The small town of Steamboat Rock located in Hardin County in a valley along the Iowa River was our next stop for the weekend. Today we would be going to the antique pullers of the Central Iowa Antique Tractor Pulling Association (CIATPA). Preparing ahead for the rain in the forecast they covered the track with tarps on Friday.
This group of pullers has been holding pulls throughout Central Iowa for 4-5 years, but 2 years ago an association was formed for the ability to produce more uniform events. This transition of the group seems to have worked well from what I have heard from some of its members.

The new association established rules and regulations for its members. All tractors must have been manufactured prior to 1966, and must be stock in appearance, no side shields, aluminum rims, etc. Tractors cannot pull in a weight class lower than their stamped production weight, or have more horsepower than the factory rated horsepower for that model. The leader of each class must park in a designated inspection area until the class has ended or until they are beat out by another puller. Any tractors that fail to follow this rule are automatically disqualified with no exceptions. After the class has ended the winner of the class is inspected and hooked up to the dyno to check horsepower, weighed, drawbar measured, and RPM’s checked. Any tractor that does not pass inspection is disqualified. In the Super Farm class they do not check horsepower, but there are other rules that apply to keep the tractors evenly matched. The rules are written to keep things fair, and allow anyone to participate without spending a bunch of money. New to the group this year is the econo rods, although they aren’t officially a class yet. There are 2 rods so far that pull exhibition after the 5500# class. They are planning on starting a class for them in the future as more rods start to compete. I was told that they usually have between 120-150 hooks at a pull, and they have been pulling the Blue Ox Sled since the first pull years ago.

The Blue Ox Sled Company runs a professionally orchestrated operation from start to finish. The company brings in a full crew dressed in matching custom embroidered shirts to handle all operations for the sled, track, and weigh-in of the pullers. The sled is equipped with an electronic self-measuring device to measure all pulls, and this keeps things moving along swiftly. All the crew and the announcers box are equipped with hand held radios for communication. The sled has a 3’ chain for the lighter classes, and a 4’ chain for the heavier classes. It has multiple chain height settings on the front of the pan, and has jacks on the rear of the pan adjust the pitch. I was so impressed with this sled and crew that I could go on and on. I just felt that they were an exceptional bunch that really handled themselves in a professional manner that would be welcomed anywhere.

The CIATPA and Blue Ox crew work hard to put on a quality event that is entertaining to all ages on any sunny Iowa weekend. Anyone living in the Central Iowa area that is interested in getting into antique pulling then this is the group to join.