You would have thought that having multiple blown alcohol-fueled Hemis attached to one Unlimited pulling tractor would have been enough, right? One Top Fueler’s engine is a study in mechanical violence, so let’s put five onto one frame and see what happens. For years, that generalization was pretty much how I viewed the top-tier level of tractor pulls. But time marches on and progress is demanded, so even with half of a Top Fuel field’s worth of power working in harmony to turn the 30×32.5 tire out back, it just wasn’t enough. Enter aircraft engines in both piston and turbine form. The rig below is Whispering Giant, and even though all I needed to see was the front shot with four turbine inlets and exhaust vents big enough to let a child hide in, I had to know something more about it. Luckily, “Larz” said everything you really need to know about this beast:
“The engines are Klimov TV3’s (found in Mil and Kamov helicopters), rated continuous for 1,900 hp or 2,200 hp for 15 minutes at takeoff or 2,400 hp emergency power for 2.5 minutes maximum. Power is rated between 87 and 89% of max freeturbine speed (19,500 rpm). At the emergency power rating, each one is making 740 lb/ft of torque at 17,000 rpm. But each one also has a 3.9:1 planetary gear reduction, which means the output shaft has 2,890 lb/ft of torque at 4,360 rpm. And finally, that 14 inch slipper clutch is going to see 11,560 lb/ft torque at 4,360 rpm from all 4 turbines.”
