Pedaling Around Pennsylvania

by Michael Henry

Pedal Pulling...The Dream of the Future

Michael Henry pulling on the cover of the
August 1984 Toy Tractor Times

As a young boy growing up in the fields of
Pennsylvania, I always looked forward going to the
county fairs in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
There were many reasons we went to the fairs, most of
which included seeing the 4-H livestock and antique
tractors. However, what I most wanted to see at the
fairs were the tractor pulls. This was my favorite
thing to go and see. However, it sometimes got boring
just sitting back and watching. So what does a five
year old have for a puller?

  Wayne Cooper  in the March 1990 Toy Tractor Times 

         Bring in Wayne Cooper of Fombell, Pennsylvania. Wayne
introduced Western Pennsylvania to pedal pulling. 
Wayne, featured in magazines such as the 

Toy Tractor Times and Toy Farmer, used pedals from his awesome
collection to use as pullers. He would take off the
rear tires and put on larger "garden tractor" tires. 
Using his cutting and welding skills, as well as a
little imagination, he built a weight transfer sled. 
Thus began the birth of pedal pulling here on the East
Coast.

Wayne began at the Portersville, PA, steam show with
his pulls and soon they spread like fire across
Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and
Ohio. Before too long, Wayne traveled to Alaska to
introduce the hobby of pedal pulling.

Wayne has seen his share of pullers come and go. One
of his former pullers, a female, is a professional
ice-skater. Another, Lance Nimmo, of New Castle, PA,
played football at West Virginia University and was
drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs this spring of 2003.

Lance Nimmo...West Virginia University photo

Wayne has since passed his hobby onto others to take
over and still enjoys traveling to a few county fairs
to put on his pedal pulls. Now, as I look across the
states and through the Internet, I see pedal pulling
has taken off in other parts of the country with some
state organizations even hosting a "State Pedal
Pulling Championship." With the help of people like
Wayne Cooper and local pulling organizations, young
children can live their dream of pulling at the county
fair.

TTT June 2003 Page 2

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