Independent AMSOIL Dealer Todd Domann, in his own words.
“Hurricane Allis puts out about 3,000 hp with one single turbocharger,” said Domann. “Turns the tires at about 75 mph going down the track. We compete at 10,000 pounds for the tractor weight, and this mechanical sled that we pull weighs about 60,000 pounds.
“As you go down the track, the box travels up, applying more downward pressure to the pan, making it more difficult to pull. It’s an art to be able to read the track, to know how hard to come out of the hole, how quick to let completely out on the clutch or whether you have to slide it out of the hole for quite a ways. It varies quite a bit.
“It’s a rush, you know? That’s why you get hooked on it. And, once you start, you don’t want to quit. It’s just a great feeling. Dad started tractor pulling in 1963. Back then it was just a drag sled. People would stand along the track every 10 feet or so, and as you went down past you would step onto the sled and then eventually the tractor would lose traction and spin out. So the sleds have changed a lot in that amount of time.
The Kansas Hooker
“In the winter of 1989, we built our first competition purpose-built pro-stock tractor. We called it the Kansas Hooker. You know, everybody thinks that’s a derogatory term, but when we talk to fellow pullers and people, they’d come up to you and say, ‘How many times are you going to hook this year? Where was your last hook?’ So, the Kansas Hooker.
“We competed with it until 1994 and did very well with it. Hurricane Allis was debuted in the winter of 1994. My dad lives, eats and breathes tractor pulling. This is his baby. When we win, it’s a great feeling for all of us, but especially for him. My mom has always been a big fan. She loves going and watching, and it’s always been as much fun for her to see us have fun.
Invited to pull overseas
“In 2005 we were invited to the Netherlands to compete at their largest outdoor summertime event. They basically told us that we could bring any of the family members we wanted to, so I think 10 of us ended up going. We spent almost two weeks over there. We made three exhibition passes over there – really good passes. The tractor ran well, and everybody had a great time.
Biggest career win
My biggest win was in 2011 in Wheatland, Missouri. Our oil pump was leaking, so we had to scramble. We found one of our fellow competitors who had a spare oil pump that was close enough to ours that we were able to put it on our tractor and make it work. We got it to the staging area just in time. Took off down through there.”
“I knew I had a good run going. And they always have a leader come out there to where the leading distance is. You can see how far you need to go in order to take over the lead. I could tell that I was going to get at least to it, and then I got past it.”
“You can see me in the video rocking my head back and forth. Then the tractor actually just kind of died. It had given all it could give to get where it got, but it was enough for the win that night. You want to get off the tractor and pat it on the wheel and high-five everybody. It’s a good time.
“In 2013, Dad celebrated 50 years, and that was 40 years for me. That means a lot just having that heritage. Come and see us on the track in 2018. You can find our schedule on propulling.com. Look under the Western series schedule. We’d love to see you there.”