have never been to one i dont know if there are even any in az. but wat are the class break downs? the tricks? just everything you would tell some one before there first pull. thanks guys

 

Well... Classes are mostly broke down into turbo size. you have work stock (stock turbo), 2.6, 2.8, and 3.0 for the most part.

Are you planning on pulling?

 

i want to but i havent heard of any pulls in az. So they just go by turbo you can have like injectors plate and all that good stuff and still go in the stock class?

 

work stock is a very lenient class, as long as the turbo looks stock you should be fine. but theres some pulls that will bump you up to 2.6 cause you make too much smoke

 

o yeah. So any one know of any pulls in az? the az bomber forum is dead

 

not much dude - TX has some going on!

Check our schedule - ! National Association of Diesel Motorsports

 

I have an entire writeup on setting up and pulling duramax trucks but i see you have a cummins.

The basic rundown on pulling is a very open topic and pulls are different everywhere.

But ill describe pulling how it is up here in wisconsin.

Basically what you do is pull a "sled" as far as you can until it stops you. The guy who goes the furthest wins.

The Sled is a wieght transfer machine. We run transfer sleds around here and they are the ones im most familiar with as i work on one from time to time so ill describe them.

The sled consists of many parts and is a simple yet complex design. It is usually very heavy between 20,000-50,000lbs. Depending on the class. The weight is stored inside the weight box. The weight box is connected to a chain that moves it along a track. It is driven by the wheels through a gearbox with many different ratios to set how fast it moves. It can be divorced from the wheels as well so that it can be moved back into the starting position over the rear wheels before the sled backs up since the rear wheels of the sled are usually off the ground at the end of the run.

Most sleds have their own engines which allow them to drive themselves back. THey also have steer wheels that are lifted back up once the sled is in the starting position.

The biggest part of any sled is the pan. Its a HUGE metal plate that slides along the pulling surface. At the start of the pull there is little to no weight on the pan as all the weight is over the wheels, so its like pulling a heavy trailer. As the weight box slides down the track it begins to transfer more weight to the pan which creates more friction. As it moves up further more of the weight is transfered until the box is all the way forward. There is a pivot point on every sled, the point at where the weight trasfers to the pan initially, you will notice this if you pan attention. Around here we set the sleds up to do this around 150'-200'. So you want to get as much speed as you can by then. We set the sleds to have the box all the way forward and really slam you just before 300'. This keeps all of the pullers within the last 15' of each other in bigger classes where pullers are set up similar. It makes for a good show for the fans which is what pulling is about in the first place.

Along the track that the weightbox moves on their are multiple electric over air solenoids that trigger different things. THey trigger rams that change how the pan is touching the ground and how the weight is transfered and if you make it far enough long enough they will trigger the grousers to dig into the dirt even more.

And thats basically how a transfer sled works.

Some other features of the sleds are the hook. It is a very large hook and some sleds have the new safety hook requiring you to have a 3x3.75" hole to fit it. It has a feature on it to prevent the vehicle from coming unhooked. Another feature is the kill switch. The kill switch itself is on the puller but the sled activates it. its a cable with a clip on it that attaches to a loop at the back of the puller. If you come unhooked the slack is taken up in the cable and the kill switch is pulled shutting the puller down. But if you dont come unhooked and something else goes haywire like a roll over or a fire, the sled operator pushes a button which triggers a starter motor that rips the kill switch cord and in turn shuts the vehicle down.

Some sleds also have RPM monitors are some tractor classes suchy as profarm and hotfarm have RPM limits. Its a simple plug that is hooked up to the tractor.

The sleds also have green and red indicator lights to tell you whether or not the sled operator is ready. You dont have to pay any attention to them though. THey are for the flag officials to look at. The last flag official wont put up a green flag unless the sled operator is ready, and the flag official standing by your vehicle wont put up a green flag unless he is ready and the last flag official has the green flag up.

Another feature somewhat pertained to the sled is the spoting cone. YOu have the option at some pulls to spot the sled. So you can have the sled start to the right of the track or the left of the track or anywhere in between. This is to avoid bad spots of the track.

Another very important feature of the sled is the measuring system. Nearly all sleds have a laser measuring system these days. Some are more complex than others. But basically a laser reads the distance you have traveled. Not like the old days where there were 5 guys swarming the track with tape measures measuring from the nearest cone to the back of the sled then doing math. Your distance is measured from the front of the sled.

Now for the track.

The track is different everywhere. But ill describe our tracks. Most all of our tracks are hard packed clay and all big pulls will have a hard packed clay track. This is the best track for pulling as it provides plenty of bite and is easy to maintian. hours before a pull track prep starts. Usually with some heavy digging equipment. The track is ripped up with a disc or similar multiple times until it is broken up nicely. Then they start to smooth it out with numerous forms of scrapers and packers. Throughout all of this water is added if needed to get the moisture consistent. This way moisture is mixed in though the whole track. Not just on the top. If it was just on the top you would be spinning until you spun through it to dry stuff. If it was just at the bottom well that defeats the purpose.

After each and every hook a team of guys swarms the track with scrapers and packers to smooth out the track from the previous pull them pack everything back down again. Moisture is also added if needed as the moisture will change through the pull.

The track is typically 300' long with markers every 50'. There is also a leader cone so you can see what you have to beat. Most small pulls run floating finishes meaning pull till you cant pull anymore and whoever goes furthest wins. Other pulls run old school pull offs where if you make it past 300' you get shut down and come back for the pull off where the sled is set harder and you then repull to establish the rankings for those who made it past 300'.

However perhaps the best rules come from NTPA. They created a setup that allows the pull to move quickly and still be fair. Its fairly complex yet easy. The track is still 300' but with a 10' "Bubble. So its actually 310'. The top 3 guys who make it into the bubble come back for the pull off. But if somebody goes past the bubble (over 310') then nobody in the bubble comes back for the pull off and only the people who go past it come back, an unlimited amount are allowed to come back if they make it past the bubble.

There are other important things about the track too. It is 60' wide IIRC. With white boundary lines. If at any point any part of your puller or the sled goes out of bounds you are DQ'd.

There is also the 100' rule. If you shutdown before 100' you have the option to be drug back to retry immediately or some organizations allow you to come back 6th or last. You have to make it obvious though by sticking both hands out signaling you are out of the throttle. However you only get one of these freebees.

There is also the test puller. He is the first puller in every class. And always has the option to keep or turn down the pull. This is signaled either with a thumbs up or thumbs down or by talking to the official at the end of the track. You must quickly decide before being unhooked from the sled though. There are other times where the sled operator will want to reset the sled which can mean a couple things. Either you get to come back again and repull no matter what and the next guy becomes the test puller. Or you get to pull again as the test puller and then still have the option to turn your next pull down. Sometimes the sled operator will realize a fault in the sled and everybody who pulled up until that point has to rehook.

 

You do not get to decide your pulling order though typically. Some pulls are first come first serve but usually it is random by either using dice or drawing sticks, cards, chips or matchboxes. Other organizations like our states BSTPA rules are done at random by the computer. Once you say that you are here the computer gives you a number between 1 and 1500. Every puller from every class gets one of these numbers then once registration is closed the computer figures out the order of each class. It is very important to display your number on the front of your vehicle to make it easier to get lined up.

When lined up the announcer will usually say up next and in the hole. Similar to baseball.

When in the "Hot" pits its very important to watch the officials and do what they tell you do do. You are basically a prison inmate at this point and they are your officers. If you dont do what they tell you to do they will get mad and can DQ you. They are supposed to be responsible for keeping the pull moving along even though this isnt always the case.

When it’s your turn to pull get out on the track and backed up quickly but safely. NEVER HOT ROD AROUND ANYWHERE AT ANY PULL AT ANY TIME. Doing so WILL get you DQ'd, and usually every other puller will be mad. If you keep doing it some fists might get thrown. These are NASCAR guys that will slap you like a girl most are farmers, truckers, construction workers and the likes. You will also be looked down upon from their on and if you don’t have friends in pulling you might as well quit. Its one big family, if you get kicked out of that family its no longer fun or worth it.

When you back up to the sled they will guide you so you re straight. Then they will stop you. When they say stop put it in neutral. Some officials want you to stick your hands up. This is always for the safety of the guy hooked you up. There’s nothing protecting him from your hitch except his hands and legs. He will step off the sled and motion you forward to tighten the chain then you will want to watch the flag guy closest to you. When he gives you the green flag you can go. He will never give you the green flag unless everything is ready. Once you go, watch him until you pass him then watch the last guy. As soon as they give you the red flag STOP.

Now before all of this nonsense you will need to get teched and weighed.

All sleds carry their own scales which are setup before the pit entrance. Diesel 4x4 classes are usually 8,000lb limit. But the scales never weigh the same so it’s important to have easily removable weight and always bring extra. Once done with weighing you will pull of the scale and they will check the hitch height. Usually 26" for trucks. However this too varies whether you’re on grass dirt or pavement so make your hitch adjustable. It can be lower than 26" but no higher.

Other things that get teched depend who you run with. They may tech the truck well before you run or even scale or they may check it at the scale. Make things obvious and easy to tech. If they have to check your turbo have your intake pulled off already. To go.

Some organizations only tech the trucks that get the money. But if its a points pull then every truck will get teched. I won’t go over the different parts that re allowed/not allowed as it varies.

More important than the things that make the power are the safety devices and you can never have enough. If they say one driveshaft loop, put on 3. It’s for your own good. Here are some of the most common safety things.

1. Exhaust. It must go straight up, sometimes they allow straight down but it makes a mess so go up if you can. It also must have two grade 5 3/8" bolts mounted in a "X" no more than 1" away from each other as close to the turbo as practical.

2. Driveshaft stuff. Most places require that the rear u joint on the rear axle be covers by a 6" wide shield made out of 1/4" steel or 3/8" aluminum. However others require more and it is a good idea too. At least one loop in the middle of the driveshaft and one more 6" wide shield over the front u joint of the rear driveshaft. For the front driveshaft you usually don’t need any because the u joints aren’t visible. But what’s right above the front driveshaft??? You and your precious legs and feet. And what’s between them?? A tiny piece of sheet metal and some sound deadening material. When these things go they go crazy. So make some shields and loops for that one too. It’s a good idea to make all of them unbolt into halves to make driveshaft removal easy.

3. Kill switch. On any class over work stock you usually need one of these. For mechanically injected trucks you must have an air shut off that can be triggered by the sled operator so it must end at the rear of the truck with a 2" loop. A lot of places also want a 3 way dump valve operated by the driver to cut fuel to the pump if a plunger sticks of something. On electronic diesels you can still run an air shutoff (I run one from Engineered Diesel) or a wave runner style kill switch that cuts power to the ECM or trailer breakaway switch wired to do the same thing. Believe it or not electronic motors can still run away, if for some reason oil or fuel gets in the intake it will take off which is why I opted for the air shutoff.

4. Driver safety. Most place you will need a minimum of a 2lb ABC fire extinguisher securely mounted within easy reach of the driver. A cup holder is usually secure enough. You will also need a helmet for bigger classes. They like to see you have a Snell helmet. Its best to just get a good one rated for everything right off the bat. I went with a Simpson Super Bandit, its Snell SA2005 rated so it’s good for anything except on road use due to its tunnel vision. Yes Snell helmets are expensive (mine was just under $500 G-Force ones can be had for about $250) but if you ever plan to drag race you’ll need one anyways. You may also need various pieces of an SFI approved fire suit. For our organization we just need a single layer jacket and pants. G- Force makes the 105 series which are $60 for jackets a $60 for pants from summit. You may also need multilayer suits too. In addition you may need gloves, shoes, head socks, nomex socks for your feet, and even neck collars. In really big classes you may need a 5 point harness. Which BTW have to be replaced every 2 years no I believe.

That’s about it for safety.


Now for how to set your truck up for pulling.

Basically in any 4x4 class you want all the weight out on the front-end because naturally the rear-end will always get traction. So if allowed remove as much excess weight from your truck so that you can hang more weights out front. Usually the weights cannot extend further than 60" from the centerline of the axle. If you go up to an NTPA 4x4, you and a buddy will be able to pick up the back of the truck and move it around.

You also want to limit to travel of the rear suspension for a few reasons. It helps prevent hopping, but mostly it keeps the rear-end in the air to again try and transfer the weight up front.

Traction bars are a must. Long ones work better for pulling. They are basically a bar that connects the axle to the frame, this gives better traction and keeps the rear-end from hopping around and breaking driveshafts. The reason the rear end does this is because when the tires bite, they want to move forward but all that connect them rear axle to the truck is the leaf springs, so it forces the leafs into an S as the axle tries to rotate up Then the springs snap back and the truck bounces.

Another thing you’ll want is a good sound receiver hitch. And Ill say this right now. The Reese Tow Beast class 5 has been bent many times. I opted to build my own. Its a little overkill and weights about 150lbs but its stout. You’ll also want a good strong adjustable hitch with the big 3x3.75" loop. Most places want to see these made out of solid stock.

Getting power to all 4 wheels is important to so if you don’t already have a way to get power to all 4s then do so. I run an e-locker but also realize now that everything’s locked together more parts break I learned this last weekend.

Tires are a huge controversy. A Lot of organizations limit them to 35" tall and they have to be DOT tires and can’t be cut. Whatever you get for a tire don’t run them on the road if you can help it. Also if siping is allowed, have them siped, it helps too. But only do this if your not getting enough traction, too much traction is just as bad as not enough. So when it comes to which tire to get, basically you want an all terrain type tire. Not mud terrains like some people will think, you really don’t want that much traction, you want the tires to spin. BFG all terrains, and Trxus STSs have been proven to do very well. I actually Run 315/70R17 Bridgestone Dueler AT 695s and have been very surprised and impressed with how well they do.

Tire pressure is another thing that you just have to play with But ideally you want the front tires to be flat. Not air pressure wise, flat like not crowned. I've been running 28psi in my fronts, but there’s not a single puller out there that I know of running the same tires as me. Every tire is different. I run 45psi in the rears, but might bump it up a little. Again it comes down to the rear end will always get traction. Heck put a set of street slicks on the rear and you'll be surprised.


That’s the jist of getting your truck setup.

Now for the pulling side of things.

I’m just going to briefly touch on this. As there’s no right way

But basically you want to pick a line on the track with the least imperfections.

If you have a big turbo get some heat in it.

Get the sled moving a bit then hammer it.

Make sure you’re in the highest gear that you can pull with so you get good speed but make sure it’s not too high that you die at the end.

 

Here’s a couple of videos for you too.

 

Awesoem write up and cool Videos.