Trucks with big wheels and a bunch of tractors are coming to Statesboro next weekend to compete in the first “Battle in the Boro Truck and Tractor Pull.”
Shows are set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening at the Bulloch County Agricultural Complex off Highway 301 South and Langston Chapel Road. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20 for adults, $10 children 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Tickets will be available to purchase only at the gate the afternoon of the event and only cash will be accepted for payment.
“There hasn’t been a truck and tractor pull in Statesboro for more than 30 years,” said Keith Haag with the Southern Pullers Association, which is staging the event. “It’s a great show. A lot of fun. I promise folks are going to be amazed at what these vehicles can do.”
The Bulloch Ag Arena will have a 300-foot dirt track set up inside for the pull, Haag said. The competing trucks and tractors are broken into different classes based on the power of an engine. Each vehicle in their particular class pulls a sled with a weight load as far as they can on the track. The truck or tractor that goes the furthest before it can’t go any further is the winner of that class.
Haag said between 30 and 40 trucks and tractors will be part of each show, which usually lasts about three hours.
He said regular fans of pull events have their favorite class of truck or tractor. And Haag did have a caution for newcomers who attend next weekend.
“The event is loud,” he said. “Especially in a covered arena. When the Supermodified trucks take to the track, it is best to wear earplugs. It is that loud.”
Fans can bring their own, or there will be disposable ear plugs at the event available for $1, Haag said.
A special part of each show is the “Super Wheel Pull” for children in the audience. Haag said children will be invited down onto the track and use some toy tractors to pull a small sled.
“There’s plenty of action at the show to keep everyone entertained, but the Super Wheel is a way to get youngsters involved and add to a fun night,” he said.
Haag, who lives in Claxton, said he became involved with the Southern Pullers Association in 2022. He now helps organize and promote events like the Battle in the Boro around the south.
The Southern Pullers are run under the rules and over all guidance of the Pro Pulling League, which has events that may be seen on various cable channels and online. While competitors do earn some prize money for winning their classes at Southern Pullers events, Haag said most take part because they like to work on their own trucks or tractors and then see how they perform in competition.
To learn more, got to thesouthernpullers.com