Welcome to the Podium Premium Club! how and why Unifying the Club we established a clear vision statement

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1 Welcome to the Podium Premium Club! The technical information found at is like no other information out there. In depth explanation of the how and why of successful tractor pulling are designed to improve your performance at the next tractor pull, while having more fun at the same time. Unifying the Club As a board member of Oregon Tractor Pullers, I have the responsibility to establish proper leadership for all members of the club. The month of February features the annual general meeting for all membership where the prior year is reviewed, hot topics are discussed and the upcoming season is planned. Last year was a big discussion about rules. If you recall prior to the 2013 season, the Oregon Tractor Pullers had been running rules that were about 95% aligned with United States Antique Pullers (USAP) rules. Many clubs in the Northwest had officially changed to USAP rules and the Oregon Tractor Pullers had a great opportunity to align. The change to USAP rules was instituted with a close vote and the pulls were governed that way in In terms of the rules, the year was a success. USAP rules are now used as a marketing tool to bring in pullers from farther away from clubs who use the same set of rules. So without rule changes and hot discussions, what does the future have in store for us? This year was all about planning. In the board meetings running up to the general meeting we discussed plans to grow the club, increase attendance and always work to make the club better. For this, we established a clear vision statement. This is a simple statement, sort of an elevator speech, that can quickly inform a person about what our club does. We came up with this: To preserve for future generations our agricultural heritage and the equipment that made it possible through fun and competitive pulling events in a family oriented environment. Also, in order for leadership to unify the members of the club, we all must work toward the same goals and have a clear idea about where we want the club to be next year, 3 years from now, 5 years from now, and so on. Sure, it s fun to get together every month, put on a pull and have fun, but if we aren t growing (or better yet putting money in the bank), at some point we may not be able to 2014 by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 1

2 Unifying the Club (cont) financially keep going as a club. This is why it is so important to make the events bigger, boost attendance and find ways to bring in new pullers. A week before the general meeting, I had a great conversation with Bill Petrie of McLouth, KS who is responsible for the McLouth Threshing Bee. He said their club experienced a bit of a decline in recent years and they figured out a way to bring back attendance, increase revenue and get pullers to come from farther away. This included moving the date for their event, finding sponsorship, making admission free for everyone and running club owned food booths. They figured out that they needed to keep hook fees low and the admission free for folks to attend. Sponsorship was the main ingredient to keep the club financially stable. For the Oregon Tractor Pullers, we discussed some similar actions and formed a clear 5 year plan: Year 1: For 2014 the goal is simply to make it a successful year. We asked the membership to help increase attendance, advertise for the club and be good ambassadors for us while attending other club s pulls in the area. Year 2: Add sponsorship. During the 2014 season, work hard to set up at least 1 or 2 main sponsors for Year 3: Establish a permanent home track. This is a place where our equipment can be stored and the track needs less prep before pulls. Year 4: Indoor pull. The offseason is long and some of our members expressed interest in hosting an indoor pull that is not weather dependent. Year 5: Purchase our own sled. Renting a sled for each event is the biggest cost to conduct a pull. There needs to be a certain number of hooks to cover this cost before getting into the black financially. If there was a club owned sled, even for home base pulls, it would take a huge financial burden off the club each season and allow club funds to be directed toward other areas of improvement. Needless to say, the general meeting in February was very different from years past. Instead of having a fight over rules, there was a constructive atmosphere where members were interested in how they could help to reinvent/revitalize the club. The 2014 season and beyond will be a very interesting time for this organization. So to sum up, if you re involved with a club that is struggling or needs a boost, look for good leadership and clearly define goals to unify your members to build a better club for the future by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 2

3 Project Update This month things really got interesting. The B427 engine finally landed in the Massey Harris 101 s frame and it s a bit of a tight fit. Remember, this engine is a whopping 31.5 long face-face. Even with the added length and width, there is ample space for the vitals even the belt driven governor. The 1943 Massey Harris 101 with B427 Continental Engine The bracket near the front of the tractor is the original radiator support. Although the factory radiator was very big, there is ample room for a slim aluminum style radiator. The grille fits in front of this bracket and the side panel is behind it. The front engine pulley protrudes far enough forward that it will ride very close to the steering box below it by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 3

4 At right is the overhead view showing the slim clearance between the block and the edges of the frame. The pipe protruding on the left hand side is the oil filler, which has been extended in the past. This pipe will be removed in favor of a small cap so there won t be any clearance issues there. Below is the view of the steering area. Underneath the front engine pulley is some wood blocks to hold up the front of the engine in this mock up, and they cover the 4th steering box bolt hole. The front engine mount is just behind the pulley. Project Update (cont) 2014 by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 4

5 How to Fix a Spark Plug Seat Often times older engines have some corrosion damage, and sometimes even in the spark plug areas. For engines that have deep wells for the spark plugs such as Farmalls, MM s, etc. moisture can collect and corrode a spark plug seat. When a seat becomes corroded, there could be a compression leak. For pulling engines that have higher compression, proper sealing of the combustion chamber is even more important. The good news is that seats (and threads for that matter) can be fixed with available kits. The most notable name in spark plug repair is Time Sert. They make spark plug thread and seat repair kits for more modern cylinder heads. The kits are a bit pricey, but if you get inventive it s not too bad. For the case of the B427 flathead, it had a few corroded spark plug seats with one in particular that was really bad. It uses the large M18 spark plugs such as an Autolite 3116 a tractor pulling favorite. This plug size is fairly common for antique tractors and was used on many different brands. The problem is that most automotive plugs these days are M14, which is a smaller size. Time Sert makes a thread & seat repair kit for the M18 thread size but it s almost $300. In talking to them on the phone I found they also offer a 1 diameter seat cutter meant for oil pan plug repair. This cutter was only $26 so I ordered it and rounded up a piece of M all thread rod from McMaster Carr. At right is the 1 diameter Time Sert seat cutter. Notice it has a pilot bore to properly align the cutter to the hole. This is where the all thread rod comes into play. From it, a small plug was machined to fit the seat cutter and used as the pilot to properly cut the new seat by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 5

6 How to Fix a Spark Plug Seat (cont) Turning the threaded rod in the lathe The plug after machining Plug with seat cutter piloted Pilot Plug and Autolite 3116 spark plug 2014 by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 6

7 How to Fix a Spark Plug Seat (cont) Notice the poor condition of plug seats, especially the plug hole on the left Pilot plug threaded into spark plug hole At right is the seat cutter placed over the pilot plug. This is a hand tool turned manually with a wrench. It only takes a few turns to cut the new seat by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 7

8 How to Fix a Spark Plug Seat (cont) The same two spark plug holes after seat cutting Here s the catch for this type of tool the cylinder head does not have to be removed from the engine. Since the pilot plug is threaded into the hole, all cut shavings remain outside the combustion chamber. Also, a simple tool like this doesn t require any special set up. In other words if the head was off and the seats were going to be cleaned up using an end mill, there is still quite a bit of set up time to do this by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 8

9 Big Carbs Part 2 Stromberg (cont) In the November issue of the newsletter was the first feature on big carburetors for big cubic inches, mostly highlighting Zenith. Let s take a closer look at the NA-R4B aircraft carburetor. This carburetor was originally featured on the Fairchild PT-19 airplane among a handful of others. This aircraft began production in 1939 and featured a Fairchild Ranger L-440 engine was a six cylinder inverted air cooled aircraft gasoline engine. It had a 4-1/8 by 5-1/2 bore & stroke (441 cubic inch) and put out 175hp at 2450rpm. Fairchild PT-19 Ranger L-440 engine Although the engine of this size was build light ~375lbs compared to tractor engines, the carburetor design was very similar for that time period. The Stromberg carburetors were built out of aluminum to be as light as possible for aviation. They featured the same bowl, float, load jet and mixture controls that many antique tractor enthusiasts would recognize. The NA-R4B carburetor shown at right is big to feed 441 cubes at higher rpm. The intake is on the bottom and airflow is straight up, no turns like a tractor designed Zenith by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 9

10 Big Carbs Part 2 Stromberg (cont) Why would a carburetor like this work for tractor pulling? Since airplanes often had much larger displacement and are subjected to different altitudes, this created the need for mixture adjustment. They are a natural fit for big cube pulling tractors because they are updraft, meant for big cubes and are tunable. The Stromberg carbs have different model numbers but their size is most commonly noted as a single number. The NA-R4B is often referred to as a #4. There are bigger carburetors as well the #6, #7 and #9 are very common on pulling tractors. In fact, finding an updraft carburetor that feeds more than about 550 cubic inches is fairly difficult if it s not a Stromberg and that s also why they are so common on the pulling track. This #4 features a 2-1/8 diameter throat. Notice the two bolt flange. This is an easy way to identify a #4 since most Stromberg aircraft carburetors are 4 bolt by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 10

11 Big Carbs Part 2 Stromberg (cont) When considering a carburetor for your tractor, first think about how many cubic inches it will need to feed and try to find a carburetor that is sized properly. Whether it s the big Zenith or a Stromberg, dial in the air/fuel mixture to run smoothly through the RPM range. The Stromberg #6, #7 and #9 are around 2-3/8, 2-3/4 and 3-1/8 throat diameter, respectively. A big cube Minneapolis Moline GVI at Tunica. Notice the 4 bolt Stromberg type carburetor (and no air filter). NA-R6B 4 bolt flange 2014 by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 11

12 Stock Talk Recently while moving around some tractors, I began to look at some of the old pullers that have been moth balled for a while. They were parked in favor of a new build, something bigger and better or perhaps the change in times. For example, in the old days we ran a single 5mph speed limit and it was run what you brung. This seemed to work well since many guys had stock tractors off the farm but when modifications were made, it was the sort of thing that split clubs in two. Now that we run USAP rules with a relatively tame 3mph stock class, it s time to bring something out of retirement. This year the Cockshutt 30 and Case 400 will make their return. Of course, with changing times they will need a little TLC to bring them up to speed. A place to sit might be a good start for the Case 400. What a crude hitch, and bent too. Even the ol MM UTU runs again! War wounds from another era by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 12

13 Coming next month Light wheels done right Project 101 update Wheelie bar design And more I want to hear from you! If you have feedback, requests or information you would like featured, please send an to: zack@antiquetractorpullguide.com. March issue will be available 3/26/14 Do I look short or what? The latest edition to the family collection by Zack Peterson and Podium Finish, LLC 13