Wichita Pulllling Sled

[joe zip]

I've already heard several guys tell me that they aren't going to the Wichita pull because of the Kansas Draggin Wagon sled.

Seems to be an unfair sled (junk was all of their comments). They use it on the light track and people tell me that the chain seems to have kinks in it and that is what the MPH is driven from instead of off radar like most. When it jumps you get DQ'd.

Some said they called and complained and was told if they don't like it don't come, and that was by Larry Richards himself.

That is not a good attitude to have when the tractor count is down anyhow. It cost too much to drive to these pulls and when you know somwthing like this it's just doesn't make a person want to go that far.

Too bad, that was at one time, a can't miss pull.

 

[39f20]

There aint nothing wrong with Larry or his sled.

 

[Anonymous-0]

i pull this sled a lot, i have no complaints, but i,m not a cry baby either, some people blame there losts on sled, not always true, try get (REST OF THE STORY) , b4 you dont go.

 

[King Case]

I have pulled Larrys sled for several years and personaly have never had a problem with him or the sled. Yes there are nicer sleds out there. But for what Larry charges your not going to get the latest and greatest sled built. He has always been more than fair with our club. King Case

 

[JPatton]

Gee Joe, I have never had a problem with Larry or his sled. I have been to several pulls using his sled each year for at least 10 years. I have NEVER been DQ"d while pulling his sled. Now don"t get me wrong, I don"t always win when I hook to it either. Tell me, have you ever pulled his sled? If not, give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I don"t think you will be sorry.

J

 

[jim johnson]

At $25.00 a hook I believe you are paying for a GOOD sled. And yes I have pulled on the sled.

When you take off you try to set your speed. But when you think you have the speed set then half way down the track, and you don't touch your thottle, the horn goes off, how is that possible. By then you should be loseing some traction and slowing down if anything. Tell me how is that possible on a FAIR sled? I've seen it happen more than once.

I don't think that Larry or anyone else running the sled is doing it on purpose but Larry has told me himself that the sled needs some work, but that has not happen, at least not the last time I saw the sled. And the fact of pulling a whole class and no one goes over 80 feet IS under his control.

Just the facts man, just the facts. None of the above has been made up.

 

[King Case]

What im saying is at our club he has been more than fair with his price. As far as what goes on at Whihita i dont know the facts. But im guessing he's not getting the full 25 per hook all to himself right. I can say this i wont be there. Its a NATPA pull and i wont go to them. King Case

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have never pulled this sled but in the defense of the sled, I have been pulling before and got my speed set and then half way down the track got horned, if you pay close attention to your tach., if you have one, the sled sometimes catches a sticky spot in the track and makes the governor give her a little juice, sometimes a little too much! I've had this happen more than once, and it never makes the RPMs change much but apparently just enough.

 

[massey333]

You are not helping the sled cause King Case by saying,he is cheap and so we should overlook any problems.You said yourself that the sled wasn't the best,but he was cheap.Like Jim J.said,if your paying $25 or whatever a hook,the you want and expect a good sled.When you are putting out $400-$500 for a two day pull,then you want tobe beat by a tractor and not a bad sled or GOBs club.

 

[King Case]

This is my thoughts on the sled. My tractor runs as close to 3mph that if i open it 100% off the start it will sound the horn. I dont have to go but 70feet and i can open it up fully. I have never been DQed by his sled and have pulled it alot. So im saying i never had a problem or actually have seen one you could blame on the sled. When i say the sled isnt the best i dont mean that it has problems. Have you ever pulled this sled? You are free to have your opinion as well as i am. As far as the 25.00 and the GOBs club i dont have that problem. Since i have stayed away from the NATPA i dont have that problem.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Larrys sled needs a wider pan.Other than that its not too bad.

 

[massey333]

First thing is I never said one single thing bad about Him or His sled.It was your defense of him as working cheap or cheaper than others and you saying it wasn't a top of the line sled as an excuse for the complaints.NO,I have not pulled the sled,so I won't complain or be critical of it.It is just the contract Sleds in general.There are some or most are super(honest)Operators out there but there a few bad apples that make you be wary of unknowns.As far as the $25 bit,some of the local bush pulls are getting in that price range.I won't go any farther then to say a bad sled oper.has dissolved as many clubs as the GOBs have.

 

[mo4xdadad]

I have spent many hours pulling on both ends of this sled at Wichita and many other pulls. I agree with the possibility the pan maybe small and the fact there are sticky spots in tracks that would throw the speed off if you were running extremly close. What I don"t agree with is the fact his sled is supposedly unfair for some. Everyone pulls the same sled, in the same gear, set at the same MPH, and I can verify this because I have ran the pull back tractor several times. I know Larry would not EVER cheat anyone, and if there was ever a doubt if it was something wrong with the sled Larry would just repull them to make sure. That is just how fair Larry is. The bottom line is we all pull the same sled, on the same track, with the same settings, so lets act like grown men and grow up and maybe some of these use to be "cant miss pulls" would be the same as they use to be.

 

[jim johnson]

The tractor I was pulling had a radar speedometer on it and the speed never changed.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I am from south central Il and have a question. Are all sled operators named Larry? We have two sleds that do all of the pulls in this area (-1) and both of the owner operators names are Larry and they both do an excellent job of putting on a good pull. It also makes a huge difference in the finish line if the class is large and there is a big spread in money that was spent on the tractors. No one wants to watch twenty out of twenty five tractors pull out just so the other five can pull 280 feet on a three hundred foot track.
A sled operator has a tough job, he has to know his sled the track and the all of tractors that are pulling in order to set the sled. We only have to know our tractor and the track and if we fail to achive we can blame it on the track or the sled or the judges but never ourselves.

 

[joe zip]

no one ever accused Larry of cheating them

 

[Anonymous-0]

I thought it was my fault that I had so much trouble with Division 3 pulling. Now I am thinking it is the sleds I am pulling or the operator is out to get me. HA!HA! JUST KIDDING! What is your beef with NATPA? I happen to think it is a good organization as well as USAP and other clubs that I have pulled with.