WTF did I just watch? Bronco vs TRX vs Raptor vs Tundra vs Titan, Tug-of-War!!!

[skiborsy]

No front locker on the TRX (just an open diff with individual wheel braking; Raptor has a Quaife LSD). Plus both the Ram and Bronco have Goodyear Territory tires, but the TRX has the AT version while the Bronco has the MT version.

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[Skeeterjack]

Go Bronco or go home..

 

[OkieB6G]

Oh how fun! Was not expecting those results at all. Go Bronco go!

 

[Darrell]

It's due to the tongue weight, soft suspension and maybe the rear frame rail. It has plenty of power and would have no issues pulling a load, but can't handle the weight being put on the rear end. The Bronco Raptor has weight distributing bars (kinda) that tie the hitch into more of the frame for more support, and active suspension that can stiffen the shocks when in Tow mode.

Also the Raptor has a Dana 50 in the rear.

 

[JohnnyX]

Traction is all that matters. A 50hp tractor could win with the right tires

Yep. Just physics. Kind of silly, but still fun.

 

[KReich64]

Some fun results, but try it on pavement next time.

 

[Classic Lover]

Some fun results, but try it on pavement next time.

Yeah but then it won’t be close, plus a lot more likely to break something. These tug of war things get the rednecks all excited but it’s mostly meaningless.

 

[KReich64]

Yeah but then it won’t be close, plus a lot more likely to break something. These tug of war things get the rednecks all excited but it’s mostly meaningless.

But it would be fun to watch that TRX drag everything else around the block.

 

[SVTLightning]

But it would be fun to watch that TRX drag everything else around the block.

Just stand on the brakes until it starts spinning the wheels and then pull.

 

[Ig_bronco]

How funny would it be if their 2.7 dropped a valve on video (34 so far feb 3) update

 

[njAK84]

Can we get someone with a strong background in physics to weigh in on this? There’s a lot at play here—tires, ground conditions, wheel base width/length, etc etc—and I’m curious to hear how someone knowledgeable in applied physics would break this down.

 

[MyBroncoNotYours]

Wouldn’t this bend the frame? Bronco is not rated for 6K lbs AND the force of power in that opposite direction at the same time.

Am I missing something here or did they possibly total their Bronco due to frame damage?

 

[AZ_BRONC]

I wonder why there wasn't a wrangler in the competition...

Only trucks allowed

 

[ElJeffe]

That TFL video was exactly the fun that I needed after a long day of work. Hats off to those guys for being entertaining and reminding us that we buy these vehicles because they are fun.

That said, I thought for sure that the weight and horsepower of the TRX going to fly the Bronco like a kite behind it. But once those holes were dug...

 

[ElJeffe]

Can we get someone with a strong background in physics to weigh in on this? There’s a lot at play here—tires, ground conditions, wheel base width/length, etc etc—and I’m curious to hear how someone knowledgeable in applied physics would break this down.

I work on quantum computing, which involves some physics. That said, I'm a computer scientist by training, not a quantum physicist.

The physics in this case are simple enough that I'm comfortable explaining what was going on:

The patch of ground where all 8 of the tires connect during a tug-of-war like this were at various points either 1) icy and snowy, or 2) carved out into mud-holes from earlier rounds.

In either case 1 or 2, there is very little traction to be had on that slippery surface. So you have two forces pulling against each other, neither of which are very strong at all due to lack of contact resistance. All of the mechanical force is in the torque spinning the wheels, all 8 of which are spinning quite freely. Since neither of the lateral forces is very strong (since the mechanical force is burned in spin), no lateral motion results.

This is also why the vehicles with the best tires/treads, and the largest contact patch (wider 35s have a larger contact patch than skinnier 33s) won each heat. The treads gave slightly better bite, on a slightly larger contact area between tire and ground, which allowed the radial force to translate a bit better into lateral force, giving that vehicle the edge. Weight of vehicle, horsepower, torque rating... those were all secondary to contact resistance. That also explains why similar 35s with similar tread depth tied: the factors that matter in force translation were nearly identical. Results would have been different if contact resistance were stronger, and thus played less of a role versus weight/hp/etc.

Summary: more power and more weight don't help if you can't translate it to motion via traction.

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