History1 (1978-2001)
1978
Back in
1978 there was an introduction event of "Trekkertrek" on the Flevohof.
Friends of Jan van Alphen had seen the spectacle and made him enthusiast.
The next time Jan paid a visit, too and decided to join this sport.
The first Popeye saw life in 1979. It was powered by two DAF 575 engines.
The rear axle originated from a Mc Cormick WD9 and the chassis was home built. The rear tires came from a sponsor "De Hoeve", a tire dealer in Wijk en Aalburg.
The first pull Popeye did was at Ahoy' Rotterdam in 1979. It was the first indoor pull in Europe, where Popeye did a maiden pull of a great 21 meter (63 feet). Further in the season, Popeye got the first two trophees in his history. It was a third place in Ruurlo and first in Raalte on the "Stoppelhaenenfeesten".
1980
The year
after, a new Popeye was build. Now with two Detroit two-stroke
diesel engines.
One originated from a corn-harvester and the other from a FTF truck. The two were good for about 500 horsepower.
Some trophees were won with this tractor, but the balance of the tractor was a disaster. It was too heavy on the nose.
After having driven this machine for two years, the team decided to look for a more powerful engine.
In the farming magazine "Boerderij" an article about Frank Verheijen, a tractorpuller in Canada, was read. He got the second place in the local "tractor pulling" championships.
Via acquaintances in the village, contact with this Canadian was made.
A
set of real pulling tires was bought from him and he advised
to
buy an Allison, instead of a RR-Merlin, which he was currently running.
An Allison was bought from his friend Art Helm from
Canada.
And so it happened that the first motor arrived at Schiphol Airport on january 15, 1982, were the Van Alphen family picked it up.
1981
In
the autumn of 1981 construction of the next Popeye started.
The 2 Detroit engines were removed from the frame.
Jan's brother-in-law stepped out of the team and Popeye
continued with the Allison aero-engine.
This engine was mounted on the existing frame, therefor Popeye could join the season's first pull in the Ahoy' arena in 1982. There Popeye just missed the first place.
During the season Jan and the tractor started to get used to each other. The performance of both tractor and Jan increased a lot. More and more victories followed and eventually Popeye became the Dutch and European Champion.
1983
The
Ahoy' promoter could not find a US puller for his event at februari 5,
1983. Popeye tractorpulling team told about the pullers from
Canada and so he said..."try to take care of it".
And so it happened that Popeye's Canadian friends could come over to the Netherlands and pull at Ahoy.
During
the following winter the automatic transmission was replaced
and the engine was lowered in the frame.
A Fuller gearbox should require the right ratio.
Ever since 1980 Popeye tractorpulling team was the promoter of a pull at the "Beekse Bergen" and time after time they found out there was no logo to place on the cups that were handed out. Jan's brother Joop and Jan have designed a logo themselves in 1983 and had it manufactured at Biemans Sport from Dongen (NL).
This is used for the first time at the indoor pull at the "Brabant hallen" at 's Hertogenbosch in 1984 and it is still used all over Europe.
The picture below is from 1983. Then Popeye became the European champion in England.
On the second place of the stage was Brian Armistead (Desperate Dan), when he had a real beard.
1985
Just
before the Dutch championships in 1985 a methanol injection system was
build on our Allison.
A visit to pick up the system at Wayne Longnecker in the USA followed.
Popeye got the victory on the Dutch championships, but just missed the first place on the European championships.
1988
At the end of 1998 a new tractor with two Allisons in a
stair-step
engine setup was build. Plans grew after seeing Art Helm's and Wayne
Longnecker's tractors. But since financial resources were
needed
for that, Popeye tractorpulling team had to look for a sponsor which
was found at 
Oils.
After a talk at their
Rotterdam office, it was a done deal.
Through this sponsorship a new chassis for the two engines could be build. Also a new gear box and rear axle to get the power to the tires was build.
This
picture was taken at 6 am. That same day the pull at Ahoy' was held.
Work continued the whole night through to get everything finished.
On the background the milk truck was already waiting...
In the middle of the picture is Wayne Longnecker. He and his wife were invited to come to the Netherlands. He had helped building the tractor the week before Ahoy'. He also went to the evening session in Rotterdam. The afternoon session Popeye couldn't join, because the kill-switch didn't work.
After Ahoy the tractor got a Q8 colored paint job. After that Popeye was presented at a press conference.
In that year Popeye became Dutch and European champion with the twin engine tractor.
The picture below shows a collection of the Popeye fans. After the event they came to the track to pose with the team and the cups.
1990
In the years after Popeye had to give away the honor to other pullers.
After that a visit to a pull in the US followed.
In Columbus, Ohio contact was made to Mike Holden.
He had a nice tractor with engines like Popeye's. He however could add a third engine. He wanted to sell the tractor and Popeye tractorpulling team bought his complete drive-line and the rear axle.
When the parts had arrived at Popeye's workshop, a start was made with the construction of a new chassis for a tractor with three engines.
This engine set-up was copied many times after.
From left to right:Bert Aarts, Johnny van Alphen and Jan van Alphen.
At the pull at the Flevohof, in August 1991, Popeye appeared on the track for the first time with a triple Allison.
Here the triple tractor for the first time in action at the Flevohof in 1991
After a number of seasons Popeye became the 1994 Dutch champion in both 4,4 ton as 5,4 ton modified class.
1994
In
1994 there was an air show of old planes at the Eindhoven Airport,
where also a Lockheed Lightning would give away a show. Of course Jan
went over to take a look, because that would be the first time to see a
real Lightning where Popeye's engines had served for the first time.
In 1995 Popeye just missed the 1 prize and at the end of 1995 there was a talk about the fact that the 5,4 ton modified would cease to exist. So in 1996 Popeye tractorpulling team decided to 'move' to the 3,4 and 4,4 ton, also because Johnny could start to drive then.
He was driving the Popeye in the 3,4 ton with two engines. The truck was modified to be able to lift off the third engine in the pit area.
1997
In
the first season that Johnny was driving - in 1997 - , he became the
Dutch Champion in the 3,4 ton modified and on the EC at
Erkelenz-Holzweiler he ended up on the second place.
Also in the 4,4 ton modified - with the three engines- Popeye became second.
Popeye started the 1998 season with the replacement of the crossbox. A new one was made by Machinefactory "Van der Waal" from Krimpen aan de Lek. The gears came from a sponsor "True Gear & Spline" from Canada.
On
the picture is Vinko Bizjak, the owner of True Gear & Spline.
Through the contact with Frank Verheijen, contact was made
with
this company.
He now builds parts for several teams in Europe.
Just after the Eurocup pull in Bernay, France new fuel pumps were bought in the US via Wayne Longnecker.
And right before the Dutch pull in Achterveld the stock Allison ignitions were replaced by Mallory's. Through this way Popeye hoped to become Dutch champion in 1998.
And champion he became... Popeye ended up second in the Eurocup competition and two weeks later Popeye became the European champion in both weight classes.
Johnny broke the 8 year long row of victories from Desperate Dan. In the 4,4 ton Popeye also stayed ahead of Brian Armistead and the second champions cup of that weekend was handed over to Jan van Alphen.
Above all, Popeye also became the Dutch champion in the 3,4 ton class and second in the 4,4 ton modified after a tough competition.
Popeye started the last year of the millennium with the replacement of the Hilborn fuel pumps by Watermans with a larger capacity.
Popeye could barely enter the first pull of the year, because the tractor was on display at the LandbouwRAI. An agricultural exhibition. On saturday night late, after the pull, the trip to Amsterdam was made to place the tractor in the main lobby. See the picture.
At
the first outdoor pull of the season Popeye had great success
and managed to keep them up until the end of the
season.
Popeye did
not see too much of problems and became Dutch champion twice.
With that, Popeye had also re-enforced it's first place in the
Inter-Techno/
Bobcat cup...
At the second indoor pull Wayne Longnecker was invited by the German Green Monster team, but of course he was willing to have his picture taken with Jan -and John van Alphen.
Besides all of that, Popeye didn't do bad at the Eurocup competition. After a very narrow escape at Herning (Popeye was running on 2 engines only), Popeye still gathered enough points to reach the first place during those six Europe wide events.
At the Windenhof pull in France, Popeye took the cup home. For the very first time ever!
At
the European championships Popeye ended pretty good also. In the 3,5
ton class Johnny got fourth and in the 4.5 ton class, Jan reached the
runner up position.
2000
In the winter of 1999/2000 the tractor was changed, to build the roll over protection on, to meet the new European safety measures.
The season 2000 started with the Indoors at Zwolle and Ahoy, as usual. At Zwolle there were the first signs of this year's misery. The absorber of the crankshaft on the right hand front engine broke. The timing of ignition and camshaft changed and so the horsepower left the engine quickly.
In the 4.5 ton class Popeye still managed to get a hold of a thrid place using just 2 engines. In Ahoy Popeye reached a third place in both classes.
The
second event of the Dutch championships was at Wierden.
For the first time in 18 years, an engine really broke.
A piston cracked (metal fetique) and the piston pin and the rod ruined the engine.
The crankshaft was broken, several rods broke and the engine block was cracked all over.
On the pictures you can see in what shape the engine was.
After
a week's
hard work, an engine was rebuilt, that was in the shop since 14 years.
The engine hadn't run ever since 1943.
The ID-plate said it had run no more than 130 hours.
On fridaynight it was ready to run and it was brought back in battle for the pull at Kapelle-Biezelinge.
The
Eurocup season started early this year, at Herning. The combinatuion of
Track and Popeye didn't really work out up there. Popeye still managed
to balance around a third place during the Eurocup season. After the
seventh and final round at Bettborn, Luxembourg Popeye was taken to a
fourth place by Challenger.
In the Dutch competition Popeye was a lot more fortunate. Popeye was the undoubted winner in the 3.5 ton class and managed to get ahead of the Green Spirit IV at the finals at Bakel. There Popeye received the cups for both first places.
Besides
that, the three year competition for the Inter Techno Bobcat Cup ended
at Bakel.
Yet at the Eurocup pull at Six Flags Holland Popeye had gathered enough points to secure our trophy.
There Popeye tractorpulling team also received the prize; a Bobcat mini crane.
Special
thanks to Mr. Bertus Boer of Inter-Techno B.V. at Apeldoorn
(http://www.intertechno.nl) for supplying this prize.
Since the van Alphen familiy had a lot of construction work to be done on the farm, they decided to have an easy 2000 season.
The next year was intended to rebuild the engines just to give it a bit more in the 2001 season.
Through
the cancellation of the Zwolle indoor pull the team had the required
time to fix the tractor. Of course that wouldn't be possible without
the (financial) help of their sponsors (at that time) 
Oils
and Uniform
Agri.
2001
A couple of years earlier W. Longnecker was asked to
look out
for some engines, bud apparently he couldn’t find them that well, till
he told the Popeye tractorpulling team about a guy in
California
to get in touch with, so that’s exactly what the team did. After a
couple of conversations, with Mr. Yoe, Jan van Alphen ordered 2 Allison
engines. Yoe invited Jan to come over and have a look. Jan
and
his wife Thea left at 2 February with destination Los Angeles.
During
this
visit several workshops were visited, incl Enderle fuel systems.
Injectors were bought from Enderle for our fuelinjections.
Also an airplane museum was visited (planes of fame). Further on lots of info about the Allison engines was gathered.
Also information was gathered about rebuilding the Allison engines.
At
mr Yoe new automotive valves were bought to replace the
standard
ones. This way the Allisons should create more power.
With
homemade tools the standard valves were replaced with the
automotive valves.
The cilinderbanks are lifted by homemade lifters, like were seen at Yoe’s place. After the cilinderbanks were taken of the engine, they were placed on a cilinderbankstand wich makes it easier to work on.
The
work on 1 engine was finished just before the pull at
Ahoy. The work on other engines would happen after Ahoy.
The new season couldn’t start as planned because of the food and mouth desease. Several events were cancelled, including 4 tractorpulling events. This way more time to work on the engines, was available.
On the other side, this gave less pulls to qualify and when it doesn’t go right, you will not even get near the top.
And that’s what happened, Popeye just wouldn’t run, the way as supposed to.
And then everbody knows what’s the problem is: “not enough air”, while the other was saying: ”not enough fuel”?! Anotherone was saying: “Are your ignitions still ok?”
A couple of things were tried, without result, untill the injectionsystem was taken to Willem Veldhuizen, to testbench it. Results improved after that, a little so a little was known about where to find the problem.
At the last Eurocuppull in Bettborn, Luxemburg the tractor went the old fashioned way, with the frontwheels up.
2002
In season 2001 Popeye didn’t get near the top, but a lot was learnt.
At the end of the season the engines still didn’t arrive.
They arrived in march 2002.
In the winterperiod a datalogging system was build on, which was bought from Patrick van Strien.
With
a dataloggingsystem it’s possible to measure pressures,
temperatures, rpm’s, etc. during a pull. This way “data” could
be measured and recorded, to try to improve the setup.
