Competition auto puller

[mfunderburgh]

How are the autos doing hooking up to the sleds and what kind of setup are they running. Matt

 

[dlange]

They can do great when they are set up right. A friend of mine has a auto powerjoke that can really get it down. But it also takes alot of $$$ to make it happen. (Hardened shafts, etc) But it can be worth it. I'm gettin ready to hit it hard this summer with the auto pulln, I'll let ya know how it goes.

 

[Sled Puller]

From what I have seen, the autos are always behind the sticks.



That could change, I suppose.

 

[mfunderburgh]

why?

I have always heard people say that pulling is all about wheel speed and rpm's. When I think about going out and fishtailing around in the pasture I have always found it easier to get the wheels spinin faster with the autos because you can go from one gear to the next with out loosing engine rpm's. A manual always seems to need to be shifted to keep increasing wheel speed and every time you shift it's like starting out at a slower wheel speed again(rpms drop off). With the autos the wheels seem to just keep gettin faster as you stand on the pedal. I have never pulled a sled but am just throwing out my thoughts to see what real sled pullers think (do you manual pullers even shift going down the track?). What causes an auto to usually not do so good if they can hold all the power and not slip? Matt

 

[Sled Puller]

Fluid coupling cannot get the power to the ground, it is as simple as that.



I have seen some sticks, shift on the track. Not pretty.



Just pick a high gear, put it on the floor, and let the clutch out.



Even watching the gassers the autos never run with the sticks.

I suppose some really tricked out race transmission could do it, but so far, modified stock autos are behind.

The company that puts them there with the sticks will have something.

 

[DSteinel]

for pulling you want full rpm's as fast as you can get them, with a stick you have them before you even let the clutch out, with an auto you come off the line and wait for the R's to get up and then if it shifts you are waiting for them again. unless they make a transmission that will start in the gear you need and launch at full rpm they will have a hard time catching up

 

[mfunderburgh]

At what rpm's are these truck pullers coming off the line? I would think that if in an auto you built the boost up by braking and giving a little throttle you could build up enough rpms to get going. Do manual pullers basically start out spinning the tires then since they're at such high rpms. I would think you would want to get some bite those first few feet before stepping on it. These may be some dumb thoughts but I just wanted to through them out and let some of you experienced guys correct me. I'm going to be doing a little pulling this summer as soon as I get my sun coast stuff from enterprise engine. I'm also trying to figure how to pull an auto. Do you use a lockup controller? I asume you shift manually too?

 

[csutton7]

yes us auto's power brake--the diff is the guys using the EE clutch can slip it untilthey see fit and then let loose--us on the other hand can not do the same--so some powerbraking to obtain some boost is what I do---chris

 

[Strick-9]

I'm by no means an expert at pulling, but the manuals do have a slight advantage at the pulls.



They can launch at 4000 rpm and get boost as soon as they want it. With a good clutch, they start in whatever gear they choose to get the desired wheel speed. When the clutch is let out, they have full power and full wheel speed. It's a tough combo to beat with an auto.



Here's my take on the automatic battles.

With a loose converter, once you are up on boost, you have no wheel speed. It doesn't matter what gear you let it shift into. You'll just be basically doing a stall test with very little wheel speed.



In the past some people have chosen to combine this setup with a lockup switch. The result is broken input shafts and flexplates from the huge drop in RPM as the converter locks.



The next logical step is to run a tighter converter. Then you are very limited in turbocharger selection. You'll need a turbo that spools at a very low rpm. This limits top end power. It's a catch 22.



In my first sled pulling attempt at Muncie last year, I tried a tight converter (no transmission damage) along with a large single H2E turbo for good top end HP. I thought that in 1st gear, low range, I could gain RPM quickly enough to get the turbo lit and I'd be off to the races. How funny it is now to look back.



I decided to powerbrake for as long as it took to get some boost so I wouldn't leave at a slow crawl. But the converter I chose had too much torque multiplication (is that possible?). 1st gear low range walked right through the brakes. I couldn't hold it back. So I just let off the brake pedal and crossed my fingers.



Basically, I pulled the sled past the 75' mark in 1st gear low range with 0 psi of turbo boost. The turbo finally lit, but it was too little too late and rather embarrassing I might add.



What's worse is I've been using my truck as a test bed and this year my converter is even tighter than before. What can I say, I'm a slow learner.



Go watch a few pulls and you'll learn quickly.



-Chris

 

[Sled Puller]

What about flooring it in N then dropping it into gear?

 

[Sled Puller]

Or, has anyone tried riding the brakes hard for 10 feet or so to build boost?

You would have the sled and the brakes putting a load on it that way, and since you were rolling, it would take some shock strain off of your shafts.

 

[csutton7]

sleddy--geesh--quit giving up all the secrets will ya----really though that's what I do--chris

 

[Strick-9]

Sleddy,

It's funny how quick ideas can run through your mind under pressure. I remember thinking that very thing. As soon as I got on the throttle and realized the brakes weren't capable of holding the truck back, I knew I had two choices. Either stay on the brakes or let off. I knew that with that H2E I needed 1700+ RPM before any boost would come in and the quickest way to get there was to get off those brakes. So that's what I did. It just took 75 feet of track before I got there.



I'm fairly sure I could have rode the brakes (slowly) all the way down the track and never got to my 1700 rpm boost point and embarrassed myself even worse.



Neutral drops are not an option. I have a 20 hour drive home.

-Chris

 

[Rob Thomas]

Originally posted by Strick-9

Neutral drops are not an option. I have a 20 hour drive home.

-Chris

Yea but, think of the neat sound it would make. :-laf :-laf

 

[Johnboy3]

Neutral drops are not an option. I have a 20 hour drive home.

You obviously don't want it bad enough yet!

 

[Sled Puller]

Sorry Chris!

Just thinking out loud...



You should have seen the games I played when I had weak clutches.

I should release those tapes in all their glory.



"SLEDPULLER: The early years. "



Or,



"How to look worse than Strick-9 for 2 years. "



Or,



"Giving the Fords a chance. "

 

[Strick-9]

Note to self.



Sneak out at 5am on Saturday morning and loosen one of sleddy's intercooler boots.

 

[Sled Puller]

Note to self: Put HAMMER on gaurd duty.

 

[Piston Slapper]

Auto Puller, First Time

I pulled a sled this weekend at a Antique tractor pull. Don't know the weight of the sled, but it was fun, fun, fun! I am hooked! Downside is I have the absolute worst setup possible to get into pulling. 2wd, Auto. The people running the pull wanted me to pull after I was talking myself out of it, cause they said I would be good bait to get more people to pull. They said seeing a 2wd auto pull would make them want to do it too. I did, of course! I was the third person to sign up and first to pull. After I pulled there were a total of 28 trucks that pulled. I guess it worked!

There was 8 people in my class of SRW 2x and 4x. I was tickled pink that I got third! Beat several Z71's 4x4 gassers and one 2wd 460 powered ford dually that was in the other class! I was the big rooster in the hen house when I seen him pull 90 ft. I pulled 182 ft. Them 4x4 gasser dudes was ******! 400 horsepower powerstroke 4x4 won with 240 ft in my class. Dodge/cummins 4x4 6 speed won dual wheel class with 274 ft.



Is there some reason why I did that well or is this normal? I was just really impressed with what my truck did. It would not spin the tires at all, I was really suprised at how much traction you can get on dirt! I did out pull many gas powered 4x4's that were there. It just came to a stop at the end. I thought I was going to fry my trans, but I let off as soon as it stopped.



I wanted to give ya'll some background... so here's my question. I really like pulling. I want to pull more. Is it even possible to pursue pulling with a Auto 2wd. I think I would enjoy it even more with a 4x4 manual, but on the other hand, I like the whole under dog thing too. Meaning the 2wd and Auto. Don't really want to give up my Auto as I use it to commute. I think I need a dedicated puller!!



What gives?

Good or average?

Worthwhile to even spend money to pull 2wd auto or should I pursue another vehicle if I want to pull more?



One thing that really confused me about pulling... Why is spinning tires good? Besides not breaking something. Is the most traction not the best?



First pull I put it in low and tightened up the chain and slowly eased into it, with in seconds I had it on the floor. But it only ran about 14lbs boost all the way down.



Second pull I thought I could pull further if I got going faster and had more boost. So, I braked torgued to get 10 lbs boost and just slammed it after chain tightened. Ran 20 lbs boost all the way then, but only pulled 157 feet? I was confused? Still am? Any light from you guys? Seems I pulled better first time buy taking it easy and slowing laying into it than being aggresive and trying to make more power.



Sorry to ramble, just excited!

Thanks alot!

 

[DSteinel]

If you really want to pull you will prolly have to get a 4x4, there are not many classes for 4x2. Remember this though, If you get a stick then sooner or later you will need a pulling clutch, not very cheap. it is a never ending cycle. It will cost alot of money to feed this habit. You are right about the spinnin, you will break something if you can't get those wheels spinnin. Wheel speed is everything in pullin, you need those wheels spinnin as fast as they can go.