USU STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL TRACTOR COMPETITION

They ain?t Old MacDonald?s tractors, but that?s the point. Students vying in the 2002 American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) 1/4 Scale Tractor Competition strove for cutting edge performance and innovation as they put their tractor designs to the test. Fourteen undergraduate students from Utah State University?s Agricultural Systems Technology and Education (ASTE), mechanical engineering and industrial technology and education departments were among competitors from 34 universities in the United States, Canada and Malaysia at the event held May 31-June 2 in East Moline, Ill.

The Utah State team placed 10th in team presentation and 24th overall. In addition to presenting their design before a panel of professional judges, teams compete in written report, static design, maneuverability and tractor pull.

?This was Utah State?s first year to compete and our students performed well in the areas of technical assessment, safety and performance,? said Gary S. Straquadine, ASTE professor and department head. ?Their innovative tractor out-pulled many of their competitors.?

ASAE supplies each team with a 16 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine and four Firestone tires. From there, students are on their own as they design a frame, drivetrain, hitch, clutch, weight brackets and other parts in preparation for the competition?s highlight, a multi-stage tractor pull using a progressive sled.

The Utah State team began preparing for the competition last fall as they drafted tractor designs and raised money to build their vehicle. ?To raise funds we hosted an extreme snowmobile movie viewing at the Taggart Student Center and conducted a lawnmower maintenance and repair program this spring,? said John Mussler, student team member and a senior ASTE major. ?We also received financial support from area businesses.?

Mussler said team members learned a lot from their first competitive experience and plan to participate again next year. ?Utah State?s engineering students have participated in design competitions for years, but this was an opportunity for students from the agricultural department to get involved,? he said. ?It was interesting to see what other schools are doing in their agricultural technology programs and to show what we?re doing here at Utah State.?

Providing students with real-world experience is ASAE?s central goal in hosting the annual competition. ?Many a manufacturing department cringes when design engineers simply throw their designs ?over the wall? and assume they can be easily manufactured,? states the organization?s Web site. ?Through hands-on experience with numerous manufacturing processes, students will gain an awareness of the capabilities and potential pitfalls in the design for manufacturability and design for assembly.?####