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2011/2012 RULES

MIDDLESEX COUNTY TRACTOR PULLERS INC.

CLASSES

Tractor and driver cannot weight over:

Technical rules and specifications will be in effect for two (2) years. The intent of these rules is to provide a safe and fair contest. Decisions made by the Technical Committee may temporarily or permanently supersede any mechanical rule. It is ultimately the obligation of each participant to ensure that his/her conduct and equipment comply with all applicable MCTP rules, as they may be amended from time to time. These rules are designed to provide for the orderly conduct of the motor sport of garden tractor pulling and to reduce the risk of injury to both participants and spectators during such events.

SAFETY RULES
(Applies to all classes)
 

1. Each tractor will be inspected by the Technical Committee.  The committee will make the final decision as to which Class the vehicle conforms to. and/or whether or not it meets the safety standards. Tractors are eligible for one (1) division only.

2. Helmets (half or whole) must be worn by all drivers during the pull  (full face helmets are recommended).  Helmets must be D.O.T. rated, strapped, and fit properly. Pullers must wear appropriate shoes e.g., no flip-flops.

3. Drivers shall wear SFI approved single layer fire suits for any alcohol-burning tractor regardless of class. Full body coverage is required (Top & Pants) all fire suits shall be securely fastened (zipped up).

4. No driver shall bounce on the seat or stand for any reason while pulling. Driver will keep at least one hand on the steering wheel at all times during the pull.

5. Nothing shall extend more than 3” beyond the outside of the rear tires.

6. Modification of tractor controls are required to fit the driver.

7. Open to two-wheel drive, rubber tired tractors.  No dual wheels, chains, or spikes.

8. ALL tractors must have sufficient shielding of belts, chains, etc. to deflect flying parts to the ground. All vehicles must have functional brakes and steering. Stock tractors must have reverse, and all exhaust pipes (if other than stock) must point up plus or minus 10 degrees.

9. All tractors that do not have a 4000 RPM rule must have a dead man throttle.

10. All tractors are required to have a kill switch (with a 1” ring) that will kill engine and fuel pump located on back of tractor within 6” of center. Lawn Stock tractors are exempt from this requirement. See individual class rules for specific requirements regarding electric fuel pumps.

11. All children in the pulling area shall be supervised at all times. There shall not be any climbing on or playing around the tractors and equipment used for track maintenance.

12. There will not be any “pullbacks” by the sled. This is because the sled operators have a difficult time steering the sled when pulling a tractor back and it is deemed unsafe.

GENERAL RULES

1. Pullers must join the Middlesex County Tractor Pullers Inc. A Family Membership is available for a $25 annual fee.  This membership is limited to immediate family members living under the same roof. A One Day Membership is available for the amount of $10/tractor/day plus $5 to cover insurance costs for non-members. One Day Members will NOT receive points towards the season totals!  Minimum age requirement for stock classes is 5 years old and for all other classes is 12 years old and/or have at least 1year prior experience in stock classes. The tech committee will conduct driving tests as they feel necessary to ensure that each puller is capable of safely operating their tractor. 

2. All tractors must weigh in for each class.  Starting numbers will be drawn randomly at the time of registration.  You must register for the class you wish to pull in before it begins. Tractors may only pull in one class per event. A fee of $10/tractor/pull must be paid at this time.  Again, One Day Members will pay $15/tractor/pull.  Note: If only entering 950 lb. A Stock Jr. Class, the entry fee will be $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

3. All placing tractors must re-weigh after each class, if not, you will forfeit your winning position if it is contested (this will be at the discretion of the Club Officers and Tech Committee at each event).

4. Length of track will be 200 ft. maximum, 20 ft. wide whenever possible.  No one will pull unless a field judge (flagger) is in place at the time of the hook.

5. Each puller in each class will have one pull only per heat, unless he/she does not reach the 25 foot mark (shutdown rule: the puller must make it known to the flagger and or sled operator of his/her intent to shutdown within the 25 foot shutdown distance by raising one hand or equivalent). He or she may take the first hitch or have a second hitch immediately thereafter. If a second hitch is taken, the puller must keep the second pull distance.

6. The competitor pulling in the 1st position of each class, determined randomly at time of registration, is considered the test puller. Once the weight transfer on the sled is considered correct for that class the test puller may: A) accept their pulled distance; B) refuse their distance and immediately hook up for one more attempt; or C) refuse their distance and pull in the third position.  Third position is considered to be after the next two (2) competitors have pulled.  It is the test puller’s responsibility to inform track officials of their decision as soon as possible. (Note: dropping back to last position is prohibited unless due to mechanical reasons at which time must be authorized by a member of the Technical Committee.)

7. The drawbar will be 13” from the ground to the top of the hitch and solid to the tractor with no up, down, or horizontal movement. No clevis. Hitch must consist of a horizontal plate or equivalent with the hitch hole perpendicular to the ground plane. Drawbar must be no more than 15” from the center of the axle to the rear of the tractor to hitch point. Rear engine tractors are the one exception, with the hitch being as close as possible to the engine. Hitch must be easily accessible for the hook. There shall be ample clearance without any obstruction from weights etc

8. The hitch must have a minimum of a 1.5” hole (a 1.500 dia. steel ball shall pass freely through the hitch hole) No hydraulic or electric hitch systems are allowed. Hitch point must be to the rear of the rear axle centerline.

9. Tractors must have wheelie bars, which will be no more than 5” from the ground, must extend 4” minimum behind the exterior of the rear tires, must have a minimum of 1” square pad or wheel at ground contact point, and must be able to support the weight of the tractor and driver.

10. The 950 lb. A Stock Jr. Class is limited to drivers ages 5-12 years. If a puller starts the season as a junior and becomes 13 during the season, he/she will remain a junior for the remainder of the season (For this purpose, the season begins April 1st. Anyone whose 13th birthday is before April 1st will be considered a senior.). All Jr. pullers will be required to exhibit his/her competency at operating their tractor safely. The tech committee will conduct driving tests as they feel necessary to ensure that each Jr. puller is capable of safely clutching, de-throttling, braking, reversing, etc. their tractor.

11. Tear down or other testing may be done to verify that the tractor is registered for the correct class. Driver/owner and two (2) members of the Technical Committee shall be present.

12. All tractors except those pulling in the Super Outlaw class shall be normally aspirated. Superchargers, turbochargers, nitrous oxide injection or any other type of fuel or additive injection or forced induction is prohibited.

13. In the event of a protest by a puller in any given class, if the protestor requests a teardown of a tractor within his/her class, (protestor must be competing in the same class as the tractor in question) the protestor will be required to file a protest form with the Technical Committee. The protestor requesting the teardown will also be required to escrow $50.00 per tractor with the Club Treasurer at the time of filing. At the completion of the teardown, if the tractor in question is found to be illegal, the money in escrow will be returned to the protestor. The illegal tractor will forfeit all points accrued for the current pulling season.

14. In the event the tractor in question is found to be in compliance with all applicable rules for the class, the money will become the property of the puller whose tractor had been torn down.

15. If a puller refuses to have his/her tractor torn down, he/she will forfeit all points accrued for the year and will not be allowed to pull the tractor in question until it has been approved by the Tech Committee.

POINTS SYSTEM

Points will be issued according to the following schedule:

Eleventh through last places will receive 1 point less for each consecutive place, e.g.: Eleventh Place 20 points, Twelfth place 19 points, etc.
In the event of a cancellation for any reason prior to the start of a pull, there will not be any points awarded. If a pull is cancelled for any reason after any heats have been completed, the points for those heats will be awarded on a regular basis. Any tractor in any heat in any class that did not finish or that did not begin prior to the cancellation will be awarded 25 “show-up” points each.
If a puller signs up for the day and his/her tractor breaks after attempting a legitimate pull in the first heat (under its’ own engine power-no starter motor assists etc.), the tractor will receive last place points for the subsequent heats of the day. Tractors will not be required to hook to the sled to receive these subsequent points. Technical DQs will not receive any points for the heat (e.g. overweight, hitch height, over RPM etc.) Moving violation DQs will receive last place points for the heat (e.g. out of bounds, 2 hands off steering wheel, standing up while pulling etc).
 

MAKE-UP PULLS

Pulls that are cancelled for any reason will not be made up unless voted upon and approved by the club members. The only exception will be if a Fair is re-scheduled by the applicable Fair Committee.

LAWN STOCK

Lawn stock tractors are intended to be our entry level class. Full pull will be 75 feet. All safety and general rules apply. Lawn Stock tractors will be limited to: 

1. 20 horsepower maximum. Two cylinders and OHV allowed.

2. Maximum tire size 23” x 10.50” x 12”. Non-professional, non-cut, garden tractor tires only. Steel wheels required front and rear. Turf tires recommended.

3. Engine must be controlled by a properly functioning governor to no more than 3600 no-load rpm when contacting a positive stop on the block.

4. Mufflers are required.

5. Stock frame & wheelbase, stock sheetmetal (hood, grille, fenders, footrests) Required. No switching of sheetmetal.

6. No lockers or spools allowed. Limited slip is allowed if it was a factory feature for the model registered.

7. Stock front axle, no drop axles or spindles.

8. 2.5 MPH maximum speed as determined by the data recorder on the sled. Tractors exceeding 2.5 MPH will be disqualified.

9. Lawn Stock tractors will pull at 950#.

A&B STOCK GENERAL

1. Tractors may have driveline parts strengthened for durability, but maintain O.E.M. style.

2. Maximum length shall be 70” from centerline of rear axle to farthest point forward including weights. Maximum wheelbase is 52”.

3. Switching sheet metal from one make to another is allowed. All tractors must have hood, fenders, grille, seat and footrests, and must maintain OEM appearance.

4. Spools / locked rears and limited slip differentials allowed.

5. Maximum tire size 23” x 10.50” x 12”. Non-professional, non-cut, garden tractor tires only. Turf tires recommended

6. Full pull for A & B Stock tractors will normally be 100 feet. However, at the discretion of the Club Officers, when track conditions warrant, the full pull distance may be altered and / or pulling for total distance may be allowed.  (In all cases, in the interest of putting on a good show, the full pull for stock classes shall be less than that for all other higher classes.)

7. A & B Stock tractors will pull at 1150# except A junior which will pull at 950#.

A STOCK

1. 0 to 14 horsepower single cylinder four cycle flat head only

2. Factory OEM block

3. Crankshaft must maintain stock stroke.

4. .030 maximum over manufacturers specified cylinder bore.

5. Stock valves in the stock location for any given engine.

6. Stock cast heads, no billet heads.

7. Engine must be controlled by a properly functioning governor to no more than 4000 no load RPM, when contacting a positive stop on the block.

8. Piston pop-up .030 maximum.

9. Porting and polishing allowed.

10. Reground cams allowed. Maximum valve lift, .330”.

11. All engines must have proper OEM type shrouding.

12. Stock (Kohler, Carter, Walbro etc.) butterfly type carburetor with 1.000” venturi maximum. No re-cast or aftermarket carbs allowed.

13. No spacers between block and carburetor

14. Choke plate optional.

15. Velocity stacks and after-market air cleaners allowed.

16. Pump gasoline only.

17. Stock fuel pumps only. Electric pumps allowed only if they are original factory equipment and the tractor is equipped with a kill switch, which kills ignition and fuel pump.

B STOCK

1. 14.1 to 20 horsepower single or twin cylinder four cycle

2. Factory OEM block

3. Crankshaft must maintain stock stroke.

4. .030 maximum over manufacturers specified cylinder bore.

5. Stock valves in the stock location for any given engine.

6. Stock cast heads, no billet heads.

7. Engine must be controlled by a properly functioning governor to no more than 4000 no load RPM, when contacting a positive stop on the block.

8. Piston pop-up .030 maximum.

9. Porting and polishing allowed.

10. Reground cams allowed.

11. All engines must have proper OEM type shrouding.

12. Butterfly type carburetor with 1.200” venturi maximum.

13. No spacers between block and carburetor

14. Choke plate optional.

15. Velocity stacks and after-market air cleaners allowed.

16. Pump gasoline only.

17. Stock fuel pumps only. Electric pumps allowed only if they are original factory equipment and the tractor is equipped with a kill switch, which kills ignition and fuel pump.

X CLASS

1. All tractors shall comply with the National Quarter Scale Pullers rules in effect at the beginning of the MCTP pulling season (http://www.nqspulling.org) and shall remain in effect for the remainder of the MCTP season.

2. May run on pump gas or alcohol.  No additives. No nitro-methane. No nitrous oxide. No pressurized fuel tanks.

3. 30 cubic inch tractors run as they are with a weight of 950#

4. 14 hp flat head engines can run up to 3.600” bore by 3.25” stroke crank maximum, alcohol fuel, 1.200” carb maximum with open valves, cam and billet head.  Weight of 975#

5. 16 hp N.Q.S. Stock Altered can run as they are with a weight of 1000#

6. 16 hp .06 overbore engines flat head engines can run up to 3.830" bore by 3.25" stroke crank maximum, 1.200" carb maximum with open valves, cam and billet head.  weight of 900# with 12: hitch height.

7. Alcohol fuel will be checked with water test per NQS  ( Must Be Clear )

SUPER STOCK 30 CUBIC INCH RULES 

1. Single cylinder Super Stock is defined as any tractor having one cylinder air cooled four cycle, flat head, two valves same side of engine.

2. All final drive belts must be covered top 180 degrees and all flywheel and clutch assemblies must be covered 360 degrees with 1/8” steel or 3/16” aluminum.

3. Any type of Naturally Aspired induction is permitted. 

4. Tractors must run alcohol (NO ADDITIVIES – Clear)  Fuel must remain essentially clear during water test.  Fuel can also be checked via Hydrometer - .7928 Specific Gravity maximum.

5. Comment: Same as Pro Stock Rule.

6. Maximum wheelbase is 56”

7. No pressurized fuel tanks, No Nitrous Oxide.

8. No weights to extend beyond rear tires.

9. Top placing tractors will be checked for: Fuel and Cubic Inch Limit.

NQS STOCK ALTERED RULES

1. Single cylinder four cycle flathead engines only

2. Engines must be Kohler, Wisconsin, Tecumseh or Briggs

3. Engines must be factory productions or their OEM replacement

4. Maximum crankshaft stroke 3.25”

5. Maximum engine bore 3.780”

6. 36. 5000 cubic inch limit

7. Maximum engine valve size 1.380”

8. Maximum engine valve lift .330”

9. Maximum carburetor venturi size 1.00”

10. Carburetor must be mounted to the engine with no more than 1” spacer

11. Carburetor must be Kohler-type

12. Billet heads permitted

13. Porting and polishing allowed

14. No external welding or external modifications allowed

15. All thread through finned area is acceptable

16. Welding permitted in crankcase area of the block for repair

17. No pressurized fuel tanks

18. No nitrous oxide

19. May run gas or alcohol

20. Alcohol fuel must remain essentially clear (see alcohol checks elsewhere)

21. Gas specific Gravity .750 Maximum – Dielectric test at – 0

22. Steel flywheel mandatory

    Starter pulley must be billet steel or aluminum. Factory starter pulleys and stamp steel are not allowed

23. Must run a factory appearing hood and grill

24. Maximum wheel base of 52”

    Maximum length of tractor is 7 foot from centerline of rear axle forward (see general rules)

25. Foot pegs, platforms and seats must be in stock location

26. Tractors must have garden tractor rear-ends

27. Tractors must use stock garden tractor frames

28. Frames must maintain factory length

    Top placing tractors will be checked for: fuel, bore, stroke, carb size, valve lift, and valve size

    Fuel:             750 specific gravity maximum, Dielectric 0- (+3)

    Stroke:       3.250” maximum

    Bore:          3.780” maximum

    Carb:          1.000” venturi size maximum

    Valve Lift:     .330” maximum

    Valve Size: 1.380” maximum

    Head Bolt Pattern: Stock gasket must fit over head studs or bolts.

OPEN SUPER STOCK

1. All Open Super Stock tractors shall comply with the National Quarter Scale pullers rules in effect at the beginning of the MCTP pulling season (http://www.nqspulling.org) and shall remain in effect for the remainder of the MCTP season.  The only exception is that gasoline engines are allowed. 

SUPER STOCK

1. Maximum tire size 26” x 12” x 12”.  Cut tires and professional pulling tires allowed; i.e. Dick Cepek, LawnTec, etc.

2. Single cylinder, air cooled, four cycle, flat head, with two valves same side of engine.

3. Sleeves and welding permitted.

4. Maximum engine displacement:  50.5 cubic inches.

5. Open limits on carburetion.  No electronic fuel injection.

6. Auxiliary fuel pump permissible.

7. Engine must be naturally aspirated.

8. Intake standoffs and velocity stacks allowed.

9. All tractors must have a hood and grill (nosepiece) and rear fenders.  Switching to another manufacture’s sheet metal is permissible.

10. May run on pump gas or alcohol.  No additives.  No nitro-methane.  No nitrous oxide.  No pressurized fuel tanks.

11. Head girdles and scatter shields required

12. Maximum wheelbase of 56”.

13. Must meet most recent NQS rules.

14. S/S tractors will pull at 1050#

OUTLAW

1. Must run factory appearing hood and grill (nosepiece) and rear fenders.

2. No more than 72” long from center of the rear axle to the furthest part forward including weights.

3. No more than 54” wide including weights.

4. Maximum tire size 26” x 12” x 12”.  Cut tires and professional pulling tires allowed; i.e. Dick Cepek, LawnTec, etc.

5. Maximum of four (4) cylinders.  No automotive engines.

6. Must be naturally aspirated.

7. Mufflers required.

8. Outlaws will pull at 1250#.

SUPER OUTLAW

1. Maximum number of four (4) cylinders; any combination of reciprocating engines.

2. Maximum of 2337cc’s.  (Approximately 2.3 liters)

3. Maximum tire size 31” x 15.50” x 15”.  Cut tires allowed.

4. Maximum tractor length 110 inches from center of rear axle to farthest point forward on tractor, including weights.

5. Automotive in-line engines must have national specification side shield and drive line shields.

6. Mufflers required.

7. Rear bumper pads 8”-15” high, 3” behind rear tire minimum.

8. All turbos must have a 0.060” thick steel shield around them and exhaust pipes must discharge vertically with cross-bolts in end.

9. Tractors are limited to pump gas, alcohol, or diesel only.

10. S/O tractors will pull at 1400#.

GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION

1. A competitor will be disqualified from the heat in which the offense took place for the following reasons:

   1. Disruptive behavior

   2. Unsportsman-like conduct

   3. Reckless operation

   4. Inability to operate vehicle completely by him/herself

   5. Not meeting or exceeding class specifications

2. Tractors that contact the foul line at any point prior to the full pull mark for the class while hooked to the sled will be considered out of bounds and disqualified from that specific hook. The flagger has the ultimate judgment call.

3. All weights must be safely secured to the tractor. No weights will be allowed on tractor seats or on the driver. Any excessive or obvious loss of weights or components may be cause for disqualification. Comment: The intent of the rule is for safety and fairness. It is the flagger’s decision, if any weights or components fall off the tractor and move to the side of the path of the sled it would not affect the outcome of the pull. However, if the weight or component falls off and goes beneath the sled pan, it may affect the outcome of the pull and therefore the pull shall be disqualified. (The point is that a steel weight or component would make the pan slide easier over it and may increase the distance of the pull.)

4. Pulling is defined as the tractor moving while the sled itself is in motion.

5. Obvious or excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages or drugs will be grounds for disqualification.

6. If disqualified for any reason, that offense must be re-inspected by the Technical Committee.

NOTE: TRACTORS ARE NOT DISQUALIFIED UNLESS A TRACK OFFICIAL SPECIFICALLY NOTIFIES THE STATISTICIAN AND/OR ANNOUNCER PERSONALLY BEFORE THE NEXT HITCH.

For more information contact:

MIDDLESEX COUNTY TRACTOR PULLERS, INC.

Addendum

Committee members:

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