Jacob Moatz drives his 1940 International Harvester model Farmall M during the Pennsylvania Farm Show's antique tractor pull.

Jacob Moatz stands with his Farmall M and his collection of awards from last year’s tractor pulls.

Jacob Moatz rebuilt the engine of his Farmall tractor.

Jacob Moatz drives his 1940 International Harvester model Farmall M during the Pennsylvania Farm Show's antique tractor pull.

Jacob Moatz was born to drive tractors. He didn’t grow up on a farm, but as a child, he competed in pedal tractor contests at local fairs and has since been doing antique tractor pulls across Pennsylvania with his dad, Mike, for more than a decade. His debut was at the Oley Valley Community Fair.

Moatz was 12 when he first drove his dad’s Farmall 400 down the fairground’s dirt track. Now 22, the Kutztown mechanic loves getting his hands dirty repairing tractors for the next pull.

“I just grew up around tractors, and I grew to like them,” Moatz said. “That’s my passion and hobby.”

Four years ago, Moatz bought a 1940 Farmall M for $1,000 from Harry Hoppes, a family friend. The vintage red tractor had a good set of pistons and new tires.

“It was a really good base to start with for a pulling tractor,” he said.

All it took for Moatz to get the tractor running was new wiring, a carburetor, and a couple of electrical parts. Everything else checked out. Moatz was ready for the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Super Tractor Pull Competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, but his Farmall made a concerning groan during a test drive the day before the event.

Determined, Moatz and his dad got to work on the gear shift and replacing teeth on the brake, a process that went well into the morning of the competition. Moatz was still making adjustments in the parking lot, prompting someone at the pull to suggest he call his tractor “Put Together in a Parking Lot.”

“I didn’t care for that name,” he said. “But it did earn the nickname, ‘Parking Lot Project.’”

Parking Lot Project placed eighth out of 51 tractors that day and has since won over 100 ribbons, including first and second place at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Jacob Moatz stands with his Farmall M and his collection of awards from last year’s tractor pulls.

After the Mid-Atlantic pull, Moatz spent the summer and fall improving the tractor’s transmission, replacing the bearings, and installing a new engine. And he saved $400 by creating custom parts in the machine shop at Berks Vocational Technology School, which also counted as his senior project.

Moatz’s 85 horsepower Farmall went up against a John Deere G with a 1,000 cubic inch, 200 horsepower engine at this year’s Farm Show. He’s still unsure how his small International Harvester beat the big John Deere, but he believes preparation can pay off.

“It’s anyone’s guess as to who’s going to win the pull,” Moatz said. “But, a lot comes down to luck and driver set-up.”

A key part of the prep work is balancing tire air pressure and weight so the rubber has an optimal grip on the dirt track.

“It’s to get the power you have to the ground for the track conditions that you have,” Moatz said.

Weight is significant. Drivers can add additional weight placements to support the front of their equipment as it pulls a heavy sled down the racetrack. For Moatz, the right amount of added weight is an educated guess, but he keeps detailed notes from previous pulls to help with the decision. The ideal dirt track for Moatz is an even mix of topsoil and clay.

“You don’t want it to get wet, but you also don’t want it to be too dry,” he said. “The perfect track is when you drive over it, there will be a light tire print.”

Jacob Moatz rebuilt the engine of his Farmall tractor.

Winning isn’t everything for Moatz. He enjoys watching other tractors compete, meeting new people, and the genuine sportsmanship that comes with the sport.

“If I have fun and I can drive the tractor back onto the trailer that day, I’m happy,” he said. “I don’t care how I finished.”

The satisfaction that his Farmall M provides is the top prize.

“It was put together in a shop by us. We built everything. I didn’t pay someone to build it or buy it in ready-to-go conditions,” Moatz said. “There’s more money in it than I will ever get out of it, and knowing we’ve put that together and it’s competitive as it is. It’s a pride thing.”

All together, Dale Hostetter and Ed Blakeslee have restored two hit-and-miss engines, three Allis-Chalmers tractors and one Farmall tractor.

Retired farmer Rudolph “Boots” Chapin reminisces about his time in the seats of his reliable Farmall tractors.

Boots Chapin shows off his Farmall tractors.

Courtney Love is Special Sections Editor at Lancaster Farming. She can be reached at 717-721-4426 or clove@lancasterfarming.com

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