ever pulled this sled?

[north puller]

I went to a pull this weekend and the organization hired a new sled this year. A big orange self propelled named "the humiliator" which belongs to Nearpass pulling from Coldwater Mi. Has anyone pulled this sled in an antique pull and how did you like it?
For us, this transfer sled did not work very well. The pan was held up by hydraulics, and was dropped at half track. In several 15 or 20 tractor classes less than 10 feet separated the whole field.

Also without any notice, the hook on the new sled had a piece of plate welded to the tip so that you had to have a 3.5" opening for the hook to fit in. Many pullers had to add a clevis to their hitch to fit the hook.

The weather was good and I saw a lot of friends, but this new sled made for a poor pull in my opinion.

Anyone else have a similar experience with this sled?

 

[39 A]

This sled is a very popular sled in southern Michigan, it works very well and it pulls hard, part of the reason we have so many very strong tractors in this area.

 

[Dblair]

drop pan sleds are great for trucks, they get the speed up and they need the drop to stop them . they are poor at best for tractors as we have speed limits just don't go to the pulls with them . most of the sleds around here take the drop pan of for tractors . Dragon sled , Bushwacker and the like from Dragon motorsports have been very accommodating
to tractor pullers.

 

[showcrop]

The operator of the sled at most pulls in the area got a bigger sled for this season. The pan has hydraulics to push the rear of the pan down but only when the limit switch is attached and activated by the weight box pushing on it. He uses it only on the larger more powerful tractors, and it stops you quickly. Momentum is huge in how far you can get once the grousers on the back dig in. The sled does start a little harder than his older smaller one but the lighter 2600 tractors still are able to get it moving.

 

[Anonymous-0]

The piece on the tip of the hook was mandated by the NSOA [National Sled Owners ASSoc.] All the big sleds that are certified have the bigger hook. The tip is to keep the hook from popping out on a fast -bumpy pull, although nothing to due with antiques at 3 mph or so. Most new sleds are drop pan type any more. If I'm not mistaken, they can be set so the drop is sooner but with less wt to pull at that time. I agree that the new sleds take away the driver skill that the old "tug type" sleds had. They started getting heavier right away. One of the smaller sleds we use around here has a air switch that trips the pan drop. Those who are used to it usually gun it after a second or two from when they hear the air release hiss that drops the pan. From that point on, most everyone is close in distance because the sled really didn't pull hard untill then.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not to nit pick, but the smaller sled is their newest. All of their sleds operate the same. They drop the back of pan then pull the front of the rails down to the pan which lifts the rear end and transfers all the weight to the pan when needed. For the heavier or faster tractors, the rear duels are lifted off the ground. Think of a teeter-totter to understand what they are doing.

 

[north puller]

Up here (Ontario Can) we are still a few years behind you guys, especially in the caliber of tractors. At this pull there was no speed limit, however, 90% of the tractors run under 5 mph, and 70% would be at or under 3 mph. We would mostly be considered "improved stock". These tractors just can't pull a sled that drops that hard and that fast. It may be great for trucks, but personally I hope that they get someone else for next year's antique pull.

 

[Anonymous-0]

There is a sled aroung here that is like that, they use it for farm pulls. I think its out of MO it makes for boring pulls like you said they all stop at the same spot its all about momentmum. I quit pulling with them going to start antique pulling again.

 

[Anonymous-0]

you can turn the pan drop off on those sleds, and it is completely unnecessary for antiques. just the front edge dragging the ground will stop antiques. also the hook is easily changed to a smaller one for antiques and should be. ultimately it's all up to the operator, and he didn't make much effort to make it a good sled for the antiques.

 

[Farmall Ryan]

What about the 3 foot chain? Takes way more power and front end weight. I do not not pull that sled much any more cause I built my motor 2 years be for the switch in sleds and after $2500 I really did not want to redue the motor again. I am finding dead weight pulling more fun with that tractor. But am currently building a M that should have enough power to handle the orange sled.