King Tooth Pulls Train with Teeth – New World Record
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King Tooth set a new world record by pulling a 7 coach train using nothing but a steel rope and his bare teeth for the heaviest weight pulled by teeth. The Malaysian man’s achievement — whose real name is Rathakrishnan Velu – is projected to be accepted into the Guinness World Records within 2-3 weeks once the information has been verified, said his manager Anna Chidambar.
Photo AP / Vincent Thian
You could literally see how strained his neck muscles were as Velu pulled the 297.1 ton train over 9 feet, 2.2 inches (2.8 meters) along tracks at a railway station in Kuala Lumpur.
“I don’t know what toothpaste he uses but I am sure a lot companies will be looking to endorse their products from Rathakrishnan.” said Maximus Ongkili, a Cabinet minister, who was an eyewitness to the feat.
Just before his attempt, Rathakrishnan closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and held his left index finger against his nose and right index finger against his chest. Then he touched his forehead and the top of his head before sitting on the ground to begin reports the Daily Mail.
Dozens of spectators were cheering and clapping as they chanted ‘Malaysia Boleh!’ and ‘Malaysia Can’ as Valu sat down and pulled the train, grasping both tracks for support, pushing his feet against the wooden beams to thrust himself backwards.
Photo AP / Vincent Thian
In his second and third attempts Rathakrishnan moved the train 2 feet, 4.7 inches (.73 meters), and 8 feet, 1.6 inches (2.48 meters).
“We are slightly disappointed … he would have liked to end up with a longer distance but at the end of the day it is still a record.” said Chidambar.
Rathakrishnan also holds the previous world record for the heaviest weight pulled with teeth when he dragged a lighter 260.8 ton train over 13 feet, 9.3 inches (4.2 meters) on October 18, 2003.
Rathakrishnan — a strict vegetarian ethnic Indian — attributes his strength to an Indian form of meditation and daily jaw training. He also runs at least 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) and lifts bars up to 551 pounds (250 kilos).
How to pull large objects with your teeth
How does one pull a 50,000 pound bus with their teeth?
Photo AP / Vincent Thian
The main force required to move the bus is the rolling resistance of the tires, which is dependant upon the weight of the bus and the coefficient of rolling resistance of the tires.
How Stuff Works explains that the tires on any vehicle flatten as they move, which takes force to make them deform. The less they deform, the less force it takes. A steel train wheel has less than one-tenth the resistance of a car tire because it doesn’t deform as much as it rolls.
Ensuring the tire pressure on the bus is correct or slightly high can minimize the resistance. Assuming the coefficient is 0.006, the force needed to pull the bus is 0.006 multiplied by the weight of the bus, or 0.006 times 50,000 pounds, which equals 300 pounds. There could be extra force from brake drag or friction in the driveline, thereby bumping it to a generous estimate to move the bus requires 400 pounds of force.
It’s possible for a person to exert 400 pounds of force with their legs and hold it with their teeth, but there’s still the factor of traction. The coefficient of friction between your shoes and the ground determines how much force you can apply in the horizontal direction before your feet slip. About the best coefficient you could hope for is 1.0. If your shoes had a coefficient of 1.0, you could apply a force equal to your weight in the horizontal direction. Unless you weighed much more than 400 pounds, you wouldn’t be able to exert that much force against the ground.
A key factor is to increase your traction. One can anchor a ladder to the road and use the steps of the ladder to push against. To pull a train, a person could push against the railroad ties. This reduces the traction because you’re now pushing against a vertical surface instead of a horizontal one, so the force you apply against the ladder is in the same direction as the force you apply against the bus. Thus it’s more like lifting a 400 pound weight with your legs.
Your teeth have to be able to hold the rope with 400 pounds of force, but they’re not doing the lifting. Neither is your neck supporting much of the weight. Since you have to lean back to push against the ladder for traction, most of the force is transmitted down your spine. The closer you can get to the ground, the less force your neck muscles have to apply.
Velu’s Jaw Dropping Achievement
Watch the event as it unfolded.
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amazing story…..wonder what his teeth like when hes older?
Wow!! That is incredible! I can’t help wondering if he has cavities ; ) but probably not.
Fascinating!!!! But the thought of it makes my teeth hurt!
All this talk about teeth is making my own hurt
And that’s why it’s so important to have a good dentist!
x
Too funny, YummyMummy, I was thinking about dentists but the thought made my teeth hurt even more
Wow, that is just shocking. If I attempted something like that, I would die from overexertion. But not before I ripped my teeth right out of my head.
What a jaw-dropping feat. I bet the postal service in the U.S. would hire him in a second. He’d send those mailman biting canine running for the hills. His bite is definately worse than his bark.
There would likely be a technique that Valu’s developed that works for him which has something to do with the jaw excercises he does. I think this one qualifies for ‘don’t try this at home’ Tay
Haha, I don’t think that’s an angle anyone has thought of yet Nitropuppy.
We have a German Sheppard that’s a retired police dog, and a few postal carriers have refused to give us delivery service. He’s the most well behaved dog you could ask for, but seems to scare the daylights out of some mailmen.
We were forced to put our mailbox outside of our yard to get our service back. Even then some have refused us service.
Incredible story Deborah !!!!
haha your dog and mailmen…..too funny
WOW! Just WOW! Makes me want to make an appointment with the dentist!
It was rather frustrating with Canada Post, Kim. They didn’t even inform us by any means, so it was a little while before we noticed no incoming mail. But we can laugh about it now.
That’s what chills me Laura, I do need to see a dentist and this acts as a reminder
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That’s one major feat. I would have never guessed you could do that with your teeth, legs and spine. However, I was even more impressed with the physics calculations and explanation. Any physics professor would be proud, not to mention Rathakrishnan’s dentist.
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This is an excellent example and proof that good teeth will result in the ability to pull heavy trains…lol
I will definitely mention this artucle in my blog which is dedicated to removing teeth stains and maintaining good dental care.
Really good article…
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