Bad Habit Picks Up New Driver in Ottawa

It started off as a chilly day in Ottawa, KS, as a cold front swept through and bumped our pull order around this afternoon. But, the sun wasn't gone for long, and it brightened up and got pretty hot pretty fast!

Dave pulled out the grill and we roasted up some burgers, 'dogs and brats before the pull started around 1 p.m. Due to the potential for a storm to move through, the 1550 V8 class was first to pull - rushing the crew into action.

We picked up a new driver for the 1550 class! Dave took a turn at the wheel - but not without some instructions from Chris - his son. As he prepared to take off, a cloud of blue smoke gathered around the tractor. Chris offered the simple solution, "Put it in first." The rest was history as Dave took first place in the 1550 V8 class (note: Bad Habit is 4-cylinder) with a full pull, more than 250 ft. 

Matt was next in the 1450 4-cylinder - where he grabbed second with a pull of 153.5 ft. Matt also pulled in the 1350 4-cylinder class after a mix up with the pull organizers - which bumped Chris into a new division. Matt took second in the 1350 class as well, with a pull of 176.4 ft. Chris pulled in the 1350 open class and pulled, unopposed, a full pull out the gate - more than 250 ft.

Because the pull order was rearranged to accommodate the incoming storm, Matt pulled three consecutive times - resulting in a very hot engine, some melting of a critical component and a very large cloud of steam. Luckily, the event was held at the Ottawa Town and County - so there was an entire hardware store at our disposal and the piece was quickly replaced. No damage was done to the tractor, its drivers or any spectators, and we were able to finish the afternoon's final pull.

It turned out to be a great day for pulling and we had a blast. We're looking forward to trying out the track in Edgerton, KS, on Saturday with the Northwest Missouri Garden Tractor Pullers Association.