The Green Zone

As Dad so aptly commented, "We could definitely get into this!"

Tractor pulling has become a new family favorite hobby...or is it actually a sport? Trophies are awarded and there is a great deal of competition among the Ringers (professional level pullers who compete at an amateur level). See...we are learning the lingo :-)

Anyhow, we loaded up the tractor and drove to beautiful Hendersonville early on the morning of October 1st. Farm City Day is a much loved event in the mountains and as they say, "It wouldn't be Farm City Day without a tractor pull." We dove back into the Mountain Man Tractor Puller's Association group and excitedly prepared for our second pulling experience.

We can only pull in three weight categories, so we decided that I would pull in the 9,000 lb class (again), Collier would pull in the 9,500 lb class (again), and Dad would make his inaugural pull in the 10,000 lb class! At the last minute Papa was able to enter the 9,500 lb class with another tractor (which actually belongs to Mike McCreary, the gentleman who runs the pulls).

This pull went significantly faster than the previous pull, chiefly because it was so small in comparison. I was the first puller and the only lady to compete. So, I wore my boots, my John Deere socks, and a shirt that read "Put your big girl boots on and deal with it!" I beat my previous 112.6 ft and pulled a total of 160.3 ft!



Collier was the last competitor in the 9,500 lb class and pulled a total of 160.1 ft. Papa pulled second in the same class a total of 152.7 ft.

Dad pulled last in his class and beat all of our distances with a whopping 170.2 ft pull!

So at the end, our lineup was...

Chelsey - 1st place in 9K class
Collier - 1st place in 9.5K class
Papa - 3rd place in 9.5K class
Dad - 4th (no trophy...) in 10K class

Let's just say that Grandma didn't believe Papa when he told her how we fared.



So...have you ever wondered what happens during a tractor pull? What does a "pull" look like? Well, we have Collier's pull on video, so take a look!

Collier's First Place Pull!

When you hear us excitedly proclaiming that Collier is "duck walking" what we mean is that he is tapping each rear break in an attempt to move the tractor a few more inches before the tires started spinning. It is actually a tractor pulling technique.

Now, Mom was recording this video and accidentally stopped the camera before they announced the winners. Thankfully, she still got the announcement of Collier's first place win on camera! It is a precious video that you can watch HERE!

Here's a brief explanation of the pulling process:

1. Weigh tractor and driver. Add or remove weight to suit class.
2. Back tractor up to sled (that's the trailer with the big red thing on it), put tractor in neutral and hold hands up (safety measure for the chain man).
3. Chain man attaches chain to tractor, driver puts tension on the chain.
4. Flagger waves the green flag and pull begins!
5. Driver pulls as far as possible in 2nd gear (2 mph).
6. When tires spin a full revolution flagger waves the red flag and driver stops the tractor.
7. Driver removes tension from the chain, puts tractor in neutral, and holds hands up.
8. Chain man unhooks tractor from sled, and tractor weighs out.

This may not sound thrilling, however it most certainly is when you are able to participate in the pulling! But it is not the competition, or the trophies or the length of the pull that makes this so exciting for us. It is the sheer boyish glee that is written all over Papa's face because we are learning to do this crazy thing. He finds more joy in our successes than we ever could. Even if we never brought home a shiny trophy he would still be "plum proud" of his kids, and that is worth more than anything to us!