Blue Queen sled Italy rebuilt

After 13 years without any big technical changes, the sled of the Italian tractor pulling organization ITPO was totally rebuilt during the last 2 winters.
But not everybody knows the sled has a very long history in the European pulling sport. Originally the sled was built in Anholt, Germany by the ATTO (Anholter Trecker Treck Organisation) in 1987. Before they started to build the sled, a few people of the team did a journey to the USA on the 12th of December 1986 to see the Eliminator sled of the Luedtke family from Wisconsin. In January 1987, the team around Bernhard Paus, Karl Biesemann, Clemens Üffing, Hans Walter Exo, Theo Gasseling, Walter Schuch, Klaus Lenzing and Rainer Paus started to build the sled. 

During the building time, the Luedtke family came over from the USA to help out in the workshop for 4 weeks. In the beginning, the sled was not self-propelled and after every pull, the sled was towed back to the start with a stock tractor. The ATTO built that sled in only around 3 1/2 months. 

The maiden voyage of the new sled was at the German Championship opener in Eschach-Seifertshofen on the 12th of April 1987. The Michelin sponsored sled was used in this configuration until the end of the 1992 season before the big rebuilt came. 

During the winter of 1992/1993, the sled was totally rebuilt in the workshop of the ATTO. The sled received its own engine, a modified frame, a new hydraulic system, a new drivetrain, a 14 speed transmission, a modified pan, and wheels on the pan. The wheels on the pan were mounted for easier driving back to the start and a better shunting to the pulling track. The sled received a turbocharged 6 cylinder MAN semi truck engine with 360 hp. 

The almost new sled was now self-propelled and at the time one of the modern sleds in Europe. From the outside view, the sled looked like a copy of the Eliminator sled of the Luedtke Family from the USA. The rebuilt sled debuted at the beginning of the 1993 season again in the Yellow blue look of their main sponsor Michelin. The look of the sled changed after the 1995 season. In 1996, Michelin stepped out as a sponsor, and with Zircon which was a daughter company of the Kramp group in Germany a new sponsor was found for the ATTO sled. 

The sled got a new paint job and shined now in yellow-green colors of their new main sponsor Zircon. The sled was used in this configuration until the end of 2000. The German sled team stopped pulling tractors at different tractor pulling events in Germany and sometimes in the Netherlands too. After the 2000 season, the ATTO decided to stop with tractor pulling and sold the sled at the beginning of 2001 to Italy to the newly formed organization ''TPI''.  During his first years in his new home Italy, nothing major had changed only a bit the paint job. 

The pan and the weight box were painted red, due to their main sponsor McCormick at the time. Bigger changes on the sled were done around 2005. 

The driver's position on the sled was moved from the left end side to the middle on the top of the engine. The driver on the sled had with this change a better overview over the sled and to the pulling tractor in front of him. Also, the paint job was renewed after the changes.
Due to new saefty rules for sleds in Europe for the 2008 season, this time the TPI had to modify the sled a little more. 

In that year the frame and the weight box was changed. Due to the deadly accident the year before and the new ETPC rules, the weight box had to be run on a H-profile steel rails on the chassis of the sled. So the TPI people at the time fitted on each side of the frame an H-profile steel rails and made the weight box higher for the steel roles. 

The steel roles of the weight box run then on the steelrails. Also the steel plate at the end of the frame which the weight box hits was completely new constructed and calculated. 

For better absorption of the forces during a technical failure 2 crash buffers from the German company called ''EST'' were mounted on the weight box. Also, the sled received a box movement control system, a new kill switch system, and a pushdown mechanism. The PLC and the box movement control system were programmed and built by the Red Shadow Sled Team from Edewecht in Germany. The TPI used that sled until the end of 2011. After that the sled was to see only on a handful of events in that time.

The organization ITPO which was formed in 2016, purchased the old sled from the former Italian organization TPI (2001-2011) in 2018 and gave the sled a new paint job, a new design, and with ''Firing Star'' a new name. 

But the problem with the sled was, the sled wasn't really modified during the last 11 years. The last rebuild of the sled was in 2008 when the safety rules for European sleds were changed after the tragic accident of Jan van Alphen in Great Eccleston, England in 2007. 

Nothing big was really changed on the technic but the sled was again silver certified by the ETPC in 2019. But this silver certificate was only valid for that year and not anymore for 2020. So the only way for the coming season was a total rebuild of the old sled to receive an acceptance by the ETPC. After some talks in the organization and with their sponsors, they decided to rebuild the sled for the future.

The work for the rebuilt started at the end of 2019. The sled was completely taken apart for all the changes which were planned.
The whole frame and the weight box were not changed, but all the important systems in the sled were renewed. The most important things in the sled are the hydraulic system and all the electric systems, like the PLC. Without the hydraulic, they can not steer the sled back to the start and also can not operate the pushdown and more things not anymore.
Also, some changes were done on the pan of the sled. The main trouble on the sled was to stop the big classes in the past because the sled had too less resistance on the pan.

When the weight box was on the top of the frame and the weight pushed fully on the pan, the pan slide more over the track and they couldn't stop the tractors very well.
So the pan was modified and got some new custom-built steel knives which of them can be adjusted hydraulically. Also, the old air cylinders for the push down between the pan and the frame were replaced by new better better hydraulic cylinders which should give a better compression on the pan.

With those changes on it, the team hopes to have better resistance on the pulling tracks to stop better the big pulling machines in front of it. Also the rest of the hydraulic for the operation of the sled, like to extend the front wheels on the pan were renewed and all the hydraulic hoses and hydraulic steel pipes were replaced by new ones.
The second important point on the list of the sled was the electricity. The entire electricity for the SPS, kill switch, push down, box movement control, and the rest of the operation was completely redone. All the important sensors for safety etc. were replaced by new ones.

Also, the driver's stand was completely rebuilt. A new cabin was fitted on the sled for more comfort and safety. With the help of their sponsor Landini, they received a new cab of a Landini stock tractor. Inside of the cab, some things were changed, like the stock driver's seat was replaced by a Sparco racing driver seat with a 5 point harness, and the operation on the right site was changed for the operating of the sled. Finally, after all the work was done the sled got a new paint job, look, and a new name. Due to the new color scheme and the support of the Landini tractor brand, the sled was painted in blue/grey and received the new name ''Blue Queen''.

On the 24th of July 2021, the newly rebuilt sled was officially revealed in front of their sponsors, members and on their Facebook site in front of their workshop in Italy. The presentation was a big success and the sponsors which have supported the project were happy too.
But the first real test for the Blue Queen sled was at the ITPO tractor pull round in Villafranca Padovana, Italy on the 2nd of October 2021. The first use after the 2 years of rebuilding was not bad, all important things like the hydraulic, electric and all the safety equipment worked properly without any problems. 

Unfortunately, not all Italian top pulling tractors were there at the pull which was really a shame. 

With the rebuilt of the sled, the ITPO hopes to have a reliable sled in Italy for the future and also to be able to greet guest pullers from foreign countries in front of the Blue Queen sled.

 

The ITPO would also like to thank their sponsors Landini, Stella Mauro, Topcon Agriculture, Liqui Moly and ICR Coatings for the support during that rebuilt!

 

For further information, check here: https://www.facebook.com/ITPOASD/

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2021