The 1/4 Scale Tractor Design Competition is sponsored by the ASABE, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The competition is held each spring and is organized to provide students with professional experience, education, and fun. Team members gain practical experience in the design of drivetrain systems, tractor performance, manufacturing processes, traction force analysis, weight transfer, strength of materials, safety, and testing. Throughout the year, team members also develop competencies in leadership, communication, teamwork, initiative, and safety awareness. Our competition objective is to design a machine to be used in an emerging specialty market. This market is aimed towards people that would purchase a performance machine to be used as a garden pulling tractor. The machine is intended to be used as a durable hobby machine. The goal of the competition is to develop a machine, which is compact in size, relatively inexpensive, and can harness the power of a specific engine to achieve the maximum pulling performance for short periods of time. Each team must act as a company, manufacturing an estimated 3,000 units per year. As a company, the teams must make engineering decisions, and produce reports documenting the decisions to be presented to upper-level management. The competition allows students to become more prepared as they enter industry after completing college. The competition simulates the aspects of working within a company. For example, students are required to meet deadlines set forth by the ASABE 1/4 Scale Design Committee, similar to deadlines set forth by upper management to become a successful and leading company. The team also experiences the engineering design process, similar to that used in the engineering workplace. Participating in the 1/4 Scale Tractor Design Competition, students are challenged to harness the power and torque of a specified stock engine to maximize the performance in a tractor pull. Although the pull performance competition is considered the highlight of the event, it only consists of 41% of the total score. The percentages of the other categories are listed with their description. The competition consists of four categories: Tractor Performance Events, Written Design Report, Team Presentation, and Design Judging. These are explained below. Teams must also pass a technical inspection to compete in the Pull Performance.
The design judging is based upon the safety, manufacturability, and ergonomics of each tractor. Professional engineers, technicians, and operators from industry judge this portion of the competition.
2022 Competition Handbook
2022 A-Team Rules
2022 X-Team Rules
