We have seen some crazy stuff this year, but what the heck is this?
This guy in Thailand modified his little farm tractor and we use “farm tractor” very liberally, to pull him down the quarter mile. The “farm tractor” really is nothing more than an engine and transmission mounted to two wheels.
The driver or really rider, because the setup reminds us of a chariot setup from early Roman days, stands or kneels on a pad with wheels and a long set of handlebars. Talk about absolutely insane!
While this setup is certain to get you kicked off the track here in the states, it is interesting that the only safety gear the “rider” really needs is a basic helmet.
Did you see the intake air horn on this thing?
Not only is this incredibly unsafe to make a full pass by himself, but he is lined up side by side with a Mitsubishi diesel truck. The truck appears to have had some work done to it. So, we are guessing the truck is probably able to run the quarter mile somewhere in the 13 second range.
That means this guy’s diesel powered chariot is heading down the track outpacing him.
Looking at the setup, the engine and transmission together probably weight somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 pounds. Add in 150 for the rider and another 100 for the rest of the assembly and we think the race weight is somewhere around 650 pounds.
According to Wallace Racing’s horsepower calculator, the little Kubota is putting down just about 60 horsepower (assuming 650 pounds and an ET of 13 seconds).
What are your thoughts?