Pulling their weight

Since the invention of the combustible engine, it’s been common for people to compete to brag about their equipment. During Prohibition, moonshiners created the model for NASCAR by racing their vehicles along county roads. In farm country, it was less about speed and more about strength.

To show the strength of their tractors, farmers would compete in power pulls or tractor pulls. The concept is fairly simple: a tractor is hooked to a sled with a set amount of weight. The sled can be in two different forms, either a basic sled where weight is added physically or a more advanced sled with a mot...