at the Farm Show in Louisville the previous February. I know some of the old timers might have been there, and the younger pulling fans have probably heard about the accident. I thought some tractor pull collector might want it so I told the wife I'd post a link [cgi.ebay.com] |
Re: Tractor Upset
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Registered: 06/03/2008 Posts: 44 |
I was in Louisville with my dad that night. The front of the "Sesame Street Special" just kept getting higher and higher. I believe that it turned out that he was using the old "U style" drawbar from a farmall M and the supports just folded up. It was pretty shocking to see him laying under the tractor like that. We really have come a long way as far as safety goes. |
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Jay F
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Was the driver killed? |
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Registered: 03/26/2008 Posts: 343 |
I am not sure but Family was there I wll ask Dad I do not think that he was killed when that happened. If it is the right time had a good friend of Family that had a 180 Massey that was to hook right after him and if I remember correctly he did not hook. Eric Prewitt The Prewitt Pulling Team Public Relations for The Pulling Radio Network |
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I was sitting across from the srarting line and he did have wheelie bars . He had the small steel wheels that were used to move a front mounted cultivator around with. when the front end got so high the wheels went over center and spun backwards tipping him over. |
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Registered: 03/26/2008 Posts: 343 |
Guys I talked to Dad tonight about this incident, he was there he said if he recalled it right back then they used to draw so many to do some test hooks in the afternoon, the test hooks went fine, but when the pull started they added quite a bit of weight to the pan and in that day the track was what everyone has came to know the Louisville track to be very Sticky. Well the first few hooks were pretty wild if Dad remembered right. And a guy that was a neighbor of Mr. Hollinger with a 180 Allis had taken the Lead And Mr. Hollinger had in his mind his neighbor was not going to beat him. Most everyone had 18.4 tires the "Sesame Street Special" Had a brand New set of 24.5's and when he took off it just kept going up. Our Uncle went and visited him in the Hospital he told him he had seen it that high before but it usually came out of it, but it did not that time. Dad also said that tractor was sold he thought to some one I forget who he said but He thought that Danny Dean done the wrenching on it for the Guy who bought it. If anyone remembers the guy that bought it please post. Eric Prewitt The Prewitt Pulling Team Public Relations for The Pulling Radio Network |
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Kansas
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In the early-mid 1970's the Sesame Street Special 460 ended up at Clay Center,Kansas.It was owned and pulled by Dwight Sherbert for several years and I saw it pull several times.At every pull the KTPA announcer always mentioned that it was the tractor that tipped over at Louisville.I have no idea where its at now.We were talking about this tractor on Newagtalk several years ago and Dwights son posted about it. |
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Dugg
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He should have been; thats plain dumb, it never shoulda got that high |
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NO NO
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Its not nice at all to say he shouda been !!!!!! |
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X 2
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Hard to believe some one would even think that much less say it |
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Registered: 06/03/2008 Posts: 44 |
The "U" drawbars were built for 50 hp tractors. Also, I don't believe that he was using the straight drawbar as a support. That's what alowed the two braces to fold up if I recall correctly. |
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ps puller
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did he get killed? |
Re: Tractor Upset
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Registered: 06/03/2008 Posts: 44 |
No. He was pinned under the steering wheel but he had slid off the side of the seat far enough that it was not a direct crush on his chest. The next night, the announcer said that he was in serious condition in the Louisville hospital. We never did see him pull after that though. |
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agjudge
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He was lucky to be alive |
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I was at the pull when Mr Hollinger flipped. I think he had a high back seat which offered some protection. Nightmares for years after. Glad to hear from his granddaughter! Thank you |
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indyhogwrestler
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Was this the first year for L'ville? |
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Bob J
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I belive that the first pull was in 1969. |
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Tom was very much alive in the mid-70's on the outskirts of New Madison Ohio. He was my landlord and lived across the street from the home I rented from him. He was well at the time but I'm sure he dealt with health issues as a result of the accident, though you would not know it to look at him. |
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Hello, I know this forum was a long time ago, but I just wanted to tell the story. I'm Tom Hollinger's granddaughter. He had his accident before my dad was born, but I've heard the story plenty of times. They didn't have wheelie bars at the time, and apparently the hitch broke, sending the tractor backwards, and almost crushing my grandpa. He broke several bones and had a long recovery, but he is doing well now. Its 2017 and he is doing great. He just recently bought the Sesame Street Special (the name chosen by my two aunts when the were younger), and is fixing it back up. It is true, he didn't pull again after the accident. It is really neat to hear the experience from people who were there though, thank you for sharing! |
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Yes I remember that nite well,I was the next tractor up to pull, in a moline ub,watch tom pull a wheel stand and it just kept coming up to the point of no return, still remember that steering wheel in his gut. On a side note that was the unveiling of the 460 RoHo new fuel injected ally/ Nitro engine, put it on everybody on first engine pass, talk about rpm, she was sweet! |
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Toms drawbar did not break... it bent. There were no weights on th front & one of the front tires was removed. My partner & I had given it a pretty good going over in the staging area & decided it was a tad on the spookie side. We drew to pull right behind Tom. A mess to say the least. After the pull was ready to resume Stanley & I did our Louisville coin flip and he became the designated driver. AND... A beautiful run it was... FIRST PLACE. THIS was the first tractor to run Fuel injection aolchie & nitro. That night she was @ 30% nitro... makes a totally different sound. Wonder tractor and CHEAP to run until others figured out what was going on. |
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