poor turn outs

Folks

Talked to a couple of fellas this week and the topic was poor turn-outs

I run a shop and use to get several fliers a year about pulls that I post.Every year this has gotten less and less and pulls around here are drying up.This is still a good sport with lots of fun and friends but folks not everyone does fb or internet.I know these fliers do add a little cost but if you don't have a turnout your fair committee or whatever says drop it because of a poor turnout and there it goes.If you are the one over it it ask for advise,contact clubs,use a mailing list,drop fliers at business,tractor repair shops,tractor supply and so on.Alwaya,always time,date,contact number and maybe and email.Just some input on this
 
So important. ! The people, friends, can not talk about a pull they know nothing about over a cup of coffee , or at the dinner table sharing a meal. Look at it as a invitation ! Print them and send them out ! The hard working people who put on the show need to get a scoreboard that can travel from pull to pull to let the folks know how many tractors or in the class-- who pulling in the class---the class weight--the distance of each. Lots of folk do not know when one weight class ends and another begins. You would not to high school game without there being a scoreboard. Sorry I ratted on for so long . Tim-m
 
Love it when somebody posts a time and date for a pull but won't say where it is at.
 
I agree. The2 biggest reasons for low turn out are lack of advertising and poorly run events. People won't come if they don't know about it. Pullers shy away from attending poorly run events.
 

Biggest reason Carthage didn't have anyone is they really acted like they didn't even want us there. They were way too concerned with the truck pull later. When you advertise that no matter what you are cutting the pull off at a certain time, you're not going to have anyone. I very much agree that advertising is key to having a good show, but you also have to have some support there.
 

Trucks are pushing tractors right out in my area. People want the noise, speed and flying dirt. You need to bring in more loud, smoke belching, dirt throwing tractors.
 
Yeah trucks are taking over here too. Some come to watch pro-stock tractors as well but nobody comes to watch the antiques.
I've been pulling antique tractors since 1994 and the thing that turns me off about it is alot of these places charge you parking, pit admission and you're pulling a tractor so you have hook fees on top of that. To top that all off they charge $15 for kids no matter how old they are. I took my wife and 16 month old to one and they charged full price for her. Then we get into the pits and people are laughing and poking fun of my hauler and tractor. Just because they are rich doesn't make them any better than the next guy. People come to have fun and enjoy these events not be the laughing stock. As far as the pulling goes unless you have $30,000 in your tractor you might as well stay home cause the sport has changed to a money game and not a honest sport for the little guy starting out.
 
Do you guys have a lack of pullers too? In my area most of the guys are in their 50's and 60's. It's getting really hard for them to throw weights around so many have quit over the years. We only have one or two guys under 40. Also with the low number of hooks, the sled rental cost a lot and some places don't want to pay for it.
 
it's happening at all the clubs , the old men are giving it up and no one to follow . people have to grow up with old tractors to have them now and that generation is fast disappearing and so with it goes the old style pulling . I'm 73 and still love it , for how long I don't know . it won't be long before lawnmowers and trucks are all thats pulling .
 
First of all pulling needs to be affordable for big numbers...also most clubs are unwilling to change around here it?s either to old of tractor or to new.. either way it?s to expensive.. 57 and older is past it?s prime.. young guys wanna pull what they grew up on... example a 88 oliver or 460 farmall you can build cheap hp and be competitive... but the old guys don?t like em so they make the rules so they can win... as a consequence the new guys stay home they don?t want to pull a classic tractor they want to pull a antique...?affordably? young people don?t have 10k to build a motor and if they do they wouldn?t spend it on a pre 1957 or older tractor... clubs either need to allow them or create a class for them or antique pulling will be a past time..
 
The reason we are loosing the turn out is that the area is no longer a farming community and the county is farmed by about 8 big farmers. Also the younger people are not interested in tractor pulling they like to play with their games.
 
(quoted from post at 08:16:54 07/15/18) The reason we are loosing the turn out is that the area is no longer a farming community and the county is farmed by about 8 big farmers. Also the younger people are not interested in tractor pulling they like to play with their games.

d beatty, For pretty much the entire 20 years that I have been pulling, a real farmer at a pull has been very rare, so I don't see that as being a factor.
 
I don't know how many times I've had someone local to the town having the pull come up to me and say they had no idea a pull was going on. Just happened to see some tractors and came to look, usually after the pull is almost over.
Can't come to watch or participate if no one knows.

Invite the neighbor kid, let a buddy drive your tractor once in a while...
 
I know the reason we rarely go anymore is because the local "clubs" don't want outsiders coming in and treat them that way. Not only that but some of us can't afford these high dollar big cube tractors. But we cannot compete with the high rpm big cube stuff that is running in the "stock" classes. The biggest problem there needs to be a way to keep the old pre 56-57 stuff and newer stuff separate. The newer stuff your getting into 4010's....06 series internationals etc. The old stuff cannot hang with those and it's no longer any fun.
 
Too many places rely too heavily on social media for advertising. There are still many who don’t use social media!!! Many by choice!!!
 
Beattys club, has a problem.
Few have taken it upon themselves to create
a negative environment for any thats not
part of thier ring. Countless issues with
confrontation that is just plain
unacceptable. But, its ok cause they got
40k in a cheap build to support a crooked
system that has given the impression that
if you didnt spend that much or more with
them, your not worth saying hello to at an
event.
 

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