AT AGE 81, PIPER STILL IN THERE PULLING

About 15 years ago Henry Piper bought a motor home and headed to Florida from his farm in Mount Vernon, Ill., to enjoy retirement. He and his wife decided they would like to travel and see the country.

But Piper didn't like what he saw in Florida: it seemed everyone was kind of sitting around waiting for their final years to roll by.

"I just could not stand to sit around," said Piper. So he headed back home and decided that if he was going to travel the country he might as well tow a tractor behind his motor home and compete in tractor pulls. He purchased another tractor and got back on the circuit.

Now, at the age of 81, Henry Piper is still going strong. Tuesday night he was among the participants in the SEMO District Fair's annual tractor pull, and no doubt, the oldest driver.

Piper started "barnyard pulling" about 41 years ago and has been in competition since the 1960s. With his present tractor, named the "Haulin Harvester," Piper has competed all over the United States and Canada, going coast to coast.

Sitting in his motor home at Arena Park Tuesday night eating a sandwich and chips from a black paper plate with "Over the Hill" stamped on it, Piper recalled that times have changed from when you took a tractor out of the field to enter it in a pull.

"We used to take the tractor to the field in the morning, come in, clean the tractor up, and go to the fair at night," said Piper. Now the tractors competing in most pulls, including the one at this fair, are modified to the point they couldn't be used in the field.

Piper was surrounded by several family members in the trailer, which he proudly refers to as his "Over the Hill Team." Family members travel with him often when he goes to pulls, but he sadly noted that the most important member of the team, his wife, died several weeks ago.

Piper handles most of the repair work on the tractor himself, something that takes a lot of time.

Piper admitted there aren't many people his age competing in tractor pulls at this level, but he quickly pointed out that it keeps him young and he has no plans to quit. Asked how long he will compete, Piper remarked without hesitation: "About as long as I can keep climbing on one."

A family member added, "When he puts that helmet on, he looks like someone 19 or 20."

Piper's reason for competing in tractor pulls is simple: he likes the competition and he enjoys the people he meets. "I have friends all over the country, and we see a lot of the same people at pulls, but competition is really the reason you are in there."

Dean Carroll, who lives on a farm in Clarence, Mo., about 50 miles west of Hannibal, likes tractor pulling for the same reasons as Piper, even though he's 49 years younger.

"I like the competition and the camaraderie," said Carroll. "You get to know all the competitors, but I suppose competition is the main thing. There is a great feeling of accomplishment to win. It's a good thrill because you feel all that horsepower."

Carroll, who shares driving and mechanical duties with his father and brother, has a Canadian-built tractor called a Cockshutt, a company bought out by Oliver in 1961. He pointed out that it was originally built for farm work with 75 horsepower, but the modifications give it between 1,100 and 1,200 horsepower.

Bruce Bryson of Centralia, Mo., says getting involved in this sport is a sign of "stupidity." But, he said, "once it gets in your blood it's just like golfing or baseball."

Harry Dorman, who was traveling with Bryson, said he enjoys meeting the people and watching the tractors go down the track. "I like working on them and they are fun to drive, but I'd just as soon work on them," said Dorman.

All the drivers agree that the secret to being successful in tractor pulling is to have the right tractor, the weight just right, and good track conditions.

"Being able to read the track and find an area to produce the most traction is important," said Carroll. He said the front end of the tractor tends to raise up, so being able to find the balance between the tractor and track is a key factor in winning.

Piper explained that there is a 30-foot area where drivers can have the sled spotted in and it is important "to read the track to know where to go and where to place the weights."

But Piper is also quick to admit that skill and experience are not the only secrets to success. "There's an awful lot of luck involved in this," he remarked.

Among the large crowd of spectators at the pull was Don Doyle, a farmer from Poplar Bluff, who competes in three-wheeler pulls around the area. He recently competed at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

"I really enjoy pulling," he said. "There's all sorts of difficulty levels and every level has its special tricks."

While Doyle says he enjoys all types of pulling, he expresses no desire to get involved in tractor pulls and the "high-dollar engines."

"It's definitely a high-dollar sport," he said.

There were about 40 tractors competing at the fair in five classes, and most have between $20,000 and $50,000 tied up in their tractors. Piper said a good engine should run about a year before needing to be re-built.

In most cases, tractor pullers compete because they love the sport, not because they are out trying to make money. It's a break-even sport, if you are lucky.

Piper said he believes he's made enough over the years to cover most of his expenses, though not enough to cover the two motor homes he has worn out towing his tractor around the country.

There is a national tractor-pullers association and each state has its own association where points are kept during the season. Last night's pull was sanctioned by the Missouri and Illinois associations.

Pete Poe, president of the fair board, said tractor pulls have been a popular Tuesday night event at the fair for about 20 years. A big change in the tractors here has been that most of the competitors are professional pullers.

Next year they will likely add a class for field tractors, Poe said.

Poe said people of all ages, both city and rural, enjoy tractor pulls. "There's fire and smoke and a lot of noise; people like that," said Poe.