Holy Cow Tractor Pulling Team

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

CCR Day 1
Took US 24 W through Illinois to Peoria, then up I-74 to I-80. Stopped at Machine Shed in Davenport, IA. We ate at a Machine Shed years ago in Des Moines and it was fantastic. The highly anticipated stop for lunch was underwhelming. While it was not bad, it just wasn't the best meal we had ever eaten, like our last stop. We continue through Iowa up the highway of the Saints where we spend the night in Evansdale at a city park with RV camping. The trip was uneventful, but boring. Pretty much just corn and soybeans the entire trip. The terrain ranged from dead flat to rolling hills near the Mississippi. The worst part was the weather. It was a little brisk when we left and got colder the more we traveled. That night, it was down right cold with temps in the mid to upper 40's. While we were in a pop-up camper, it is more or less a tent and by morning we were in our sleeping bags wearing jeans, sweats, and our rain suits just to keep warm.

Monday, August 17, 2009

New Facebook Page
Because of continuing and persistent problems with posting pictures via FTP with the blogger software, I have decided to abandon this site for personal communications. Please find me on facebook and request me as a friend. This site is really now only to support the sale of the tractor parts I have left.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Fan Feedback from Eldora
I received this from a fan and wanted to pass it along. The person
didn't give me permission to use a name, so I will keep it anonymous.

"You were not at the stands, but I was. A few comments.

When Tony Stewart bought the track, a lot of people were in fear that he
would turn it into a "dirt" Bristol. But no fear. This was my first time
back since he bought it. The restrooms were wonderful, about triple in size
and real urinals with partitions, not a friggin rain gutter. The one thing
he DIDN'T change was the consessions. $2 beer, $1 soda, and the rest of
the items were cheap. It was very affordable, and it was a good show.

Could you give some feedback as to how bad the track slope effects the
drivers? It seemed the first class, the SS, really had issues drifting
left."

As far as the slope. Yes, it was not ideal, but all the pullers had the
same challenge. The obvious line to take was starting at the top right
and heading to the bottom left. The drop in the track should give you a
little bit of an edge. What I saw is they headed towards the left and
just kept going. I think the problem was that the track had enough slope
that you couldn't go the length of the track and only drift 30' to the
left. For what ever reason, it seemed if you got close to the left line,
you would go out to the left. But, they guys that ran the right line had
the same issue. It seemed like the "good" part of the track moved around
and you had to keep up on it.

I think my spot would have been somewhat left of center pointed slightly
up hill. The ones that did that did OK. However, one of the best passes
of the night was Laribee's run right on the right line.

As a puller, you need to learn what your vehicle will do and run with it.
I know on my mod with 4 engines running, there is so much reaction
torque in the chassis, the the right wheel is planted harder in the
ground and that makes it hard to steer right with the brakes. In a three
engine setup, it doesn't matter.

I don't know why, but all of the sloped tracks I have pulled on, the
slope is always right to left. My preference would be to run the other
direction (S to N at Eldora) so the slope was left to right.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Eldora Speedway Pull
I offered to help Barga's with the OSTPA pull at Eldora Speedway. This was the first PPL pull I have attended. First, let me say, I love going to pulls astride my BMW motorcycle instead of the Freightliner. Now don't get me wrong, I love driving the big truck (but don't miss feeding it), but it was so nice to to just go, and think, hey that looks like a fun road, I wonder where it goes. I ventured down one such road, near Upland, IN, and found a farm that raised what I would consider western animals. As I passed, a bunch of curious long horn steers and a buffalo came up to the fence to admire my bike.

So, I arrived at Eldora, got my wristband, and parked between the Barga and Feiss haulers. I changed into shorts and tennis shoes. It was nice to visit with my friends. The obvious question was "do I miss it." And I don't. A few weeks back, I remarked, if I was pulling, I would need to be ready, or at least putting the finishing touches on. I have been freshening one of my unsold motors, and it is still a work in progress. The thing is, I just haven't had the time to work on it. I seem to be busy all the time. The thing is, other than going shooting, I really am not doing anything new, that I wasn't doing before. I just don't know how I got it all done before.

To be honest, I miss 2 things. I like driving the truck and I miss hanging out after the pulls with the other pullers. While I really enjoyed going down the track, not every pass was a good one. There is all the stress right before the pull, did I pick the right tire pressure, nose weight, gear, fuel setting, track position. Will it blow up? Did I ignore something in the pre-race check that indicated a severe problem? Did I even check everything? And, at the end of a run, if every thing was right, even if I didn't win, there is nothing like the feeling. The noise, the power, the excitement of the crowd, the feeling of a nice straight pull, front wheels high in the air. But, on the flip side, and just as common, having to shut it down to stay in bounds, or worse, a DQ, or an explosion, or just a bad hook. All that work, all the time, and all the money, and a disappointing result. So, if I want to drive the truck, I can. And there I was, enjoying a beer or six with my friends after a pull.

So, the first thing I noticed was the tech at PPL. Now, I think most of what I saw was OSTPA and not PPL. I have always admired OSTPA on the way they run their state. I think they are head and shoulders above Indiana and Michigan. But, every vehicle got a full tech. They measured the draw bar length, vehicle length, roll cage height, hitch angle, wheelie bar height and size, drive line length, etc. In the 7 years I pulled the 4-engine Holy Cow, none of those measurements were ever made. I like the fact they took the time to check it. One complaint, I saw one vehicle (and I won't throw them under the bus, but I also don't think they were doing anything wrong) had the wheelie bars too high. The driver said the tires were really pumped up (which they seemed to be) and the bars would drop when at proper tire pressure. The tech guys accepted this. I really think that particular measurement should have been made when drawbaring when the vehicle was properly weighted up and with the right tire pressure. At least, the tech should have said "show me." Despite that, it is still magnitudes better that was ever done at NTPA, HSTPA, or Wolverine pulls.

My job was to work staging in the hot pit at the starting line. Jeff, a friend of Ronny Barga, competently lined the vehicles up, and I made sure they were ready and signaled them to start. There were some issues, but it basically went off without a hitch. I always appreciate the work that the volunteers do, and I always thought I knew how hard they worked. But, I have to say, I underestimated how hard they work. At the starting line, you have to keep track of what is going on in front of the sled, did the tractor break, did they reset the sled, did it full pull, but also behind the sled, does he know he is next up, does he have a mechanical problem and the lineup change. And, you are there, for the duration, from an hour or so before the start, until the last vehicle. I have flagged before, and at least with that you get a break between classes.

About the pull. Eldora is a fabulous facility. I never liked pulling at race tracks because typically the crew there wanted you to run your show like a race, and they made it difficult. The Eldora crew was very hands off, and let the pullers do their thing. If I was still pulling, I would look forward to this pull every year. The pits are the nicest pits I have even been in at a pulling event. They had concrete roads with graveled pit areas. The pulling track was sloped a little from right to left, but the dirt seemed very good. Now, I understand, that they received 1.5" of rain the night before, but you couldn't tell from the pull. Again, the Barga's did a great job of building a track. I didn't venture into the spectator stands, but they also seemed top notch.

While I did watch every vehicle, I really can't comment on their runs, because I was focusing on different aspects of the pull. The one thing I would mention is the semi class. First, I am glad to see a "real" class, not the fake one where every truck pulls a light sled and blows it out the gate and then comes back for a real pull. With PPL's 320' full pull line, the winner was 320+ and 2nd place was 319.7. It really can't be any better than that. The only thing I noticed is that over the past year or so, the semis are now carrying the front end like a tractor and I bet I have seen a dozen or so run either cut short or DQ because the truck started to drive out of bounds. It happened again at Eldora, with 2 trucks flirting with the side line. I think it is time the semi guys put needle crosses in the read ends and go with left and right brakes like all the other classes.

I really like the pull and the pull location and am looking forward to next year. I think it was unfortunate that is was on Tomah weekend, but it was the only date that would work for Eldora. Despite the timing, there were about 10 vehicles in each of the 4 classes, and that was a good size, in my opinion.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Tractor Pull Today
Going to a tractor pull at Eldora Speedway, which is just south of Ft Recovery. This is an Ohio State pull promoted by the Barga's. The classes are HSS, Mod, Semi, and TWD. I will being doing starting line lineups. Looking forward to seeing all of my old friends, and going to a tractor pull on a motorcycle.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

NRA Self Defense in the Home Class
Went back to James Heath and took the Self Defense in the home class. It was a great class as was the basic pistol class. I think the best part of a live class (as opposed to books, DVD's, and podcasts) is that someone that knows what they are doing can watch you and say, no that is wrong, you did this or forgot to do that. It as a smaller class of 5 with 3 women and 2 guys (one was a married couple). The class consisted of lecture, dry firing classroom activities, and about 50 rounds on the range.

Following the class, I was close to an old co-worker that said he had a spare reloading press that I could have. I ran by his house and learned what I could from him on reloading and picked up the press. I is a Lee 3-stage progressive press. One of the things I am going to try is reloading. You use a lot of ammo in IDPA, and reloading is a cheap way to replace it.

I left the house at 6:30 AM and didn't get home until midnight and was pretty much in class the whole time. I was tired, but I think it was well worth it.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

My first IDPA match
IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association. This is a competitive pistol organization that holds periodic matches and allows the users to compete to demonstrate and improve in defensive shooting skills. Again, from the podcasts I listen to, one of the recommendations for people that are primarily interested in self defense is give IDPA a try.

So, first to back up, what is an IDPA match like? First you have several courses of fire. These are scenarios of simulated real-life situations. You must study the course and come up with a plan. Each course of fire has targets, which are cardboard body and head shaped silhouettes. The head and the heart area are designated -0, there is a larger ring around the heart that is -1, and the rest of the body is -3. There are also innocent victims in the mix that are spray pained with an X or hands. Obviously, shooting one of those is bad and costs points. There are also barricades and other items used as cover. And then there were some special targets, like some that moved, or appeared and disappeared, etc.

So, you show up, attend a safety meeting, and divide into squads. I think we had 8 in our squad. There is a safety officer and a score keeper. Before entering the range, you are checked to ensure your gun is unloaded. The safety officer explains the course of fire. My first one was called "Don't shoot the dog". The scenerio, best I can remember, was this. You are in the house and a gang of 4 people break in. The dog reacts and holds one at bay. Your task is to neutralize the targets, and don't shoot the dog or the spouse. You are standing in a "house" made of panels. The panels were solid and offered both protection and concealment. The dog is marked with an X. There are some rules, and one is that if a target can see you (or you see a target) you must engage it. That means, you can't walk in front of a window or door in full view of the target without shooting at it. Also, targets are shot in a tactical order. That means that you engage and neutralize the target with the highest threat level first, and work down the line. Most targets require 2 or 3 shots to neutralize. If multiple targets are visible at the same time, then you shoot each one once, and then come back to each one later. And, there is generally no limit to the number of shots you can take, but you are timed and you limited to 10 rounds per magazine. You are timed from start to finish and then the targets are inspected. Points down for non-bulls eyes are added up as well as penalties. Those are converted to time and added on. So, accuracy counts but so does speed. In general, it seems better to go slow and make good shots, than to going quickly and amass a lot of penalties.

When it was my turn, I stepped to the line and the safety officer asked me to load and make ready. I inserted a magazine and racked the slide to chamber a round, and then holstered my gun so that it was concealed. The safety officer then presses a button and after a random time, the buzzer buzzes. I drew my gun and shot towards the target behind the dog and a second target nearby. You were required to move while shooting. Then you walked along a wall and engaged two more targets. Since this course required 12 shots (3 per target) you had to reload, and the walk along the wall was the best place. IDPA will not allow you to drop a magazine with rounds still in it, so you have to reload while keeping your partially empty cartridge in a pocket or holder. When you are done, the safety officer stops the timer and that becomes the basis of your score. You then eject the magazine, rack the slide to eject the shell, show the safety officer that the gun is empty, pull the trigger to release the hammer (and again verify it is empty) and reholster. Except under supervision of the safety officer or at a designated safe area, you are not permitted to unholster your gun on the range. You then walk through the course and check each target for points down or other penalties, which again are written down.

All of this is fed into a computer and a final score is e-mailed a few hours after the match. So, how did I do?

There are 5 classifications. The Ruger P89 9mm pistol I shot was in the Stock Service Pistol category. They have classifiers to assign a handicap, but I haven't done on of those yet, so I was unclassified. There were 14 in that group. I finished 8th with a time of 210. That included 31 points down, 1 hit on a non-threat, and 1 procedural error. 7th place was at 184, and 9th place was at 212. 9th place was actually much faster than me, but finished 67 points down which really hurt him. The fastest time was 89 and the slowest was 326. Early on, I just didn't have a rhythm going, but it is all new to me and actually only the second time I had shot that particular pistol. After a few courses, I picked up a rhythm and speed. My biggest problem was reloads. Many times, I would push the magazine release too lightly, the mag would not eject, and there I was with a fresh mag and no where to put it, then I had to do it again, and it cost me dearly. That is something I can practice over and over at home with snap caps (practice ammo) and improve on. I also had some basic fundamental shooting errors, like stance and grip, which hurt my accuracy.

However, all in all, I was extremely pleased with the results and look forward to the next match. And, if you have a gun for self defense, particularly in the home, this is a great way to hone you skills. And you are doing things here that you can normally do at a public range, like walking while shooting, shooting at multiple targets, drawing and holstering, and shooting around barrels and barricades.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

I updated the for sale pages to include pictures. I takes a while to take pictures of all the stuff, so bear with me. I updated the ignition parts section and the oil filter section with pictures and some other random pictures I had.

To date, I have sold 32% of the tractor and parts based on value. I have sold to 23 different people in 3 different countries.

Also, as I go through stuff, I keep finding more to sell, so check back often.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

NRA Basic Pistol Class
Both Stacey and I took the basic pistol class from James Heath, near Shelbyville, IN. With the current administration attacking gun rights, and the economy not doing healthy, we decided that it was time to have some guns in the house for personal protection.

I have been listening to a variety of very informative gun related podcasts, and one theme is spend more money on training than you did for the gun. From my personal experience with motorcycles, that is exactly right. You may be doing things wrong and friends may have given you bad advice, and more practice only enforces the bad behavior. I try to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experience Rider Class every couple of years. And, while I have been riding a motorcycle for nearly 30 years now, I always come away with new knowledge and improved skills.

Both Stacey and I are new shooters, so it was a natural to take the class. I was surprised at how much I learned. The class was a mix of maybe 80% class room and 20% range time. The class room instruction was great, and then on the range you got a chance to learn the practical aspects of shooting as well. The class covered both revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. You could shoot your own, or use one of the instructors.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Eugene Doolin (Feb 17, 1942 - Mar 29, 2009)
Early in he morning of March 29th, Stacey's father Gene lost is long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was a strong supporter of our pulling tractor. Even though it had been years since he was physically able to regularly attend our pulls, he was able to make it to Arcola in October 2008 to see our final pass. He will be missed.

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