The Tractor Pull

This Saturday we took a break from cabin construction to go on a little mountain adventure...the Haywood County Fair Mountain Man Tractor Pull! Papa patiently instructed Collier and I on the process and procedure of tractor driving with his pride and joy: a John Deere 1956 Wheatland 720. He perched atop the fender and gave us instructions as we became familiar with the clutch, throttle, and brakes. The tractor is rather large and difficult to drive for both Collier and I due to our alternate heights. I am very short, so I have to sit at the edge of the seat to make forward progress and stretch my legs behind me to apply the brakes. Collier, on the other hand, is rather tall and he tends to ride with his knees by his ears. Despite it's challenges, driving the tractor on the mountain was thrilling and only fed our excitement for the big event.







We arrived at the fair, unloaded the tractor and tested our weights. I was slated to pull in the 9000 lb class, Collier in the 9500 lb, and Mom in the 10,000 lb class. Because our classes were so close in proximity, we needed to be sure that we knew exactly how many weights to place on the tractor for each pull. We weighed and added and weighed and subtracted until we came within 10 lbs of our target weight. After scouting a prime parking place against the fence of the arena, we prepared the tractor for my pull.

We arrived at the fair at 6 pm. The pull began with the low weight classes and we waited many hours for our turn. It was very helpful to watch the lower class pulls and strategize for our own runs.

We waited for a very long time. Grandma Moody was so excited to be in the stands with us and she waited so patiently for our turns.



FINALLY we reached the 9000 lb class. I was the second competitor. I pulled 112.4 feet, not bad for a first run, but not enough for first place. I came home with a 3rd place trophy out of four contenders.

Next it was Collier's turn. We quickly weighted the tractor and he pulled onto the track to wait for his turn.

During Collier's first pull, the sled was not working properly. He had to repeat his pull. Collier pulled 95.8 feet and won third place out of three in his class.

Finally, it was Mom's turn. Her competition was steep. There were quite a few contenders in her class. She pulled like a pro and the crowd went wild as she conquered an ominous hole in the center of the track!

Mom pulled 131.4 feet and came in fifth place in her class.

Mom and I comprised two of the four women who competed at the Mountain "Man" Tractor Pull. Only two women placed: myself in third, and the other in second place for a lower weight class (5000 lb I believe). The crowd was very enthusiastic for the ladies!

We rode home with two shiny trophies and the best prize of all: the joy on Papa's face when he said that he was just "tickled" at our success. We had the very best teacher!



There is another tractor pull scheduled in October...