Triple Turbocharged, School Bus Powered Pulling Tractor Made so Much Torque it Broke the Dyno
One of the cool things about motorsports is that they come in all sorts of shapes and forms. Sure, you have your conventional methods of competition like drag racing. However, if you really want to get spicy, there are all sorts of different ways to get going. Whether it’s land or sea, we can guarantee that there is something fun for just about every gearhead who wants to try something different.
This time, we check in with the monster that is designed to compete in what is known as a tractor pulling competitions. Essentially, the name of the game here is whoever makes the most power and is able to put it to the ground effectively to pull a massive amount of weight wins.
The machine took to FuelTech’s famed hub dyno for a little bit of a session and we couldn’t help but be impressed. FuelTech’s Technical Director Luis De Leon guides us through the build that is eye-catching in more ways than one.
Outside, the Super Stock pulling tractor from GALOT Motorsports sports a body that remains mostly stock.
From there, things become even more interesting as we find a triple turbocharged engine that boasts 650 ci. The plot twist comes in the fact that it also borrows an engine block from a school bus and is a six-cylinder! When all of the components come together, the beast is creating about 120 psi of boost via the Harts Turbochargers that really put on a show. From there, the diesel fuel is ditched in favor of methanol. When all is said and done, the combo makes a ton of torque. How much? Well, it was able to max out FuelTech’s mainline hub dyno at just 50 psi of boost!
FuelTech goes on to tell us “The GALOT Motorsports tractor has been outfitted with a FuelTech package that is similar to Pro Mod racecars, which begins with a FuelTech FT600 engine management system to help control the insanely powerful six-cylinder combination. The all-in-one ECU is a valuable tool in the high-stakes pulling game, especially when big money is on the line.
The FT600 along with the other PowerFT ECUs—FT550, FT550LITE, and FT450—offer sequential injection and ignition, O2 Closed Loop, data logger, delay box, Boost Controller, Nitrous Controller, and so much more. The FT600, FT550, and FT450 have a customizable digital display for the driver and the anti-glare TFT touchscreen offers the ability to make adjustments to the tune without hooking up to a PC computer.”
They continue, ” Life begins at 100 psi in the compound boost game, making the ignition system a critical component. The team went right to the top with an FTSPARK EXTREME, which is the most powerful ignition system on the market—even more powerful than single and dual magneto ignition systems. It produces a minimum of 1,500mj and has a maximum rating of 1,700mj, which is a guaranteed 250% greater output than the FTSPARK Gen I. It will also provide 175 amps of current at the primary coil (40 percent increase over FTSPARK Gen I). The FTSPARK Extreme box features four channels, requiring two ignition boxes for eight-cylinder engines (sold separately), a set of ignition coils, and a plug kit.”
Last but not least, we learn how the team collects data which is paramount. “The FT600 data logs dozens of channels. One of the components that helps gather data is a FuelTech EGT-8 CAN module. It connects six thermocouples to the PowerFT unit, which reads exhaust gas temperatures from each cylinder. The other channels are used to record engine vitals and turbocharger backpressure, amongst many other sensors throughout the tractor.”
Down below, we watch as this monster of a machine truly comes to life. There’s just something sincerely mind-bending about imagining this tractor pulling along a 60,000 lb sled that really puts a smile on our faces!
