Competition Want to et started in Pulling, need advice

[WM-300]

I have just completed a 1943 Dodge Carryall with a Cummins 4BTA/NV-4500 married to a NP-205. Now I want to build a Sled Pulling Truck. I would like to start small, compete in the more home town pulling events, county fairs, but know nothing about what is needed in a truck. The truck will be a Dodge with Cummins Diesel, but then what ? transmission, T case, What6 is needed to keep it all together with high power and the sled load?



Thanks for your thoughts. Pictures of my past two quite tame projects are at www.imageevent.com/paulandtam the album Carryall and Bumblebee Power Wagon may be of interest



Thanks

WM-300

 

[Sled Puller]

Come to Thunder in Muncie a day early, Friday the 4th at 1;00 pm, free sled pulling seminar!!



Muncie will also give you a good idea on what should/could be done to Dodge Cummins for pulling, as there will be hundreds of them there.

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

WM-300, I know you're going to Iowa, you should leave early and bring the carry-all to Muncie and check out what goes on there and show off the carry-all, it's on the way. I'll help you with the pulling rig, if I had the money I'd be building a purpose built pulling rig right now. It won't take much to be top dog in this area.

 

[WM-300]

I just dont have the time to make Muncie this year. I am sure it would be a great eye opener.



Turbo Tim when I get back from Iowa I will get in touch with you.



WM-300

 

[JoshPeters]

WM, I'd suggest an Automatic, properly Built for pulling. Goerends has a Tripple disc converter built for racing/pulling. It's a variable fluid coupling, that is tight, and gets tighter. I pulled with my truck and did, in my opinion very well with it. I have a 6ish plate(ground my stock plate to WOT on the 6) and 370's. I went 262. 3 feet. The next best cummins was a 5spd with a 10 plate at 24?ish feet. The auto lets the engine stay in the power band. It shifts up and down as needed. Manual you are smoking a clutch to get going and can't change gears if you needed to.



Granted... I have only pulled one time, but from what I have read... an Auto is the way to go.



Josh

 

[WM-300]

Thanks Josh, I am now doing a lot of reading on pulling.



WM-300

 

[DSteinel]

Originally posted by JoshPeters

WM, I'd suggest an Automatic,

Granted... I have only pulled one time, but from what I have read... an Auto is the way to go.



Josh

I beg to differ,Check the results from Muncie or schied any year and tell me what the top 3 or 5 trucks were. The Schied truck and Dave Mitchell both run 5 spds. With out a doubt those are the two top pulling trucks in the country. The mighty sledpuller also runs a 5 spd, he has won twice at muncie and placed in the top 3 twice. If your building a truck, strip it down and run a 6spd with 355 gears. Just my $ . 02 Dean

 

[MMiller]

I have to agree with both on the man/auto options. If you want to build a good pulling truck you either need a tough auto with good torque convertor, several guys pull with them, OR get a slipper clutch and run the manual. You can't pull a tall enough gear off the line with a stock type, or non slipper clutch to compete with a manual. My diesel pulls trailer well, but I can't get third off the line to get enough ground speed to pull out the end. Second hits the governor, and not enough ground speed to run with newer p-jokes, or v10s. Out here the diesels pull with late model big blocks/v10's.



One secret of truck pulling is to have good wheel speed then put it to the track. Most guys pull 3rd low side of the t-case with the manual, but to do that you need a good clutch. I have also read guys using autos use low side of the t-case and let the auto shift to 2nd or 3rd.



All this being said, I like manuals to autos, but for what your wanting to do and be competitive I think a slipper clutch is in order.



Maybe Propuller will get in here and tell you about autos/twins/and pulling.



Michael

 

[JGheen]

Has anyone heard of a Centerofrce Dual Friction clutch surviving a pull in a truck with at least 300HP and 700 ft. -lbs. ?

 

[WM-300]

Michael;

Looking forward to meeting you in Iowa at the Rally in a few days.

Maybe we can talk about Pulling. I am easy to find. Look for the guy who's wife is wearing a Model A hat at a Dodge Event ha ha

The Orange Carryall is the giveaway



WM-300

 

[DSteinel]

Originally posted by JGheen

Has anyone heard of a Centerofrce Dual Friction clutch surviving a pull in a truck with at least 300HP and 700 ft. -lbs. ?

no

 

[MMiller]

I am looking forward to meeting a fellow member and partaking in a power wagon event too! I'll be the guy with the big red first gen emitting smoke!!



As far as the centerforce, a lot has to depend on how you use it. I am running pretty good power through my stock clutch, BUT I don't slip it, and I know my truck will not come off the line pulling more rpms then idle or the truck will drive through it. If I try at all to come out of the hole with any rpms, or in say 3rd my clutch will slip. However if I come out of the hole in second, at idle, then apply the power it will hold it. Even at the big end wide open, the tires will spin out, but the clutch will not slip. If it has already engaged its fine, but before that you can overpower it. I suspect the centerforce might be the same way.



Michael

 

[JGheen]

Originally posted by DSteinel

no

No, you haven't seen any survive or no, you haven't seen any run at a pull event? Just curious cuz I am going to a local pull soon and I am just curious if it will survive a 3rd gear 4 low pull. I have tried it numerous times on flat ground with now weight and pulling a 3500 lb boat and it seemed to engage efficently, but who knows how it will react when I got, what is it, about 12,000 lbs of sled behind me. I forget what a common weight is in the 8000lb 4x4 class... ... .

 

[Sled Puller]

Stock 245 tires and you should be all right for a few hooks, but only one a night, with a week of driving in between.



If you make 3 pulls, you ar e on borrowed time with that clutch.

 

[JGheen]

Well, I will be pulling with my 37" SSRs since my truck is lifted. I'll probably be doing only one pull so, it should hold up to the mighty Cummins torque... ... ... Centerforce claims their clutch holds up to 800 ft-lbs, so we'll see... ...

 

[propuller]

Originally posted by MMiller

I have to agree with both on the man/auto options. If you want to build a good pulling truck you either need a tough auto with good torque convertor, several guys pull with them, OR get a slipper clutch and run the manual. You can't pull a tall enough gear off the line with a stock type, or non slipper clutch to compete with a manual. My diesel pulls trailer well, but I can't get third off the line to get enough ground speed to pull out the end. Second hits the governor, and not enough ground speed to run with newer p-jokes, or v10s. Out here the diesels pull with late model big blocks/v10's.



One secret of truck pulling is to have good wheel speed then put it to the track. Most guys pull 3rd low side of the t-case with the manual, but to do that you need a good clutch. I have also read guys using autos use low side of the t-case and let the auto shift to 2nd or 3rd.



All this being said, I like manuals to autos, but for what your wanting to do and be competitive I think a slipper clutch is in order.



Maybe Propuller will get in here and tell you about autos/twins/and pulling.



Michael

Hi Michael,I would like to comment but ive been told to many times that a auto can not pull & that i should get a manual. So i will just say this, both can do a good job if built properly & both can brake if you have enough power. As far as pulling with twins i dont know how its going to work as i havent hooked to a sled yet. But i do know it runs like a scalded dog. Everybody thinks i have a manual & when i tell them its a slushbox they cant believe it. I need to go to a pull where i can get some recognition nobody knows who i am runnin all these brush pulls :-laf



Kurt

 

[csutton7]

my auto works fine with my twin set up--I DTTized it though and that's the key--you need it to be set up---chris

 

[DSteinel]

Originally posted by JGheen

No, you haven't seen any survive or no, you haven't seen any run at a pull event? Just curious cuz I am going to a local pull soon and I am just curious if it will survive a 3rd gear 4 low pull. I have tried it numerous times on flat ground with now weight and pulling a 3500 lb boat and it seemed to engage efficently, but who knows how it will react when I got, what is it, about 12,000 lbs of sled behind me. I forget what a common weight is in the 8000lb 4x4 class... ... .

If you want to compare it to something, try finding someone with an UNloaded semi. Hook a chain to it and then try to take off. Once you get rollin good have the driver start to apply the brakes until you stop. That would be a good test

 

[MMiller]

Told ya he(propuller) would be around to comment a little. I saw him pull last year against a couple of manuals, one I know had a slipper in it. I did not realize until the kid with the mitchell clutch told me kurt was runnin an auto.



Do you know when your gonna pull this year yet kurt?? Get me a schedule, and I will try and meet up with you this year. I'll get better pics this time I promise!! Will you travel into southern Iowa and show the guys with gassers there is another way to pull!! I think my buddy with the 2wd puller would like to talk to you.



Let me know



Michael

 

[propuller]

Im not sure how much i can pull with ISP as they made rules that i cant meet. I would like to find some pulls in eastern iowa that i could go to. A couple of those trucks run the mitchell twin disc pulling clutch. Let me know if there are any pulls coming up that you know about. Is there something going on in iowa like a diesel get together or something related?



Kurt