Tractor association ‘pulls off’ a day of competition

EDNEYVILLE — The rain held off long enough on Saturday for a small but determined group of antique tractor owners to hold a competition most of them fear is going the way of rotary phones.

“We need to get some young blood in this or it’s going to die on the vine,” Danny Sherrill said during a tractor pull held in a vacant field near the Apple Co-op on South Mills Gap Road.

Sherrill, who teamed with his brother, Hal, to win a combined six trophies with their 1952 John Deere 60 at Saturday’s competition, said it’s sad that tractor pulls don’t seem to appeal to younger age groups.

“It’s mostly older people,” he said of the pulls, where tractor drivers pull a concrete-laden sled in different weight classes. “There’s eight or 10 people I know who either died or aren’t physically able to do this anymore.”

Mid-morning rain and dark cloudy skies might have played a role in only a handful of area tractor owners taking part in Saturday’s competition, the first held all year by the sponsoring Apple Country Antique Engine and Tractor Association.

“We’ve been rained out every weekend since March,” said association member Doug Dunlap, who brought his 1953 Super H Farmall, as well as his 1956 400 Farmall.

Dunlap, who also owns several show tractors, came in second behind Hal Sherrill in both the 8,000-pound and 8,500-pound weight classes — but just being around other men who share the same love of tractors made his short trip from Hendersonville worthwhile.

“We always had Farmalls on the farm growing up,” he said. “I’ve got cars, too; I like anything with a motor.”

Dunlap is much like Don Moody, who hauled his 1956 John Deere 720 Wheatland from the west end of Haywood County to compete on Saturday.

“I drove 61 miles just to play,” said Moody, who placed third in the 9,000-pound weight class. “You’ve got to love this equipment to get out and play with it; nothing is light weight.”

The local pulls for tractors made before 1964 have drawn as many as 22 entrants from surrounding counties and neighboring states, according to Kevin Metcalf, who organized Saturday’s event.

He said his uncle, Ray Metcalf, was one of the men who began organizing local tractor pulls in 1991. Kevin’s interest began about 15 years ago, but he’s too modest to talk about his success with his 1959 Farmall 560 and his 1935 Allis Chalmers WC.

However, his wife, Niki, admitted to having boxes full of trophies at home.

“We don’t have enough shelves in the house for all his trophies,” she said. “He’ll only keep the first-place trophies. I’d be spending all day dusting them all.”

Niki Metcalf has been active with the antique tractor association, and recalls when as many as 85 tractors would compete during Harvest Days at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center every October.

“Those were long days (working the tractor pulls),” she said. “But they were fun.”

Like many of the association’s members, her husband can’t really pinpoint why he loves tractor pulls the way he does.

“I grew up on a farm in Avery Creek and I just love them,” he said. “I want to keep it alive, but I don’t know. The little ones — most kids — don’t even know what a tractor pull is.”

Perhaps with some persistence — and more cooperative weather — younger people will discover the same joy the Metcalfs have.

Stephen Kindland is a freelance writer and photographer living in Fletcher. He can be reached at stephenkindland@gmail.com.