In the realm of ragged edge, envelope pushing diesel engines no one works then harder or destroys them better than the guys who run high powered pulling tractors. The boost levels are dizzying and the columns of black soot that are pumped out by these screaming machines draw crowds to events all over the world. In this video, you’ll see a European tractor ironically named, “Rough and Tumble” making a pull at a European event. The tractor appears to be a New Holland (with respect to the body anyway) and things start out pretty well.
The tractor is on a good run with strong wheel speed, a decent weight balance, and plenty of momentum as the weight box slides up the sled. Then, right around :40 disaster strikes and the engine blows up in such a violent fashion it literally looks like the cowl is stuffed with plastic explosive. Although the video does not zoom in too tightly, it appears that the block broke clean in two and the top half is sitting cockeyed on the bottom, jutting out of the nose of the now dead tractor.
When you are pushing well over 100psi of boost through an engine, something is going to fail sooner or later. Splitting the massive diesel block in half is an accomplishment for the BangShift carnage hall of fame.
Press play below to see what happens when things go very, very wrong in a high horsepower diesel pulling tractor!
