A trip to hallowed ground

This weekend I spent some high quality pulling time at the Cornhusker Classic here in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The promoters of the event put together yet another great show in it's second year with the "big guns," and in my third time up here I had been blessed with some good travelin' weather.  This year was different, as I constantly glanced at the Weather Channel on my phone and maps upon friend's phones who also trod into the same region I had to run through--St. Louis--more exactly.

I made the executive decision to lay low for a day, work on some photos, catch up on some writing, head home to Bowling Green KY Monday morning.  As the weather in Lincoln wasn't bad and cabin fever soon set in, it finally dawned upon me to head out for a bit.  First little jaunt was to a local equipment dealer to window shop, even though I haven't lived on more than a half acre since 1996.  What escaped me until I saw a sign for "Nebraska Research Facility" outside of Wahoo, Nebraska and made a hard left onto a two-lane road was the thought:

"You big dummy...go find the Nebraska Tractor Test facility!"

Now that initial facility I came upon was a massive complex of cattle, crops and even introduced me to a term I'd never heard of before... "Agrometeorology."  I know farming weather, but that's a new word for me.

Made the trip back into Lincoln and found my way to the test facility and the Larsen Museum.  Wow.

I'm gonna step back here and make a statement unknown to most:  I am low-key about some things in motorsports, simply because since 1992 I've spent most of my time in Bowling Green, home to the Corvette Plant, Corvette Museum, and Beech Bend Raceway.  In a very real sense any form or sort of vehicle I've enjoyed in my life has come to me, rather than travel to see it and I am blessed by that unique situation, kinda like living in the same town as some of the bigger pulls in the country.  Corvettes by thousands.  NHRA and Goodguys Hot Rod Reunions... Buick Grand National Club race/show..you get the point.  Much of it rolls into town as I roll out and I've been like this for some time.  I get excited to go to pulls (I either sleep little or not at all before a pull, ask Mrs. Lively) but there hadn't been anything that had struck me in a long time until I rolled up on this sign today:

I pulled into the vacant and basically "snooped around," I didn't go anywhere I didn't need to be but this was the sign that stopped me in my tracks, literally and figuratively:

I didn't even walk onto the track.  I did get some nice photos:

Front stretch of the test track

Got Weights? 

Reverse view of the track

Larsen Museum Tractors.  Looked in the window, NICE stuff in there.

AC WC used for tip-over demostrations, Thanks to Rusty Regenbrecht on the origin of this unit

Front view.  Really dug the Twin Cities hiding down at the end and the McCormick Deering in the foreground. 

It was a really neat place to visit, and I am having a hard time describing my time there.  A lot of what I am and what I do intersects with this place....the whole concept of testing tractors for horsepower and performance on many levels. Growing up in the ag. equipment industry had something to do with it and I guess a big part of it was that I spent my teenage years wanting to come to this place and learn here though my desire was overridden by the reality of out-of-state tuition and my unmentionable math grades.  I also own a copy of CH Wendel's "Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors" given to me by my grandparents in either '81 or '82 that I nearly dog-eared and first learned about the Nebraska test from.  When you're a nine year old and you're already consumed by wanting to be around tractors, learning that theres a place where they test them (in nine year old voice: YOU MEAN THAT THEY LET PEOPLE JUST DRIVE THEM AROUND?? ALL KINDS OF TRACTORS??) only adds fuel to that fire. I left the facility, a place I romanticized in my youth, a little "struck," thinking "was I just there?"  A place only seen in pictures became reality. I will be back, when the museum is open.  Is it worth a visit for you? If you see yourself in anything I've described here, it may very well be.  From what I could see in the window of the museum was some pretty unique stuff, especially if you see what they have let set outside, obviously because of storage limitations.  It is tractor-guru heaven, and I'm glad I got a glimpse of it.

With Great Appreciation.

Many of you who read this are also on Facebook, and have seen or have personally participated in the "Days of Thankfulness" on there. Being late to the game as usual, and a few minutes to knock the month out in one try, I thought I'd join in. So, here goes:

1. I am thankful for bacon. Not that fake turkey-based shoe leather, real bacon that oinked and grunted at some point. Bacon does not gobble.

2. I am thankful for sweet tea. An old friend refers to it as crack, and it is. I don't drink it often but when I do, oh my.

3. BBQ ribs from Smoketown in Louisville. Go eat some they'll make your list to.

4. Im thankful for Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Billy Gibbons. They taught Electricity 101 to a kid who grew up on...

5. Cash, Haggard, Jennings, Shaver, and Coe. Don't forget Coe.

6. Good fitting shoes. Size 14's if ya got'em.

7. Jerry "The King" Lawler

8. "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant

9. "Dirty" Dutch Mantel

10. Ric Flair...Imagine a 12 year old me strutting across a living room going WOOOOOO...

11. Gravy, white or brown, doesn't matter...I thought I was done with food.

12. Thankful for sports talk radio, which I listen to because everything else is unlistenable.

13. In chronological order: Dolly Parton, Catherine Bach, Cindy Crawford, Pam Anderson, Sophia Vergara. Just sayin'

14. George and Tammy, Johnny and June.

15. The first incarnations of Smokey and the Bandit and Van Halen. Everything thereafter in both cases were shells of their former being.

But seriously...

16. I am thankful for my work, my ability to be self employed and know exactly who is at fault when something gets messed up, the guy Im looking at in the mirror. Being able to determine my own success is a priceless commodity to me.

17. I am thankful for the friends I've made in my work. Many of them have become near and dear to me, and I know in turn who I have become dear to as well because of the grief I get, good naturedly of course.

18. I am thankful for our President. I am thankful for him because while I disagree with what he does 90% of the time, I know that I will appreciate the good times more when better times arrive.

19. I am thankful for every man and woman who serves or has served our nation in war and in peace. Several of my former students now serve, and my pride in them is equaled by my hope for a safe and peaceful journey for them and all who serve in the Armed Forces.

20. I am thankful for my raisin'. I watched everyone in my family dive into their work no matter what it was and complete it with dignity and honesty. Those lessons of perserverance work for me today.

21. I am thankful for second chances. And third and fourth chances too.

22. I am thankful for being raised on a farm. We moved to the farm when I was 12, and while it was hard work, every scar that my body still bears was worth it.

23. I am thankful for my education, both the one in the classroom and in life.

24. I am thankful for the internal combustion engine. Be it gas or diesel, my early fascination kept my nose buried in a book reading about them and probably out of trouble.

25. I am thankful for 1215 Chestnut Street Bowling Green KY. 1993-1994. Friendships were solidified and tested that year over pizza and Rook games.

26. I am thankful for laughter. Laughter has been a part of my fiber from day one.

27. I am thankful for the time I had with those family members who have passed on. Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, My Mother. I don't weep for them anymore, I know our time time together will resume one day.

28. I am thankful for my family, my family and my wife's family. We're kind of a dysfunctional lot, with most of the dysfunction typing this. I am grateful for their love and the lessons they have taught me.

29. I am thankful for Deanna. She puts up with a lot from me. She is truly God-sent and a blessing.

30. I am thankful for a Risen Savior whose life, death and ressurection makes it possible for this chunk of coal to be saved by Grace. It is truly an amazing love.

Well I was 22 days behind, now Im 8 days ahead. Sounds a lot like how the magazine business runs here.

Tractor Pulling For A Purpose

Submitted by Mike Palmer (Ed. note - I get emails and regular mail all the time and sometimes they stand out more than others. This email sent to me by Mike Palmer about the young boy and his battle with cancer is one of the most memorable I've received. Please take the time to read the letter in full and the PS at the end. If anyone has anything to add or wishes to help initiate what Mike's proposed in the PS, LET ME KNOW. Kudos to Mike for his efforts on Jayden's behalf. Thanks. Dear Bryan, Recently, I had the pleasure of witnessing and participating in a pulling event that reminds me why we enjoy this sport so much. This past Monday, July 30th I had the privilege of pulling with a young boy of 4 years old who has truly touched me to the depths of my heart. His name is Jayden Barber and like me he is in love with tractors particularly those green and yellow ones, but just about any color tractor will get his attention. I met Jayden about a month ago, when I learned about him from my girlfriend. To give you a quick history, Jayden is a 4 year old boy who has fought for every day he has on this earth. At the age of 2, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. After a long fight and countless chemo therapy treatments the family was all smiles as they thought Jayden had beaten the odds. Unfortunately, the odds were entirely against him, Jayden is one of the few cases where his body actually reacted to the chemo and developed and extremely rare form of terminal leukemia. Again the family was hopeful, but after a bone marrow transplants and T-cell infusions the doctors delivered the crushing blow that Jayden’s body just wasn’t reacting to the treatments and so he was sent home to spend the next six weeks with his family and enjoy their time together. Despite all of this, upon meeting this little boy for the first time, you would have no idea he is in a battle for his life. He has always had a smile on his face and is as happy as can be. He is in pain, has limited use of his right arm from the bone cancer, and still never complains or "asks why me?". I spent only a few honors with Jayden, but I can tell you they were life changing hours at that. Here I am complaining about a bad day at the office, horrible customers, being tired, and yet in front of me is a 4 year old with a death sentence who is smiling and laughing as if nothing is wrong, even though I know he has to take a pain pill every 3 hours just to function. So it didn't take me long to look for a what can I do to help solution........ The answer, I learned that Jayden and his 3 year old brother Carson are in LOVE with tractors which is great because so am I ! So last week we arranged for the family to come out and drive some tractors around the farm, we ended up driving anything that ran! Apparently, Jayden had a good time, because he was so excited to come back that he was trying to arrange another play date for the very next night. He kept asking to drive bigger tractors next time, and then it hit me, what about a tractor pull! Now, this may seem like a small request to some, but for those of us associated with pulling, think of all the red tape, insurance, safety concerns, etc.! Well, through the big hearts of the Columbiana County Fair in Lisbon Ohio, Steve Knizat fair board vice-president, Reesman Farm Supply, Trophy Works, and various others we were able to put together a special Exhibition pull on Monday Night July 30th 2012, at the Columbiana County Fair. I am not sure who was more excited Jayden or myself, I later learned that Jayden had prepared his wardrobe for the pull a day ahead of time just to be sure everything was perfect! The pull itself, was special in so many ways. I used one our Farm Stock pullers and retrofitted it with a special seat, fenders, and safety belt for Jayden and I to make this once in a lifetime voyage down the 300’ track for a Full Pull. We may have only been idling along, but to Jayden we were full speed ahead on a mission to pass that 300’ cone!

As special as it was for Jayden, it had an even bigger impact on the spectators and of course me. I have been to countless pulls in my lifetime and I have NEVER seen a crowd that overwhelmed with the event. The announcer gave a quick background on Jayden’s history and then asked for the crowd to rise to their feet and support this little boy as he made his first ever pull. All eyes were on Jayden, there wasn’t a single engine running, no one was speaking, and of course there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place. The moment was incredible for anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing it. I have never seen an entire arena go silent so quickly and then erupt so loudly with cheers and applause. Finally to top it all off, as Jayden reached the 300’ mark, he raised his little hand and fist upward in celebration as crowd roared to life in approval!!!! Afterwards a trophy commemorating the event (donated by Trophy works) was presented to Jayden for his accomplishments. It all was worth it as I heard him tell his mom “this was the best day ever!”

Now if all this generosity wasn’t enough, I came to learn later that evening that a few pullers had taken it upon themselves to donate their class winnings back to the Barber family in support of Jayden’s cause to help with medical bills and any other expense. I know there are some people out there, who question what this world is coming to, and heck I am just as guilty at times, but after Monday night I was overwhelmed with the generosity, kindness, and compassion people still have. I have never been more honored to be at a pull and could not be prouder of my fellow pullers. This was truly a pull for a cause that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone in attendance and it reminds me just why I love this sport. Sincerely, Michael Palmer PS: Since then the idea of starting a foundation of “pulling for a cure” or “tractors for therapy” where sick kids get to come and drive tractors as a therapy or impromptu make-a-wish. Something that seems so simple, but just the idea of being able to put a smile on a child’s face, seems worth it. Do you know of any such organizations? Also, do you think there are people out there who would embrace this idea as well as maybe help me build a wheel chair accessible tractor? I think it could be a great thing for kids, teens, and adults alike, but in order to get it off the ground I may need a little support! (Ed. note: Here is the follow-up I received in recent days. I for one thought the room got a little dusty reading the follow-up given the situation initially faced. Proof of the dramatic blessings that God does bestow, and keep him in your thoughts and prayers! Just to share some great news, I found out late last night that while at the hospital for his weekly transfusions and checkup, the blood work came back negative for cancer. Thinking there was a mistake the doctors did some scans and more test and Jayden is now deemed to be 99% cancer free. He's not totally out of the clear yet, as he is still fighting a graft vs host disease from all the transfusion but things are on the up and up. Best of all, the doctors have no explanation what so ever. However, if you asked Jayden, he'll tell you without a moment's pause that it was Jesus who told him he would be ok. All this from a 4 year old...WOW. This is the type of miracle that just shows you how the power of prayer can work, sometimes we may not understand why things happen but there is defiantly a plan at work much more powerful than I can understand. Thanks again for the article and I would love some feedback on the non-profit idea. I have some plans in the work to find an orchard tractor for a fully hydraulically controlled wheelchair tractor, and have been talking with some friends who are lawyers to find out just what it would take to make this idea become a reality. Any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Thank you so much! Michael Palmer

Running Full Speed, But in What Direction? An Examination of Pulling’s Fastest Growing Class, Limited Pro Stock 4.1

During the weekend of May 4th-5th, I attended two pulls that transcend The HOOK Magazine. During the evenings, I attended the MSPA H&R Agri-Power Pulling Series events in Ardmore, Tennessee, while during the day of the 5th I covered a local antique pulling event in Shelbyville, Tennessee. While at the antique event I crossed paths with a couple who field three antique tractors and enjoy the sport of pulling at all levels. We had spoken briefly the evening before as they had been at the Ardmore event, but we had opportunity for more conversation during the antique pull. In our conversation, without prompt or asking the gentleman remarked, paraphrasing here, “that was a good pull last night…but that Limited Pro Stock class was really good.” He continued on to reveal his understanding of the class and how good a place it holds within a given show. Basically the message I got from this was: The fans are watching…and keeping score. I was first introduced to LPS 4.1 two years ago at an event in Illinois. It certainly had a different feel and flair that Super Farm didn’t possess, but was still that diamond in the rough, ready to be polished so that it might shine brightly to the pulling world. Fast forward to the Missouri State Fair in 2011, where nearly 30 of these tractors made pass after pass, wheels up, with a sound and presence only eclipsed by a Pro Stocker. I too became a believer in that evening, recognizing that the class has some fantastic potential. With every up-and-coming class there is a certain new-kid-in-town novelty. The novelty here is that in many circles LPS is thought to be the class that Super Farm should have been all along, as well as the great show they provide. But as the headline suggests for this class that is already being booked heavily throughout the Midwest, what direction is the class heading in? As a person who has a deeply vested interest in keeping the sport of tractor and truck pulling alive and well personally and professionally, I think it’s important that history does not repeat itself so that LPS does not fall victim of the ills that other classes that have fell prey to in their formative stages. In short: 1) Align rules across organizations. It’s important that a tractor in Missouri or from any other state should be able to go anywhere in the pulling world and roll off the trailer without having to change their setup beyond those changes they normally make through the season. Uniformity of rules also saves money in the long run, plain and simple. If not, LPS pullers that travel will have to keep multiple setups to run given on the set of rules they’re running into. Diesel shops will make money still, just won’t have to develop different setups on their end, allowing them to focus on one for LPS. 2) To promoters and sanctioning bodies: overbooking the class makes for a long, hard summer. They are reliable, but they will break with enough pounding through the season. There’s also a certain responsibility on the part of the puller to say “when,” and “when” more often than not is when the parts funds dry up or the supplier’s ability to provide replacement parts becomes an issue. This is probably the hardest measure of all; it is truly hard to say “no.” 3) Maintain this class as a regional class only; The knock from many is that Super Farm isn’t a class for the national stage, and in the grand scheme LPS 4.1 is not either, even though it is more attractive to be at that level. There are already enough hooks to support this class with less travel, and it finally pushes Pro Stock into national-only status like the USS, Mod, and Unl Mod classes. It is indeed fun to sit back and watch this class when all is said and done. The speed, noise, and overall display of brute power is remarkable; where some classes might seem to bring a pack of sparklers to the show, LPS is a stick of dynamite; furious, loud and uncompromising. Every effort needs to be made to project the path of the class in the right direction, and I don’t think by any stretch I have all the right answers. I do know after a visit with a fan on a beautiful Saturday morning is that the fans are watching, and want more. Let’s give it to them. P.S. After initially writing this piece back early in the season I have had several more fans specifically come up to me and make note of the quality and speed of this class—even a promoter. Though some may grumble that the class is “too big” “broken” or whatever, it again ultimately matters what the fans are doing when LPS 4.1 is going down the track—they’re standing and cheering and evidently telling people about the class after they’ve seen it the first time.

On the road again...

As I'm sitting here on this Monday afternoon in late July I've taken a moment to ask myself the question, "Where did the summer go?" Needless to say, it went, and went fast, in a hot and dry fashion unlike anything most of us have seen since '88. My memory suggests that '83 was pretty bad too especially here in KY. '88 was more widespread of course. Enough about the weather report. When I picked up The HOOK and started covering pulling aggressively I made it a point to go and see as many new and different clubs as I could. This year has been a great opportunity to do that, and I can say I've been to some pretty remarkable places this summer. Places like Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Oklahoma, and even in my backdoor in Battletown, Kentucky--all 3 stand out for the beauty of the country. In terms of my observations for this summer and a common thread for me is the stability and success of pulling at the grassroots level. Puller numbers and spectator numbers have been quite good at that level. Spectator numbers at a national level have seemed good, but puller numbers are down, be it because a desire to cut back or a more glaring issue of parts availability in some classes to get back out on the track. My good friend Dick Morgan touched on the issues at the National level, and my thought is that we're at a tipping point on vehicle numbers in some classes, Light Super for example. It's remarkable to me to see the numbers TWD and SF sustain, but as a rule--COMPARED to other GN classes--maintenance and breakage are not as common. For some of you that's a "no kidding" observation, but their success at making repeatable runs makes them attractive to promoters and a big reason why they have so many hooks. The fact also remains that even with lower numbers at that level of the sport, thats just natural design, no different than other forms of competition, where the national level of the sport by numbers is a small, minute percentage of what we see. Given the numbers we see in Tunica and Gordyville that is easy to see. The rise of the LPS 4.1 and Light Pro are also big news in my mind. I've had the unique opportunity recently to "advise"--and boy do I use that term loosely--a friend as they wanted to get in the game of "blowing smoke" and have done so after running antiques for a few years. I'll be following the process of getting the tractor up to spec in the Light Pro Class, and outline a new pattern I'm seeing, which is pullers moving on into more modern tractors. I also have a piece on LPS 4.1 I'll publish here soon. Well, the website is looking better. Finally. I'll be updating it as I can in the coming days. My event schedule is pretty much locked up through the first of November, but I'll keep updating my schedule to let folks know where Im at. Lastly, the pitch: If you're not getting The HOOK, give it a try. I have a great support system of contributors that help me with the magazine and I manage to hit a ton of events covering everything you don't see in The Puller, which I also work for. So, check out the new website: and follow our social media links if you don't already. Check out the photos and soon we'll have some merchandise up. Thanks for your time and thanks for reading.

Sabotage--We talk all the time about the Good; now a brief moment on the Bad and Ugly...

This is one of those stories that I quite frankly admit that I didn’t care to have to write, but it was time to do it.  After recent events at a pull I attended,  the issue had to be explored, had to come to light. 

Let me preface this story with this comment:  The activities of a few should NEVER cast a shadow upon an event, promoter or the other pullers that had nothing to do with the activity.  It is however the activities of the few that leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth from top to bottom and it should be directly attributed to the person who committed the crime, and no one else.

The first time I was ever around a tractor that had been tampered with was owned by grandfather’s mechanic some 25 years ago.  The mechanic, owning a very stout 88 Oliver, had done well in his early classes but at some point in the evening someone had found means to put sugar in his fuel tank.  In his own words “The S.O.B. ran good ‘til I got sabotaged.”  For whatever reason I remember that as clear as day, probably because I added S.O.B. to my vocabulary that day, and my dad soon removed it.  Moving on...

Tampering comes in many forms, from something as simple as messing with tire pressure to pulling wires off a tractor.   One puller recently told me that his chains and boomers were taken off his trailer, which is just a higher lever of tampering in outright theft.  There are any number of scenarios, and none of them are good.  Most everyone reading this has heard of something sabotaged or has had it done to them.

What lies underneath this is the current is someone putting a chink in the armor of what is one of the last few sportsmanlike of motorsports.  From drag racing to dirt tracks to Sprint Cup, you have to watch your back.  Pulling has largely avoided that stigma, especially at those events we cover here at The HOOK.  I don’t think that is the case now, but in my own estimation you have to speak out about misuse and abuse early to get it stopped before it runs rampant.

I don’t know what possesses folks to do something like this, but it is pretty obvious: tampering with a vehicle is the highest level of cowardice in motorsports, period.  My advice to them is simply, sell your tractor, and don’t come back.  Your brand of kicks is unwanted and unneeded in this or any other motorsport.  If you are afraid of getting beat, then take your licks and find some means to get better.   Become a better driver, a better track reader, do something other than messing with other people’s stuff.  A victory gained by those means is not a victory at all; it is a farce.

That time again...

Tonight we finished the latest issue of The HOOK.  It is the largest edition we have printed yet at 76 pages.  We have had great opportunity to meet and work with some wonderful new people in the sport, and we want to continue to do that as much as possible. 

What I'm about to share partly comes from the latest editorial.  There's a sports talk show personality named Jim Rome whose main gig is spending three hours a day spouting of to millions of listeners--he is popular.  One of his bits or actually could be what he believes to be true.  His claim is that the show is much better when he is the only one talking, and not any of the many listeners who might call in.  "More of me, less of you" he says.

For The HOOK, the opposite is true. It is my intent to help you all, the readers and pullers, to become more involved in the content of the magazine.  I do not to plan to slow down the amount I travel to meet new pullers in new clubs, I simply cannot be everywhere at once.  More of YOU, Less of ME. 

If you have comments and ideas, shoot them my way.  rblively@hotmail.com is the best way to reach me.

Although this blogging bit has been pretty sporadic, I have had ample windshield time to think through some ideas and hash them out to share in a manner everyone can understand...So expect more ramblings on...

For now, Let's go Pullin'