After some researching, I am proud to say that Ferruccio Lamborghini did not invent the sport of tractor pulling. We did. So, it’s officially official: Sled pulling is as American as it gets...
After the 25-30 horsepower tractors from the Holt and Best companies were introduced around the early 20th century, impromptu motorized pulling events soon followed. It wasn’t until 1929 that the first “documented” organized tractor pull took place–one in Bowling Green, Missouri, the other in Vaughnsville, Ohio. By comparison, Lamborghini (yes, the exotic sports car founder) began organizing tractor pull events around Italy in the late 1940s.
Originally called the sledge, area farmers would load a flat steel pan with stones and concrete, and then attempt to pull it a whopping 10 yards. Moving the dead-weight sledge 10 yards, in any direction you chose, was considered a full pull. Things sure have evolved since then, haven't they?