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truck pull...strategy **Video and pics added**

big83chevy4x4

big83chevy4x4

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saturday is the local truck and tractor pulls. im taking my truck and going to pull in a stock class (i think).

if i had a auto, i would just put it in 4low and let the tranny shift. but with the stick, what would be a good gear combination. i have a sm465/np208 with 4.10 gears and 35s.
if i had the traction, i would just put it in 4low and creaper gear (i swear i could pull a house off the foundation with it)

all my friends think i could do a full pull if i can find the right gear. i think i could also, but am not expecting it to.

any other tips? i plan on airing down to like 10 psi (if they let me) i don't know any of the rules or classes. can anyone help?

ill have pics and video for you guys on sunday if you help ;)
 
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U pulling at the Cass County Fairgrounds??? Well good luck.. if there is no speed limit hammer down... U can usually pay for at least 2 runs if it isn't NTPA... Try the creeper gear or whatever... If that don't work hammer down.. My buddy has a 12,000 lb dodge that he wants to pull... He was down at Purdue and out pulled everyone down there... Being a gaser and everything, stock daily driver...
 
I can't speak from experience, but the guy who won the diesel pulls locally about a week ago damn near killed his engine coming off the line, instead of redlining it and yanking off the clutch like everybody else. I would suggest maybe 4 low and 2nd gear. Again, this is just looking at it from a mathematical point of view since I don't have any experience:

Using 4lo.com's calculator, low range (2.61:1) combined with 2nd gear (3.58:1) and I'm assuming 35's are somewhere around 34.5". Calculated at 1mph, you'll be turning 373.1 rpm. That's pretty low but with normal clutch slippage I think you'll be able to take off just fine like that. I wouldn't think you would go over 10mph during the pull, and at 10mph you would be doing 3731. If you need to go faster to get better momentum, doing 4 hi with creeper gear will give you 261.5rpm (much more clutch slipping) and 2615 at 10mph, which gives plenty of room to go faster.

Of course this is probably all BS when applied to the real world, but there's an idea of how it looks on paper. :dunno:
 
not cass county, wrong side of the state. i am pulling at the annual truck and tractor pull in morley mi.

my tires actually measure 33" (kinda wore a bit).
i was thinking 4low and 2nd, its between 1st and 2nd. i normally use 4low and 3rd most of the time off road.

10 mph at 3700... i have plenty more power left lol. i climbed test hill at silver lake sand dunes (biggest steepest hill) in 2wd turning about 6000 rpm. boy was that fun :eek1:
 
4500 is about where my peak HP is, and 4000 is where the torque starts to drop off. i have no problem with 5000 with my motor at all, 6000 is pushing it, but i will turn it if i have to.

also, i have been told that my 3/4" clevis won't be big enough for the hook of the sled. how big of clevis do i need? is a 7/8" clevis big enough?
 
I think the 2nd low would work best too. You will be spinning your tires alot make sure the air pressure you are going to run won't make you sidewalls hop ( imagine axle wrap but in the sidewall of the tire) I don't know if you can but if you build a bumpstop that is only an inch away from the axle that helps too it kind of helps eliminate some of the suspension problems you may have. Good luck
 
you want high range. you need wheel speed. friend did the low range last year and didnt do crap for distence. you want the slead to glide across the track and have speed as it moves. ever look at the pros do it. the wheels are just flying along. good luck.:wink1:
 
I'm going standing by the other quotes on this. Go low and 2nd gear. I've tried "dicking around" with all the ranges of gears and found the low and 2nd to be the best combo for getting the engine in the right power band. Its one of those ranges where everything works in harmony. You won't have to worry about up or downshifting, just leave it there.
 
Eliminate the rear shocks by making a 'solid shock.' This will keep the rear from squatting so much and allow the front to pull more too....
 
A solid shock is not a very good idea :doah: . I bet your shock mounts would break as soon as you get on it. You would need more support than that.
 
BAD idea!

You will smoke your clutch trying to do this, unless you have 1000hp and a multi-disc clutch setup. You want low range. Most guys with that setup use 2nd gear (assuming you go with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th naming convention...if you go with the Granny, 1st, 2nd, 3rd naming convention you want to use "1st"). If your clutch is questionable then you want to go 1st gear (or granny if you call it that), but you will most likely over-rev, but at least you won't smoke your clutch.

Solid shocks are another BAD idea, as you will most likely crack your frame. If allowed you can accomplish the same thing, by blocking/strapping your rear suspension. You place blocks of wood (usually 6x6's) between the frame and the axle and use a heavy duty strap (around axle to frame) to compress the springs and "lock" the blocks in place. Also keep your tires at full pressure. This isn't the best for traction on a loose track, but will help keep you from bouncing (which causes carnage).


sweetk30 said:
you want high range. you need wheel speed. friend did the low range last year and didnt do crap for distence. you want the slead to glide across the track and have speed as it moves. ever look at the pros do it. the wheels are just flying along. good luck.:wink1:
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I agree with most everything Leadfoot said except the air pressure. That all depends on the track and your rig. There is a happy medium for everything. For most of the pulls we have I usualy run about 5psi (1/2 of my street pressure). I have run down to 3psi before and it did hop a bit...but it realy hooked up and it seamed to pull better.
 
3 and 5 psi seems a little low. Wouldn't the tires rotate on the rims when subjected to a lot of weight and torque from the engine spinning the rims? Seems too low of pressure there. :thinking:
 
thatK30guy said:
3 and 5 psi seems a little low. Wouldn't the tires rotate on the rims when subjected to a lot of weight and torque from the engine spinning the rims? Seems too low of pressure there. :thinking:
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You can actually watch the tires spin on the rims (have even seen them smoke on the rims :haha: :doah: ) 5 PSI is way too low.

rcurrier44 you are correct that lowering PSI can help depending on truck and track conditions, but for a first time puller I would run them at street pressure (that way the person doesn't have to find an air source for the ride home) and it will give a baseline of performance. If he decides to pull in the future he can mess around with other things, but to change alot of things at once, you never really know what helped and what hindered.....

Whichever way you go, good luck and give it hell :thumb:
 
It all depends on the rig....thats why I said 1/2 of your street pressure.

I run 10 psi in the rear on the street. On dry trails I run around 3-4 psi. In the snow I run around 1 psi. I also don't use beadlocks and have only lost a bead once in the 4 years I have run this tire and wheel combo. I use golf balls to ballance my tires so I don't worry to much about spinning the wheels in the tires.

Its a dark photo but here is the 3psi pull. That block was quite heavy...only about half the rigs out there were even able to get it moving. (I came in 2nd)

P5080048.sized.jpg
 
It all depends on their setup. Call then and find out what you need. I would also see if they have a max hook point hight. You want to be able to hook as high as you can so you not only lift the front of the sled slightly but also load your tires giving the best traction posible.
 
That's a stone boat pull. We used to have those about 20 years ago (I think one of the local fairs still has them). It's a whole different ballgame than pulling with a transfer sled. When I started out, that's what I learned to pull on. Truck setup is entirely different. A stone boat, once you get it moving you are all set (unless traction is lessened towards end of track), but with a transfer sled the weight transfers (as much as 22.5 tons....as our sled weighs in at 45,168 lbs)

Also PSI in a 40+" swamper/bogger is different than PSI in a 33" radial A/T. You can get away with running 5 PSI, but I would be in trouble.

This is me pulling
Gas%20Balise%20Part%20way.jpg


This is a truck from the next class (pulling on the same sled). Some guys in this class run low PSI (around 15-20) but if they do they have locks or screwed beads (you can see his in this picture if you look close)
SS%20Makin'%20Thunda.JPG


And this is a 2WD that pulls on the same sled (of course all different transfer speeds)
TonyD%20nice.jpg
 
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