Nothing against the built tractors, the radical Outlaws or even the wheel-standing 2wd classes, but for me, this is the pulling class that I came to watch. This is where pulling started…tractors and trucks, with farm boys talking smack to each other, dragging the most weight around, doing the most work. Unlike the tractors, which were designed with hard work in mind, the pickup trucks stand out because they are supposed to be punching well above any guidelines that the factory used. Sure, they were meant to be worked, to be used as tools, but there’s a limit. No manufacturer crammed in 555 cubic inches or so of angry, pissed off V8…that’s some handshake deal with another good ol’ boy in town. Those axles? Built to the freaking hilt. Everything between engine and the dirt underneath those DOT-spec tires? It’s as bulletproof as you can get, and that’s no guarantee that it will live to see Round 2.
How close are these to real street trucks? You get a fiberglass hood and tailgate, that’s it. You must run factory glass, you can’t run a shortened axle, you must have a working reverse light, and all of that running gear has to be rated for a one-ton. The engine must generally be in the stock spot, there is exhaust to at least the back of the cab, and again, DOT tires. If it wasn’t for the weight frame and their general temperment, you could theoretically run one of these on the street. Real trucks, real results. Just the way we like it.
