Slightly Overworked Pulling Truck

A Top-Quality, Limited Pro Stock Dodge Pulling Truck Packing Haisley Machine Power

Erik Hucke got into truck pulling back in 2004, is a good family friend of the folks at Haisley Machine, and has been building highly competitive pulling trucks for some time. However, up until 2021, he’d never had a chance to campaign a truck of his own. Despite having purchased a ’97 Dodge to do that very thing with back in 2009, the sun-up to sundown workload at his business, E and M Repair & Fabrication, left little time to make ample progress on his pulling dreams. “My customers always come before this, so there would be months (on end) where I wouldn’t touch it,” he said.

Eventually, Erik would give up his 7-day work weeks and find time to concentrate on his baby. Fittingly, the truck is coined “Slightly Overworked,” a title his wife can no doubt testify to. Throughout the long build, and in trying to keep up with constant rule changes, Erik struggled to decide which class to run in. At one point, he was on the cusp of turning his second-gen into a 3.6 smoothbore Pro Stock rig after the old 3.0 Pro Stock class was changed. Then Erik contemplated jumping into Super Stock before settling on the Limited Pro Stock (3.0 smoothbore) category roughly four years ago. Now, more than 11 years in the making, Erik Hucke’s second-gen Dodge pulling truck is finally on the scene—and it’s having no problem mixing it up with the heaviest hitters in a very busy Limited Pro Stock field.

Haisley Super B

The truck’s competitiveness starts with a rock-solid engine with a proven track record for both durability and horsepower potential: a Super B Cummins from Haisley Machine. Based on a cast-iron 6.7L Cummins block that’s been treated to concrete-filled water jackets, ductile iron cylinder sleeves, cut for fire-rings, and topped off with a 1-inch thick deck plate, the crankcase is about as bombproof as it gets. A crankcase girdle, billet connecting rods, forged-aluminum pistons, 14mm ARP head studs, and a Haisley-spec’d cam are also part of the hard-part combination. Up top, you’ll find a 24-valve cylinder head rather than a 12-valve piece—and it’s been fully worked over by the Haisleys.

Mechanical Fuel, Wimer Air

At the heart of Erik’s mechanical monster sits a P-pump from Northeast Diesel Service. It’s been equipped with 13mm plungers and an Ag governor, which provides full fueling at any rpm. The 13mm pump receives its low-pressure fuel supply from a gear-driven Waterman lift pump, and then sends fuel to six top-feed style injectors from Monster Pump Mike. On the air side of the equation, you’ll find a 3.0-inch smooth bore turbocharger from Wimer Fuel Injection & Turbo hanging from a T6 foot exhaust manifold. Boost is forced through an air-to-water intercooler prior to making its way into the head via a ZZ Custom Fabrication individual runner intake manifold.

4-Disc Clutch & Reverser

All told, Erik’s Super B produces more than 1,300 hp at the crank. Thankfully, open driveline rules in Limited Pro Stock mean his clutch, transmission, transfer case, and axles have no problems harnessing that kind of power. Engine to transmission power transfer begins with a 4-disc Molinari clutch that lives inside a blow-proof steel bellhousing. From there, a ProFab Machine reverser transmission sends power to an accompanying ProFab drop box (i.e. quick change transfer case). It’s all up to the axles and ultimately the Trxus STS tires from there.

Done-Up Dana 60 & Rear SQHD

Overbuilding in order to avoid breakage is what truck pulling is all about, and Erik has done arguably everything you can do to make a Dana 60 live under big horsepower. The front axle has been treated to a Yukon Gear & Axle free-spin hub kit, a Grizzly locker, 6.17 gears, and a custom girdle and truss. In the rear, the tried and true SQHD axle serves its purpose well. Concealed within a fabricated steel differential housing from Steve Barker Machine you’ll find 6.17 gears and a spool from SCS Gearbox. SCS gun-drilled axle shafts and aluminum hubs also made the cut.

Competitive Pulling Truck Right Out Of The Gate

Of course, there is more to Erik’s second-gen pulling truck than meets the eye. Nearly two decades of experience in the sport has taught him how to build a hitch system that maximizes his truck’s performance in the dirt. “I try to run a longer draw bar, put some support in it, and I like to run a flat hook point with my adjusters going straight down,” he told us. “This gives me more drag at the big end of the track.” Whether it’s the hitch, his chassis, the bulletproof Cummins under the hood or a combination of all of the above that allows him to dig further than most competitors, Erik definitely made his mark in the Limited Pro Stock class in 2021.

With three NTPA wins (the organization he spent most of his time competing in), a Second Place finish in regional NTPA points, and a Third Place at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, Erik’s Dodge made the rounds last year. On top of that, he hooked with the Central Ohio Truck Pull Circuit and Battle of the Bluegrass down in Kentucky. “I pull with so many organizations because I try to pull with my customers if I can,” he said. Whether it’s work, play, or a combination of the two, the “Slightly Overworked” name painted on the front weight box just seems to fit. Look for Erik’s bad blue second-gen pulling truck to continue to tear up the Midwest next summer.

“The  pulling truck’s competitiveness starts with a rock-solid engine with a proven track record for both durability and horsepower potential: a Super B Cummins from Haisley Machine.”