(ET) G.T. pulling tips

[George3476 aol com]

Hi Folks,,just joined this list,,I've read some of the threads and thought 
 
I'd chime in here.

Garden tractors and mini rods are run either way with success with regards 
to 
open or locked rear ends and steering brakes, it's your choice,,the locked 
rearends are more squirrelly in handling but MORE effective tractionwise, 
a pain 
in the butt to push around and steer - it wants to go straight,, how 'bout 
that,,however it's not usually a crisis to an experienced driver,,yes 
there are 
occassions where you might catch a wet spot or a stone with one tire and 
it 
wants to hookya and put you outta bounds,, i've also seen tractors slow 
down or 
make jerky movements using steering brakes, seen a 1500lb. 4cyl. 31" tire 
almost had all fours off the ground from using them on a highhorsepowered 
puller, 
smooth and flowing movements  are what's needed, I have tractors with both 
types of setups however we use BODY STEERING ONLY when yer hanging the 
front 
wheels,, if your front tires are touching the ground you do NOT have 100% 
weight 
transfer to the rear tires,,,if the tractor is going to the right you LEAN 
to 
the right which makes it go to the left (yes,,left) and vice versa,, it's 
very 
effective and doesn't consume ANY power, it's fun and it takes a bit to 
get 
master the "hang" of it, most folks naturally want to lean as on a bike or 
sled 
but it's the wrong way,,also you can combine your lean forwards or 
backwards 
to control front end height which you want to be floating JUST above the 
ground 
- ineffective steering with NO big wheelie which loses hitch height 
(usually 
10" for a 23x10.5x12 and up to 13" for a class with 26x12x12 and 
31x15.5x15 
tires) and leverage from the chain to the sled,, the operator is a very 
effective dynamic weight system on a small tractor,, you feel like your 
"one" with the 
machine, it's your personal "pleasure" vehicle,,aahhhuuuhh...i'll have to 
look but it'd probably be wise to adopt the safety rules for NEDRA for 
G.T. 
pulling.,,,also garden tractor classes usually run around 800-1100 lbs. 
(all 
inclusive) depending on the club,, most clubs run two weight classes for 
each 
division..some Stockers have  to run AG tires (staggered 
lugs,,Firestone,Carlisle,Dico,Goodyear, and a few others, some sizes are 
not available in all brands), 
others may run the Chevron style bars on the "Pro" tires of 26x12x12, made 
by 
Dick Cepek #  1- staggered lug or # 2 chevron, LawnTec, Pitbull 1 & 2,, 
many 
pullers have the tires hardened to retain the "cutting edge",, some tires 
(Pitbulls 1's) are more effective by "cutting" the tires which involves 
grinding off 
the backedge of the bar with a disc sander with 36 grit disc (a messy job 
sometimes done on a jig for uniformity by pros) or lug at approximately a 
45 
degree angle making the tire "bite" better,,,some pullers "double cut" 
them by 
adding an extra row of lugs or by making a chevron style tire out of a 
staggered 
bar lug tire by cutting into the carcass trying to avoid hitting the 
caseing/belts,,,there's a lot of rubber on those things,, cutting also 
removes inertial 
weight from the drivetrain making it more responsive...anyway more 
later..my 
"pecker" is gettin tired,,(one fingered typer,,,lol)...Geo