Tractor nostalgia

These are the kinds of tractors that were around where I grew up.See, it’s a lawn watering tractor. You hook the back end to a hose, and set the track on the bottom over the hose in front. Then the water going through the propellers pushes the tractor forward on the “track” (hose), watering the lawn with no work from you!(Did I just say that a tractor has propellers? My farmer friends will laugh at me for that one!) Even though the paint color is green, there are no logos on the tractor.These days, I’m around tractors that look more like this.And like this.This tractor was borrowed, but it was still on our farm.Sometimes the tractors look like this.Then I laugh. Because it looks funny.

And because who would think I would end up living on a farm where I have no shortage of tractor pictures on me at all times?

Seriously. Have you met me? That’s pretty funny.

(Ahem. The mini-tractor pictures were taken with my shiny new camera. The other pictures were taken on a borrowed Nikon SLR, and have been featured on Farm Equipment Fridays.)

Hey! I almost forgot! I also have actually driven a tractor that looks like this: Can you guess which is my favorite?

Pedal Tractors

It is fair time in this part of Indiana, and boy are we in it!  Our fair started on July 4th, and was hot, and wonderful.  The surrounding counties are also in full swing.

Around here, fairs mean 4H, food, and fun (more for some of us than others).  Hubby is on our county fair board, which means that he spends an extraordinary amount of time at the county fair (translation – more hours than it is open).  And we eat most (for him, all) of our meals at the fair during the week.

But there is a new addition to the Southwestern Indiana County Fairs this year – the Adult Pedal Tractor Pull!

Most likely you have seen (or at least heard of) tractor pulls.  It’s where a guy on a big loud tractor (or truck) is attached to a big sled that generates more and more friction with more distance traveled.  So the farther you go, the harder it is to pull.  And the guy who pulls the farthest, wins!

Our county fair has had a children’s pedal tractor pull for years.  There’s a mini pedal tractor (remember Big Wheels?  It’s that, but it’s a tractor) attached to a mini sled.  And the kid who pulls (pedals) the farthest wins. 

This year, the Southwestern Indiana Young Farmers Group managed to get their hands on an adult-sized pedal tractor with a sled.  (We’re borrowing it right now, but are hatching a plan to build our own.) 

The Gibson County and Posey County Fairs have both featured a new event – the Adult Pedal Tractor Pull!

John pulled in both the GC and the PC events.

He didn’t win, but he was a serious contender in the Gibson County event!

I did not pull in the Gibson County pull, but I sure did in the Posey County pull!

  

Don’t make fun of the unflattering pictures – those things are heavy!

And, hey, I won my event!  We had a $2.00 charge to play; 50% payout to the winner, and the rest was donated to Farmers Feed Us.  All of 6 women competed, but $6 bought me dinner at the fair that night!

You can see pictures of the Gibson County Adult Pedal Pull (and so much more!) on Facebook – search for Gibson County Fair.