Oz's travels.

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My first pull.

                                               A blast from the past.

I love tractor pulling, watching those diesel drinking.... oh an petrol.... James Yardley has one with a V8 ford engine bolted on. Any way.... tractors giving it all into pulling the sledge down the track made me want to have ago. Being involved with the Mad Massey team I had to buy a Massey Ferguson.


Here it is next to the Mad Massey....  

The Mini Mad Massey.

After Steve Knight the mechanical wizard checked it over I took it out for its first pull.

I lined it up straight in front of the sledge, Phil connected the chain an I waited for the thumbs up from the sledge operator Neil. I must say I was nervous. Neil climbed in the cab an the thumbs up was given, of course I couldn't see it but Phil shouted 

                                                                                                           "let it rip Oz".


                                                                              So I did.......

What a adrenalin rush, the front lifted the wheels spun as I gave the Mini Mad Massey full bore. Did I move the sledge? well thats for you to decide.

But it looks like I did.....


A brief run down of the sledge. The sledge can come in all shapes an sizes. This one is made of a 40 foot flat bed trailer with a combine harvester cab on the back. Two winches that moves the weight box forward an backwards along the bed of the trailer. The weight box (approx 10 tonne) an the pan (the plate of metal that you can see under the front of the sledge above behind me). As the tractor moves the sledge along the track, the weight box moves towards the front of the trailer placing more weight on the pan making it harder the tractor to drag along.

The tractor pulling meeting was held at the S E Davis steam an classic vehicle show at Astwood Bank nr Redditch on the 9th an 10th June 2007. It was the first time that they have had tractor pulling at there show. Godfrey n Joyce Blainey did a great job of organizing the meeting. It all went very well, but there were casualtys. Phil Parker broke the half shafts in the back axle of the Major Aggro. Richard Angel broke the propshaft on La Femmina an Darran Trower after a lot of money an time spent on the engine of Major Mover had teething troubles on his one an only pull. S E Davis's were so impressed  that they have asked us back next year, Plus they are going to build a better track for us aswell.  Can I thank Paul an James from the Redditch mini owners club for helping Phil set up the Pa cuz he didn't have a clue. The tractor pulling meetings are normally commentated by Squirel, but as he couldn't make it the spectators had to put up with Phil.

 Here are some of the other tractors that were there.

Godfrey (Old Git) Blainey on Major cock up.

On a very sad note, sadly we have lost Godfrey. Who IS mist by a lot of people.  Rest in peace mate..

This twin engined beast is Major Aggro owned by Darren (Manny) Mann an Phill (Pikey) Parker

James Yardley with Noise Pollution, this tractor has got the Ford V8 petrol engine.

This is La Femmina owned by Ricardo Angelino (Richard Angle). Its got a Scania V8 engine. Here driven by Jen Wiggle. I believe that they are going to paint it pink.

A lovely thing to see, one of  S E Davis traction engines came up an had a go, driven by Paul Davis.