Pioneer Power celebrated its ninth annual tractor pull at the Pioneer Power Showgrounds. (Carson Hughes/southernminn.com)
Drivers revved up their engines, let out their exhaust and bolted across the dirt track of the Pioneer Power Showgrounds on Sunday for the association’s 9th annual summer tractor pull. Dozens of competitors from across the region arrived in specialty tractors, trucks and semis with the goal of taking home a prized trophy.
Local tractor driver Jim Gliszinski places second by dragging a sled more than 320 feet.
The summer show was an immediate hit with both the drivers and the audience. Spectators lined up end to end on the east side of the track while a cavalcade of tractors appeared on the showground track two-by-two. Drivers appeared not just from Le Sueur, Le Center, Cleveland and St. Peter, but from other communities in the region, like Faribault and Shakopee.
Ella Miller was one of the youngest drivers in the Pioneer Power Summer Tractor Pull and competed alongside her father. (Carson Hughes/southernminn.com)
Competition was fierce. Drivers of all ages took the track with some having as little as two years of experience and others having more than 20. For many drivers, Pioneer Power was just one of a myriad of tractor pulls on their summer schedule
“I go as much as I can in the summertime, said Roger Williamson, a tractor driver from St. Peter competing in the 5,500 hobby stock. ‘We’ve been going almost two days a week. “
Williamson took a 1939 model with him to the tractor pull. Vintage tractors were a common sight at the competition since participants were required to have a tractor manufactured in the year 1959 or earlier to compete in the 4,500, 5,500 and 7,500 hobby stock categories. To ensure their vehicles were contest-ready, divers took care to have the proper parts and maintenance before the big day.
A tractor pops a wheelie at the Pioneer Power summer tractor pull. (Carson Hughes photos/southernminn.com)
“[You] find a pair of tires that hooks good and make sure you have enough weight to stick them to the ground,” said Williamson.
Trucks line up for the Pioneer Power Summer Tractor Pull.
Drivers also made extensive modifications to their vehicles with homemade parts. The process can be time-consuming, but rewarding, said Mike Sehones of Faribault, who has sunk days into improving his tractor.
Lines of tractors wait to compete at the Pioneer Power Showgrounds. (Carson Hughes photos/southernminn.com)
“There’s a lot of homemade parts, great big manifolds, you work on them quite a bit,” said Sehones. “There’s tons of work, 100 hours spent on this.”
Hundreds of people turned out at the Pioneer Power summer tractor pull.
For some drivers, like Zach Devine, of Shakopee, tractor pulling is part of a family tradition. His uncle, Kevin Devine, of New Prague, runs the Pioneer Power Summer Tractor Pull and Zach Devine came to the competition with a tractor passed down from his uncle to him and his cousins.
"It’s just fun - the adrenaline and rush," said Zach Devine. "I kind of grew up around tractors. I’ve been doing this ever since I was 16.”
All day, drivers had a chance to win first, second and third place trophies in the various weight classes and categories including the hobby stock, improved stock, hot farm, open class, pro farm and farm stock. The contest finished with the King of the Hill 16,500 category where the winner earned $100.
Those who missed out on the summer pull or are still itching for more tractor pulling action are in luck. Pioneer Power will hold another tractor pull next month in the 48th annual Pioneer Power Show. From Aug. 27-29, Pioneer Power is set to host a variety of activities including a tractor ride, music and dancing, a kids pedal pull and a souvenir exhibition.