I've always been curious as to what the point of the trailer pulling contests were about? Howcome when the trucks start to pull the trailer, they all of a sudden give out? Do the trucks run out of steam, or are is the trailer adding some kind of resistance to the truck? I guess I am just confused as to why the trucks always come to a raging hault?

 

are you talking about tractor/truck pulls? never heard it called trailer pull show.. but if thats what your talking about then yes the trucks (and tractors) run out of juice.. the sled (or trailer as you call it ) has a HUGE weight on it that travels along the axis of the frame on the trailer itself.. as the sled gets pulled down the lane.. the wieght moves towards the truck making the truck have to pull heavier weight.. the farther the travel more the weight.. untill it maxes out..and usually when that happens the tires dig in and dirt flings everywhere. thats why the front ends come up often.. for weight on the drive tires towards the end.. youd think they would do better with more weight but eventually there comes a time where HP and traction just dont mean squat!

hope this helps..

 

Well already you have one concept wrong. You are refer to truck pulls I assume and they are pulling "sleds" because they have a large sled that drags the ground on the front. As the truck pulls the sled down the track the weight box moves forward applying more downward pressure to the sled, causing more friction. The bottom of the sled itself usually has bars welded to it also that digs into the dirt once again adding more resistance. A real mind blower is that some of the 8000# diesel open class pullers are pulling upwards of 30,000 lbs.

 

I think some sleds (or whatever the hell they pull) are even designed to dig into the ground to make it even harder.

 

the ones ive been to dont dig into the ground..

 

i was watching tractor pulls the other day on SPEED and wondering the same thing. as to why they call them sleds and why the truck just suddenly stop. man there were som Badass RAM 3500 on there, stomping all over everyone else... i need unlimited recourses and sponsors

 

dont we all?

 

wow i had no idea. thanks for all the info guys. watching the pulls will be that much more enjoyable now!

 

Some of the highly modified diesels are in the 800-1000hp range and can reachup to 2000ft/lb of torque. Check out some diesel magazins when you get a chance, it is amazing at what they are getting out of the cummins.

 

check youtube even... these truck are awesome to watch!! the reason they stop i believe is because eventually they just start loosing traction... the sled probaly builds more resistance as you pull it too...