A sport that spans the ages

By Carol McIntire

Editor

Tractor pulling is a sport that spans the ages and decades.

Mark Cargill, 82, and Blake McIntire, 9, proved that to be true last week at the Friday deadweight tractor pull at the 2024 Carroll County Fair. 

Cargill has been a regular puller on a John Deere tractor at the county pull for about 65 years. McIntire made his first trip to the sled Thursday on his family’s John Deere B which dates back to the same decade: the 1960s.

“I was about 17 years old when I started pulling at the county fair pull,” Cargill said while waiting for his second hook at the county pull July 19. “As well as I can remember, I’ve been here just about every year since then.”

When asked what the fair and tractor pulling was like six decades ago, he replied, “There were a lot less tractors in the classes back then – three or four – and the pullers were a lot older than they are today. It’s become a lot more competitive today,” he continued. “There are 20 to 30 tractors in a class and the participants are much younger. 

Like McIntire, his first pull was on a John Deere B, a 2-cylinder tractor.

“I also pulled a John Deere 530 I bought in 1959 from Charlie Brogan’s dealership on High St.,” Cargill noted, returning to the fence in front of the grandstand where the pull took place. 

Friday, he pulled a John Deere 4010 he’s owned since 1964. “It’s been here many times,” he said, “be we also used it on the farm and continue to do so today. We grind feed with it every four days.”

The tractor was weighted for the 10,000 lb. class, but plans were to add enough weights to compete in the 12,000 lb. class. 

“As long as someone helps me with the weights, I’ll keep coming back the next year,” he said. “Even at my age, I still like to pull and don’t plan on giving it up.”

His son, Brian, provided the muscle power for loading weights on the tractor and competed on his own tractor in the heavy classes. He recalled Brian started pulling that same 530.

Although today, Cargill’s lone pull is at the Carroll County Fair, it wasn’t always that way. 

“We’d go to the local pulls and always went to East Rochester,” he said. “Dick Bolanz and I went together. I’ve pulled with some really great guys.”

The fair has always been an integral part of the family’s life as Mark was an advisor for the Stillfork 4-H Club and the Cargill children, Brian and Lisa, both grew up in the program. The family previously operated a dairy farm and today run a herd of about 230 beef cattle and crop farms about 400 acres (175 acres owned by the family).

Although many know Mark as a farmer, just as many know him as a bus driver. He spent 30 years driving for Carrollton Schools.

Cargill laughed when he recalled one bus trip back to Carrollton from Buckeye Career Center. 

“One kid, I won’t say his name,” asked me if he could bring a tractor weight on the bus. How was I going to say no? I was a tractor puller, too!” 

McIntire’s John Deere B has held four generations of his family in the pan seat at the county fair pull.

His great grandfather, Duane McIntire, was the first to pull the tractor at the county fair in the 1960s. Of course, with his kids in tow, it was only normal, they would catch the “pulling bug” and climb on the seat when they became of age to reach the pedals. 

Duane’s son, Pete, and grandson, Derek, both started pulling at the county fair on the same tractor. Last year’s Derek’s oldest son, Parker, 12, made his debut at the county pull in the 4,000 lb. (light) class. 

This year, Blake and Parker split the driving duties: Blake in the 4,000 lb. class and Parker in the 5,500 lb. class. Of course, dad, Derek, was there giving instructions to both boys.

Maybe it was luck, or maybe Blake is a ‘fast learner.” Either way, he found success on his first trip, placing second in the class and earning himself a $25 prize. Parker wasn’t so lucky, competing in a class of nearly 30 tractors. 

When asked afterwards what he thought of his first pull, Blake shook his shoulders, smiled and replied, “I don’t know if this is for me.”

Minutes later he was all smiles as he returned from the announcer’s stand with a check in his hand and headed out to get some lunch.