The 2012 National Farm Machinery Show was an eye opening experience for me and my project of Miles Beyond 300. As the week went along, I met numerous people who expressed an interest in talking with me about pulling in their respective communities, however it was one conversation that truly opened my eyes. Let me firstsay that I have not purposely lived in the bubble that I do but I feel I have had blinders on as I have grown accustomed to my pulling community, which doesn't really stray from the midwest. Growing up I traveled with my dad to events on the TNT circuit, SRO, USHRA, NTPA, ATPA, KTPA and Bluegrass Pullers. To me, pulling really didn't exist outside of these markets and as the NTPA continued to grow and the Pro Pulling League formed, I never strayed too far from what I knew. I did get a strong introduction to the Outlaws over the summer of 2005 and 2006 and additionally in those years I learned about one of the most strongly independent state organizations in the form of the ITPA.
On Friday Afternoon in Louisville, I spent over an hour learning about the United Pullers. For those of you who may live in a bubble just like I do, the United Pullers is a western based pulling organization which sanctions events throughout the Rocky Mountains, reaching the states of Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Montana, Washington, New Mexico and Alberta, Canada. In the club they currently have a membership of nearly 250 competitors. Due to the lack of events, the United Pullers has to travel to where they can find a fair in which to hook and that requires the competitors to spend a good amount of seat time in transit to the events. Every class that the organization sanctions will run at each of the events which raises the total number of hooks to between eighty and one hundred per event.
Thanks to the president of the organization Skyler Neibaur for pulling the blinders off my eyes and introducing me to a great show that currently exists that I did not know about. Skyler, his father and a couple other representatives of the United Pullers made their way to Louisville for the first time in 2012. The idea of competing at the prestigious NFMS is something that the folks from the United Pullers would like to consider, but the setup they require at home on their circuit is quite different from what they would need to run in Louisvile.
The United Pullers are faced with the idea of pulling on sand and at altitude on a daily basis, with only one event on the schedule being contested below 4000 feet of elevation. The approach they apply is such that they have no weights on the front of their two wheel drive trucks, while boasting several layers of weights on the back of the truck. To get the grip they need they have to pack the back of the truck so that the two rear tires will bite. Once the tires bite, there are no weights on the front to prevent the truck from wheelies so the tuning technique and driving style are of the utmost importance.
As is the trend with many pulling organizations, the United Pullers have seen significant growth and attendance in their Diesel Pickup classes (Superstreet, 2.6 and 3.0). With the increase in the diesel classes, the United Pullers have found themselves with many sponsorship opportunities coming forward from companies within the diesel industry. Another exciting sponsorship has come in the form of new title sponsor, Edge Products. Edge Products is known for aftermarket performance electronics not just for diesel vehicles but also gas cars and trucks.
If you are a fan of pulling and are looking for a unique organization that brings the entire package to the fairgrounds week in and week out, look no further than the United Pullers. Pulling is wonderful wherever it is being contested but wouldn't it be cool to experience it a mile high?
To learn more about the United Pullers please visit their website by clicking the link!
United Pullers
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