NTPA Pullers Begin Season in Shipshe
Published: Friday, March 26, 2021
After a one-year absence, the National Tractor Pullers Assn. returned to Shipshewana last weekend. Fifty tractors competed in five divisions: super farm tractors, limited pro-stock tractors, hot farm tractors, pro-stock diesel trucks and 10,000-pound pro-stock tractors.
Last year's pulling event was one of the first cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban on mass gatherings forced NTPA to cancel all but five of its competitions last year, according to Gregg Randall, NTPA's executive director.
"Our season of 70 events ended up being five," Randall said.
So, he and others were thrilled to be back in LaGrange County for the start of a new pulling season. The NTPA Shipshewana Spring Nationals was the first competition of 2021.
Among those competing were local pullers Jon Silsby of Branch County and Russ Yoder of LaGrange County.
Silsby, of Union City, Mich., was the 2019 Grand Nationals champion in the super farm class. Before last Friday night's competition, he was looking to get back to his winning ways after a pandemic-shortened season in 2020.
Standing next to his patriotic-themed International Harvester 1066 diesel, nicknamed "Crop Doctor," Silsby appeared relatively calm.
"Usually, I don't get butterflies until I fasten the seatbelts," he said. "It's an adrenaline rush."
The owner of Dove Ag Services, a seed, chemical, fertilizer and custom application business, Silsby has been competing on the NTPA circuit for seven years. He got into tractor pulling after watching his father drive in the 1970s and '80s. His great-grandfather also owned an International Harvester dealership in Mason, Mich.
"I always wanted to do it (tractor pulling), and I had to get my kids through college before I could think about it," Silsby said. "Once we rounded that corner, I purchased a tractor, had a few guys that pulled in the class at the time help me get it ready. We just started pulling, and it's grown from there. This is my stress relief."
When his turn came up, Silsby and his 1,700-horsepower tractor pulled the sled for a distance of 297.08 feet, just short of a full pull but good enough to win first place in Friday's 9,300-pound super farm class.
During Saturday's event, he placed second with a distance of 305.715 feet.
Two other Michiana pullers, Kevin Smith and Travis Smith, both of Rochester, placed at the top of their classes last weekend. Kevin won Saturday's 9,500-pound hot farm tractor class with a pull of 307.24 feet. He finished second in Friday's competition with a distance of 305.54 feet.
Travis earned a second-place ranking on Friday with a pull of 305.18 feet. On Saturday, he placed third with a distance of 304.54 feet.
In the 8,000-pound pro-stock diesel truck pull, Jeff Hossler of Columbia City captured second place on both nights, with pulls of 284.78 feet on Friday and 292 feet on Saturday. Garrett Loucks of Elkhart made the top five with a distance of 281.775 feet in Friday's competition, and then placed third in Saturday's pull with a distance of 290.61 feet.
Silsby's 1066 diesel displays a U.S. flag as well as ghosted images of IH tractors that he once drove while growing up.
"This is actually the closest tractor (in NTPA competition) to what people would have farmed with," he said. "We started out with a stock block for this make and model ... It's (9,300-pound class) one of the few classes that still has that many parts from stock in it."
When it was minted, the 1066 diesel had 135 horsepower, with a 436-cubic-inch engine that produced 20 pounds of manifold pressure from the turbo charger. At full throttle, the engine had 2,500 rpm.
The machine has been modified to produce 1,700 horsepower with 3,500 to 4,000 rpm and 85-90 pounds of pressure.
During the 12 seconds it takes to reach the finish line, Silsby said the engine burns a gallon of water and 1.25 gallons of diesel fuel. The water is used to cool the pistons.
Yoder, who is the owner of Yoder Popcorn Co., was in the driver's seat a Minneapolis-Moline G1355 nicknamed "Extra Popcorn." When it's not competing in NTPA pulls, the tractor is an attention-getting display inside Yoder Popcorn's new retail facility at the corner of U.S. 20 and S.R. 5 in Shipshewana.
He has been driving in NTPA pulls for four years but competed only nine times last year due to the pandemic.
"It was kind of a natural fit for me," he said of tractor pulling. "I've grown up on the farm my whole life. I've dreamed that someday I would have a pulling tactor."
Four years ago, the moment arrived. He saved enough money to buy a tractor that was for sale. He made some upgrades and made it ready for competition.
Last weekend, he was competing close to home. When asked if there was any "home court advantage," Yoder said, "We'll see."
On Friday night, the Topeka resident guided the 4,000-horsepower machine to a second-place finish in the 10,000-pound pro stock class. His distance was 291.235 feet.
On Saturday night, he pulled the sled for 277.165 feet, good enough for fourth place.
Like any competition, there is some gamesmanship involved between pullers.
Both Silsby and Yoder said fellow competitors on the NTPA circuit are very friendly and willing to help out. However, Yoder said everyone has their own secrets, such as "what's under the hood."
"It's actually a tremendous group of guys," Silsby said. "We get along really well. There isn't anything another puller wouldn't help somebody with—until you get on the track. Then you're kinda on your own."
Success on the pulling strip can be determined by little things, such as tire pressure, track conditions and front-end weights.
Silsby said pullers want the front end of the tractor to rise slightly above the ground as they move toward the finish line. That's why weights placed on the nose of the tractor can make a big difference.
But Yoder said there's also an element of luck involved.
"You can have your best run," he said. "You can do everything you might be able to do and still not finish first. That's just part of tractor pulling. All 10 of these guys can win."
Yoder said it's nice to earn prize money, but he's motivated more by the competition and camaraderie with other pullers. He said his main goal is to "have a good show" and "not break anything."
Silsby admits he enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes from sitting atop a machine with so much horsepower. But what does his wife think about his hobby?
"She supports it from a distance," he said with a smile. "She won't drive, but she allows me to do it. Most of the time, it's cheaper than golf, but not always."
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