By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

CAYUGA, Ind. — When some people got together in a barn in Carlisle, Ind., a few years ago to talk about starting a garden tractor pull club, they didn’t expect it to grow as fast as it did.
Today, the Sullivan County Garden Tractor Pullers Club has 42 members and has become a popular feature at several fairs in Indiana and Illinois, including the Vermillion County 4-H Fair in Cayuga.

“Last year we did 22 events from April through October,” said Kevin Kirschner, a member of the club who participated in the pull with his wife, Missy, and son, Kyle.

The members compete in about 15 different classes, depending on the weight and horsepower of the tractors. The engines run from 10-24 hp and the tractors weigh anywhere from 800-1,250 pounds, ranging from regular grass cutters to alcohol-burning “hot” pullers with chrome rims and tricked-out engines.

“Some tractors are very specialized,” said Missy Kirschner. “It just depends on how much money you want to put into it.”

While club members were preparing the dirt track at the hot and humid fairgrounds in Cayuga during the fair, a light rain started to sprinkle. The moisture was just enough to keep the dust down, and did little to curb the enthusiasm of the pullers.

“This is a lot of fun,” Kevin Kirschner said with a grin. “It’s a good family activity – it’s nice and clean.”

Pullers have to be at least six years old to participate and there are special classes for kids 12 years and under.

According to Kirschner, a lot of children participate in the club’s events.

“It gives them something to do besides sitting at home and playing GameBoy, and it teaches them how to drive the tractors,” he said.

“The kids really like it,” his wife added.

The tractor pulls are generally male-dominated, but members like Kyndal Vaughn of Carlisle defy the stereotype.

“My family has been doing it (tractor pulls) for a while. I like to win and beat the boys,” she said. “Last summer, there were only two or three women who pulled. A couple of more girls are getting interested but it’s definitely mostly guys.”

“The good thing about this club is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or woman,” said Terri Alexander, also of Carlisle. “It’s just a lot of fun.”
The two women said they’ve learned a lot about tractors from observing other people work on them, and by asking a lot of questions.

Now they do a lot of the work on their tractors themselves.
“I’m getting ready to take mine apart and paint it,” said Vaughn about the 30-year-old, 12-horsepower tractor that was handed down to her from her brother.

The club’s events are open to anybody, as long as the tractors meet the requirements for each class. Although the pullers compete against each other for cash prizes – and the club pays out about 70 percent of the entry fees – they emphasize that the rivalry is of a completely friendly nature.

“If you have a problem with your tractor, anybody here will be happy to help, even your worst competitor,” Kirschner said.
“We’re here to have fun and to display some good sportsmanship.”