We were initially tipped off to a great video of the Ohio-based Black Widow pulling tractor by BangShift.com forum member 67Prostreet. Here’s the video of this five-engined monster being used in anger on the pulling course. This tractor is truly a show stopper. It’s owned by David Archer and driven by his daughter Kathy. The big lug of a tractor was pulling over in Holland when this videos were shot.
Yes, it is wretched excess with respect to horsepower, as we’re guessing it is making around 12,000 of them with the five Alan Johnson engines. Each of the engines is sporting a 14-71 blower and the tractor runs on alcohol. Imagine servicing all of those engines! That’s lots of valve springs.
If you are wondering what the people with the big levers are doing near the rear engines, we think that they are hooked to the clutch cross shaft and by pushing those big levers, it allows the rear engines to be started easier. Once they fire off you can see that they immediately release the beams.
This is truly awesome stuff.
Been too long since I’ve been to a pull with multi-engine tractors. Yum.
I love the multi-engine tractors, and piston driven pulling in general. Tractor pull is the ultimate engineering torture test IMO. I would love to see someone build a diesel multi-engine tractor. Picture one with four 12 cyl Detroit 2 strokes attempting to reverse the earth’s rotation.
The smoke coming outta the above combination would probably block the suns rays for 3 days.
They probably would have to build a new sled for it and get the driver an oxygen mask
Flat tires,no helmet and no fire suite on the driver that to me would mean these people do not know what they are dealing with!
Veney V. Stone? Who won y’all?
Very cool. There was a similar tractor at the NHRA fall Las Vegas race a few years ago, they started it up a couple times when i was near. Very cool experience.
It does make me wonder how they adjust valves on the middle engines inboard sides?