On Sunday 6 August, two unique tractor pulling events took place in Dunmore, Co Galway, to coincide with the small town’s popular summer festival, writes Peter Thomas Keaveney.

The first event took place during the day and this was a tractor hill climb which was the first of its kind. The objective here was for classic and vintage tractors to tow weighted trailers up a gradually sloping road.

According to organiser Michael Kelly, the goal was to settle the age old arguments of the best vintage tractor to pull a load along with having craic and raising funds for charity in the process. Next year, Michael plans to run a larger event.

Classes

There were five classes on the day which included 50hp, 55hp, 60hp, 80hp and a modified class. The 50hp class was won by a Zetor 3511, the 55hp class was won by a Power Major, the 60hp class was won by a Massey Ferguson 165 and the 80hp class was won by a David Brown 1210.

The modified class was won by a Fordson Major installed with a cargo 380 turbo engine rated at 250hp, which narrowly defeated a Massey Ferguson 35 which had a V8 engine.

Tractor v lorry

The second event was the real headliner. The hugely anticipated antics of the evening was the tractor versus the lorry. This event attracted huge crowds and created a vibrant atmosphere among onlookers and enthusiasts. A Claas Axion 920 took on a Scania V8 double-drive in what could only be described as sheer madness. Huge numbers of people watched and cheered as the machines went head to head.

The Claas Axion 920 owned by Pa McHugh, rated at a huge 320hp and weighing 20t including additional weights, took on Alan Gannon’s Scania R580 V8 double-drive, while attached to a low loader weighing a total of 60t and being assisted by another Scania, an R500 model owned by Harty transport. This time, the two lorries came out on top.

Take two saw the Scania R500 lorry taken away, which resulted in a one versus one scenario. This time the Scania R580 again edged the pull.

Take three and finally take four saw the Claas tractor redeem itself and pull the lorry along the greasy tarmac surface. The final result was deemed a tie by organisers.

Charity

This event was run as a fundraiser to go towards the construction of a new children’s playground in the nearby town of Cloonfad. The exciting event raised €1,671.86 which was collected from a quick bucket collection.

Martina McHugh, one of the organisers of the event, told the Irish Farmers Journal: “We were delighted with how the event went and we received an excellent response and feedback. It was the biggest crowd Dunmore had witnessed throughout the course of the ten day festival. Stay tuned for a re-match some time in the near future.”