Chad Mowery and Dig’n Deep will make an appearance at the Kansas Summer Nationals this weekend at the Threshing Bee grounds in McLouth.
By Bridget Weishaar
Dig’n Deep, a 666 Farmall International pulling tractor, owned by Chad and Robbin Mowery of Winchester, is set to make an appearance in McLouth this weekend at the Kansas Summer Nationals.
The two-day event hosted by the Pro Pulling League will be held at the Threshing Bee grounds located just three blocks south of intersection K-16 & 92 highways.
Gates will open at 3 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday for the 7 p.m. main events.
Chad’s pulling career started with antique tractors at the age of 16. “My dad pulled in the early ’80s so I’ve always been around it. When I started pulling it was because all my friends were doing it,” Chad said.
His first tractor was a 1937 John Deere Model A he pulled with from 1990 to 2000. He then purchased a 1994 Chevy Pro Stock pickup, selling it in 2012.
Chad acquired his new toy in 2017. He found the tractor online in California and after some communication with the owner, made a trip to Illinios to watch it run. He purchased the tractor hot off the track, coming home with everything except the rear tires and the motor.
Chad bleeds John Deere green, so adding something red to his collection was a little out of his realm.
“I just found something easy I could work on. When I got it, it was already a pulling tractor, there were just things about it I didn’t like,” he said.
Restoration on Dig’n Deep took just over 4½ year’s time from start to finish. With the exception of a few pieces he left untouched, Chad fabricated everything else on the tractor with his own two hands. The paint job was the only thing left entirely in the hands of another.
Coming from an auto mechanic background, Chad stated he would much rather work on tractors than drive them any day of the week.
He is a member of the Missouri State Tractor Pulling Association. The typical pulling season starts in May and ends in early October with one pull per weekend, sometimes more.
The events are scattered throughout Kansas and Missouri and he attempts to make at least 12 shows during the season when time allows.
The MSTPA sanctioned with the Pro Pulling League to be able to attend the two-day show in McLouth.
When he was younger and living at home, his pulling days looked much different than they do now. “I traveled much more with the truck because I had less responsibilities back then.”
One of Chad’s prized pulling possessions throughout his years is a pencil drawing of himself on his 1937 John Deere that hangs on his living room wall.
His mom, Sharon, replicated the photo from a newspaper clipping when he was just 18. She died in 2017.
“She was a self-taught artist who could replicate anything she looked at,” he said.
The name Dig’n Deep stems from Mowery’s line of work in the backhoe field. He is the current owner of Chad Mowery Excavating, started in 2013, and a subcontractor for Bottorff Construction, Atchison. Prior to starting his own business, Chad worked for his dad at Mowery Backhoe and Trencher Service for 20 years before buying out the remainder of the company in 2017.
He has been married to his wife, Robbin, for five years. She is employed in the estimating department at Geiger Ready Mix, Kansas City.
Chad and Dig’n Deep will make both shows this weekend.
Friday’s classes include Champion Tour Pro Modified 4WD Trucks, Super Modified 2WD Trucks, Modified Tractors, Fleece Performance Pro Street Diesel Trucks, MTSPA 6000 PF, WS/NBP Sancrest Specialized 85 Pro Limited Pro Stock Tractors, and Tuff Wireless Pro Farm Tractors.
Saturday’s lineup looks the same, adding the Light Limited Super Stock Tractors, No Way Man Diesel Limited Pro-Stock Trucks, and the Sancrest Trailers 95 Limited Pro-Stock Tractors.
Classes are determined by RPM’s, cubic inch limits, and tire size. Other local entries for this weekend include Bill Murr, Bill Petrie, and Travis Starcher, McLouth, and Tom Noll and John Domann, Winchester. A full ad promoting the event can be found elsewhere in this edition.