Jim-
Way to go pal, now you went and pissed off "Charlie the Owl".
<font size="-2">Somebody needs to make that a clipart</font>
All-
Here's my take....
PD soil conditions: I drove 2.5hrs (which is short by comparison) to the PD site, and was somewhat disappointed when we arrived and the field was 50% snow covered. I thought for sure it was going to be a bust. My tractor didn't even have a plow hooked to it the first night. The next morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was plowing fine. Sure, it probably had more moisture than we all wanted, but given the situation, it was just fine. The bottom line here is that we have to trust the man who owns/lives on the land. He's the guy that knows that soil best. He's seen it in all conditions and knows it's limitations. Travis did a great job (or got really lucky) with his call. ;-)
That soil may be much darker than up here, but it's got very good drainage. By 11am on Saturday it was just fine and I didn't see anyone sitting on the sidelines or stuck in the furrow because it was too wet. Let's remember Travis didn't make it snow, and he never would have hauled us all down there if he didn't think it would fly. (Would you want 100+ pi$$ed-off guys with trailer-loads full of garden tractors in your backyard?)
It's been said once, and I'll say it again, THANKS Travis for taking the time to host this event. We all hope that you're willing to do it again because we do appreciate the work you do!
Pulling Sled: The minute you decide to run pulling in seperate classes, you (we) really back ourselves into a corner. This event is all about plowing and having fun. The sled part was obviously not the "main attraction", so lets not make it that. I'm glad that Charlie and Travis took the time to set it up for us. If it's there again in the future, I may hook up to it just to see how my Plow Special does. (i.e. "Run what you brung")
Anybody (and I'm not just talking about Jim here) who is going to compare a JD 420/430 to a relatively stock
<FONT COLOR="ff0000">I</FONT><FONT COLOR="000000">H</FONT> Cub Cadet is not dealing with reality.
The JD 420/430's had a 1983 introduction. I don't think I saw even one 3000 series Cub Cadet at Travis' this year, so it's safe to say that everyone on a Cub Cadet out there in the field was running something that had been designed in the early 1960's. By the time JD came out with the 420/430's,
<FONT COLOR="ff0000">I</FONT><FONT COLOR="000000">H</FONT> was long gone, and MTD was milking what they could out of the design. Hopefully JD learned something new in the 20+ years since the first
<FONT COLOR="ff0000">I</FONT><FONT COLOR="000000">H</FONT> Cub Cadets had been introduced. Comparing a later JD Garden Tractor to an IH Cub Cadet is the equivilent to running a Farmall F-12 against a 1466! (...or a JD "G" and a 4020 if you prefer that flavor!)
If Jim D. or anyone else wants to hop-up a late-series JD and "spank" the sled for a full-pull, then let them, but don't come over to me talking trash when you beat me on my 500lb Original because I'm not going to be listening.
This "sport" has changed, mostly for the better, since it first began. That said, 5-7 years ago everyone was after a minty Original or a Round Fender 110. Now it's all about large-horse power and larger tires. Frankly, I could care less about that, to each their own, but don't dare try to drag me into your own "H.P. Machismo" because you want to show me up. Again, I won't be listening.
Jim-
You may have made a friend in Kraig (he's a like-able guy..) and yes, he did ride with us to PD, but don't think for a minute that you're going to sway his convictions. That's not how he rolls.....
