4 x 4 –Four-wheel drive trucks

A-C – An Allis Chalmers Tractor

Allison – World War II vintage V-12 aircraft engine, 1710 cu in, approximately 200 horsepower

Arias – Pulling engine built by Nick Arias

Barrel – Engine cylinder in which the piston rides up and down

Beach – The protective barrier of sand at the end of the track

Bite – Traction

Bitin’Track – Power Track

Blower – Supercharger or Turbocharger

Blueprinting – Rebuilding an engine to design specifications

Boost – Air pressure generated by turbos or superchargers

Bore and Stroke – Increasing the inside volume of an engine’s cylinder to boost power

Bottom End – Slow engine speeds; or the lower components of an engine

Box – Part of the weight transfer machine that carries and transfers the weight

Brush Pull – Non-sanctioned pull

Buzz the Tires – A lot of tire speed, without moving the sled much­—results from either a hard track or not enough weight at the rear of the tractor

Cam – The camshaft , a revolving engine part that moves the valves up and down

Carb – The carburetor

Checkered Flag – Marks the leading distance

CK – Cockshutt tractor

Cubes – Cubic inch displacement of an engine

Cut Tires – Trim the tire bar to a preferred angle for maximum bite

Cleats – The tread on a tractor tire

Deere – A John Deere tractor (also JD)

Diesel – An engine that ignites the fuel by the heat of compression, rather than by spark plugs

Distance Markers – These markers are placed at 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 feet so that the fans and officials can gauge distances during a run

Division – A vehicle is either a Tractor-Division, Modified-Division, or Truck-Division

Draw Bar – The part of the tractor or truck which attaches to the chain and hoof of the transfer

Easy Chair – Soft, comfortable ride to victory

Eyeball – Carefully inspecting something like an engine

Floating Gate – When distance is measured beyond 300 feet instead of re-pulling

Full Pull – Pulling the entire length of the track

Grenade –Damage to engine, usually terminal; also means a motor ready to blow

Hammer – Throttle

Hauling the Freight – Pulling the weighted sled

Headers – Exhaust pipes designed for free exhaust flow

Hemi –A Chrysler engine with a dome-shaped combustion chamber

Hired Gun –A driver who drives tractors or trucks other than his/her own

Hole Shot – Getting the jump off the line; an excellent start

Hook – The point of attachment to a tractor’s or truck’s drawbar; also means competing at a pull

Hook Points – Points received for attempting a pull

Hook Up – Tires getting a bite on the track

Horsepower –The ability to do a specific amount of work during a specific amount of time and over a specific distance

Huffer – Supercharger

I-H – An International Harvester tractor (also International)

Kamikaze –A puller who runs at full throttle all the time

Kill Switch – A required hookup that automatically kills the engine if the tractor becomes unhooked from the sled

Kraut Can – A Deutz tractor

Lose Fire – Stall the engine

L-P – Liquid propane used as fuel

Maverick – A loner

M-F –A Massey Ferguson tractor

M-H – A Massey Harris tractor

Miss the Balance– Improper weight balance on a tractor resulting in an uncontrollable wheelie; also means plowing and buzzing the tires

MM – Minneapolis Moline Tractor

Modified – Tractor using any combination of engines, transmission, and fuel drive

Mopar – Refers to Chrysler products

 Nitro methane used as an exotic but illegal fuel

Out of Bounds Line – The chalk line that runs down both sides of the track—a driver who touches this line is disqualified

Out of Fielders – Factory stock tractors used in competition

Out the End – Full pull

Out the Gate – A full pull, going the entire length of the track

Overspeed the Tires – Too much tire speed

Pan – Part of the weight transfer machine that makes contact with the track to create the friction necessary to stop the tractor

Pull a Wheelie – The front end of a tractor rearing up into the air

Pull-Off – A second run with a heavier sled for the two or more vehicles that make full pulls

Punched Out –Bored and stroked engines giving larger displacement

Purse – The total prize money awarded at an event

Ratchet – Mechanic

Rat Motor – A big cubic inch Chevy engine

Read the Track – Determine track conditions for weighting tractor and spotting the sled

Revs – RPM’s or revolutions per minute of the crankshaft

Rods – Modified tractors

Run Off Area – The area at the end of the track where the tractor shuts down

Scrap Iron – A demolished engine

Second Attempt – If, on the first try, the tractor doesn’t move the sled past the 75-foot line, the puller can try again

Shell Out – Damage to transmission or differential

Short Block – Just the lower part of the engine with pistons and crankshaft

Shuck – Break

Shutoff – Slow down before completing the run

Side Step – On super stock tractors, releasing the clutch by sliding the foot off the side of the clutch pedal

Skid – Pan

Sled – Weight Transfer Machine

Slider – A clutch which used the centrifugal force inherent in the spinning of the clutch to activate the clutch mechanism

Slip the Clutch – Prevention of 100% lock-up of the clutch, used to hook up the tires to the track; also means a malfunctioning clutch that never locks up

Smoke Machine – Used at indoor pulls, attached to weight transfer machine—sucks exhaust smoke of the tractor outside

Snuffer – Stall the engine

SOHC – Single Overhead Camshaft Engine

Spin Out – Spinning tires at the end of a pull with no forward motion

Spotting the Sled – Puller choosing where the sled will sit along the start line for his/her pull

Squeaked It Out – Barely pulling the full length of the track

Staged – Line up at the starting line; also means connecting turbochargers in progressive sequence on super stocks

Stuck Oil – Damage to an engine that spills oil on the track

Test Power – First puller of each class to check sled gear and weight—has the option of repulling or dropping to third place

Throw Weights – To move detachable weight around on the tractor to achieve a preferred balance of weight for track conditions

Torque – The power needed to twist or pull under counter pressure

Trick – New piece of equipment that will improve performance

Turbine – An engine, using the exploding fuel to drive rotary fan blades, creating the turning power of the engines, as in aircraft jet engines

Under the Cam –Engine speed not reaching the optimum speed for the camshaft to operate efficiently

Unsanitary –Any tractor, sled, or driver that is illegal, unsafe, or looks less that professional

Whistle it Out – A full pull; also means pulling the entire length fast and easy

Wrench – To repair, work on a tractor