While the Spy Hill Sports Days have been a long-standing August attraction for many in this area, this year’s offered a new event: a tractor pull featuring several vintage, pre-1970 tractors and crawlers.
After it was decided to no longer have a rodeo as part of the two-day event, local businessman and construction contractor, Cameron Duncan, presented the idea of having a tractor pull instead.
In it a tractor is attached to a specially built large sled which it tries to pull as far as possible, while heavy weight on the sled moves forward, ahead of the sled’s axles, steadily pushing the front of the sled into the ground.
The tractor that can go the farthest before finally being unable to go any further is the winner.
Duncan says he has always enjoyed taking in tractor pulls which are held in various places including Redvers, Arcola, Killarney and at the Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum near Moose Jaw.
He admits, though, that he was losing some sleep in the days leading up to the event, not knowing how well it would go over at the Spy Hill Sports Days.
He’s sleeping better now. “We’ve had nothing but positive comments.”
Success didn’t come easily. It’s not just enough to clear a strip of grass for the track. Duncan’s experience in the road building business was put to good use in creating the Spy Hill track.
The selected area was dug down about two feet, sand was put in for drainage, and then a very hard clay was put on top.
“We went to a hard compacted track because it can take quite a bit of water and still be easily cleaned off. It can take half an inch of rain and once it’s cleared off, we can go again.”
He estimates that about $5,000 worth of time and materials was put into building the track.
Rain Saturday afternoon did force the postponement of that day’s pull until after the late afternoon pony and chuckwagon races but that may have been a good turn of events.
“Actually we had quite a bit of good response. People said they’d like to see it at that time again in the evening. So we’re thinking of moving it to Saturday evening, as well as on Sunday afternoon.”
The other important part of a tractor pull is the sled which Spy Hill rented from Abernethy. Because it hadn’t been used for four or five years it required a great deal of work including converting the skid plate, redoing all of the hydraulics, painting it, welding some parts, and even adding a new engine.
Duncan Const. spearheaded the improvements, working with the Spy Hill Community Club which covered some of the initial costs.
A total of 31 entries took part in the first Spy Hill tractor pull, coming from as far away as Redvers, with several from the local area including Gerald, Esterhazy, and Binscarth.
Highlights included six International tractors from the late Gerry Hutchinson’s collection of 50 IH classics. from Rocanville.
Three John Deere 630, 730 and 830 tractors were there from the late Bruce Dunsmore’s collection from Rocanville/Moosomin. “They were beautifully done, too,” says Duncan.
At 108 Hp. Giles Norek’s ‘97 Massey was the highest horsepowered entry. He also entered two other John Deeres.
The oldest tractor entry was a WD40 International from about 1936.
The pull, says Duncan, was a good opportunity for classic tractor collectors to bring their machines out of the shed and show what they were built to do. “Lots of them just like to get out there in front of the crowd.”
“It’s not a big money thing for anybody. It’s more a camaraderie thing.”
A lot of time was spent talking about how the tractors were discovered, rebuilt and repainted, he says. Speaking from experience, he says with a laugh, “It’s like cars, you’re never going to get your money back.”
Adding a different aspect to the Spy Hill event was the inclusion of some small, older Caterpillar crawlers, which may have had something to do with the fact Cameron’s grandson, Nathan, is the president of the Canadian branch of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club.
A handful of club members were on hand to help organize and run the pulls.
All of the machines were first weighed and then placed into one of five weight categories with tractors in each of those categories competing against each other.
There was only one prize awarded and that was the Fan Favourite award which, coincidentally, Duncan won with his D8 Cat crawler. “I think there was a little bias shown,” he says with a laugh. “I think I bribed the judges.”
With support from Cat equipment, parts and service dealer Finning Canada, for which Nathan is a technology sales representative, the D8 was used to raise funds for the new Jim Pattisonn Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Kids of all ages could have their picture taken at the wheel of the Cat for a donation. That raised $450 which C. Duncan Const. matched for a total of $900.
“I was really proud of that and kids had a really good time.”
Spectators in general had a good time watching the pulls from trackside bleachers and lawn chairs. One of the goals of the organizers was to keep the action moving at all times. “To keep people’s interest we thought a two-hour show was all that we wanted to have.”
Thanks to a lot of helpers, many of whom were related to the Duncan family, they managed to do what they set out to do. One visitor told of attending another tractor pull that didn’t finish until 10:30 p.m.
Since the inaugural pull Duncan has been contacted by other tractor owners asking if there’s going to be a show next year and if they could be part of it.
Plans are already underway for 2020, but, with that two-hour limit in mind, organizers may have to limit additional entries to just five or six.
Another suggestion was that it be a modified tractor pull, featuring large, modern tractors with up to 1,000 Hp. of pulling power, similar to pulls in Yorkton.
Duncan says that’s not going to happen. “Some people said we should go to the modified format, but I really don’t want to because it’s a different thing altogether. When you’re running a thousand horsepower you’re into a whole different ball game with liabilities, and stuff like that.”
“We don’t want to get into that league. We just want to keep it more of a mom and pop thing, and involve the children.”
“We know what we need and what we can expect.”
Plans are in place to add more bleachers and Duncan says that some prize money may be offered. “Right now they’re just competing for bragging rights.”
Another idea for Spy Hill that is generating some interest is possibly holding, at another time of the year, a horse pull. Roblin holds one and it’s very popular, says Duncan.
Looking back at the first Spy Hill tractor pull, Duncan says, “I’m really happy with the way it turned out and I hope that everyone else was. We hope it will carry on.”