Amador County – The Hot Rod Truck and Tractor Pull returns to the Amador County Fair, Friday night. ¶ The 4x4 Truck Pulls “roar with mighty horsepower,” said Fair Publicist Karen Spencer. She said “Amador County likes motorsports and back by popular demand are the 4x4 Truck Pulls.” Modified Four Wheel Drive Pull Trucks will roar into the Bennie Brown Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 29.

When “pulling” as a sport started, equine horsepower pulled the first weighted sleds in competition, Spencer said. The Amador County Fair will host the modern version of horsepower, as modified engines use all their horsepower to pull mechanically weighted sleds.

From draft horses behind plows to souped-up farm tractors, the competition of pulling the heaviest load is directly linked to agriculture. The first recorded tractor pulls were held in the 1920s when they pulled a flat bottomed sled and used stones for weight.

The engines of today’s giant wheeled 4x4 trucks can barely be contained under the hood. They pulse and pound as they idle, and when it is time to hook up to the weighted sled, they roar with all their mighty horsepower, Spencer said.

The sound drowns out the cheers from the crowds as the drivers coax the most they can out of their truck, while the weight of the sled they are pulling gets heavier and heavier, until finally the truck is kept at a standstill. Tickets may be purchased in advance online.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.