Agriculture is at the very root of the Richland County Fair and celebrating it is what the fair has always been about and what it should continue to be about.
In this space last week I talked about my affection for harness racing and my belief that it needs to remain part of the fair no matter what the profits gained from it.
Well, my passion for tractor pulling is of an even greater magnitude. Rumor has it I was conceived at a tractor pulling back in the 1960’s, although I can’t prove that. My association with pulling goes back to my earliest memories as a child watching my dad pull his modified tractor “The Fun Machine” and traveling with him, and my mom, to pulls around the area. Those that are part of pulling say that once you have a taste of the sport, you never let it go.
I was never a puller myself, my wife would be a much better driver than I could ever hope to be. My association has always been as an observer. I host the only tractor and truck pulling talk show on the internet called “Full Pull Tonight” every Sunday evening at 7 p.m. on my website www.swankonsports.com.
I was able to take many roles at tractor pulls at the Richland County Fair from runner to being the only guy that was part of the measuring crew to announcer. Those times have come and gone for me, but I still count them as among my most treasured memories.
Tractor and truck pulling takes many forms and you will get a chance to enjoy all of them next week at the fair in Mansfield.
On Thursday night, the Ohio State Tractor Pullers Association, or OSTPA, will stop in Mansfield as part of its tour of Ohio, which includes more than 40 stops in 2014.
There will be three classes on the card for the night including super modified FWD trucks. They are powered by big racing motors of up to 500 cubic inches and their horsepower is enhanced with inclusion of super chargers, or forced air systems that allow more fuel, in this case alcohol to be burned. A couple of local guys have had good seasons on the OSTPA circuit this year, including Joey Barnett of Plymouth, who just won a pull in Tiffin on Sunday night, and Eddy Garner of the Shiloh-Greenwich area.
Light-limited pro stock tractors, they weigh 9,000 pounds, are the ones that look like farm tractors, but are much more powerful and include a big turbo, who’s function is the same as the super charger on the racing engines, to burn more fuel, in this case diesel, and make more power. So, if you are a John Deere or a Case/IH fan, you will have your choice to root for.
Pro stock semis are likely the favorite of the urban crowd that would attend the pull. The 20,000 pound semis have big Cummins or Caterpillar motors in them.
The “Shameless” team of Mike Laribee and Logan Henke of Crestline are former national and state champions and their running mates Joe and Mathew Metzger of Shelby have proven to be nearly as good.
A class of 2.6 diesel trucks will be included on Thursday.
On Friday night, another pull will be held, that will include tractors and trucks of many forms. There will be antique tractors, that includes two-cylinder John Deeres, old Farmalls, Minneapolis Molines, Olivers, and maybe even a Massy Harris or Wards. There will also be modified tractors, with one engine, farm stock tractors and what are known as hot farms, which are a notch above tractors that actually work in the field, a class of light pro stocks, and both gas and diesel trucks.
Rules for competing in these classes can be found on the Richland County Fair website.
Pulling can be fun to watch. I hope you give it a try.
After years of toil and sweat behind radio station microphones, longtime broadcaster, Jeff Swank joined the new generation of sports followers on the web.
Swank launched his internet radio station with nothing more than some wire, a box with some knobs and switches, and an itch to do much more than just scratch the surface of everything sports.
Richland Source is proud to introduce Jeff as a writer focused on high school sports. He will contribute a weekly column and analysis of a featured game of the week from one of our area high schools.
In addition to his work at Richland Source, Jeff provides complete high school sports coverage for over 70 Ohio schools at his web site, http://www.swankonsports.net76.net/.
