General Information

Design Experience and More
One of the primary concerns of industry today is that many engineering students are entering the workforce with little or no practical knowledge or design experience. Student design competitions and projects are an important key to help prepare students to be effective professional engineers.

In the International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, students are challenged to harness the power and torque of a specified stock engine in order to maximize performance during the tractor pull.

Design Fundamentals
Design fundamentals such as strength of materials, statics and power transfer will be major factors as the students design their frame, drivetrain, hitch, clutch, weight brackets and other parts. Although the size and shape of the 1/4 scale tractor is similar to that of a typical lawn and garden tractor, very few parts will be used directly from a commercial machine.

Manufacturing Processes
Not only will students gain practical design experience by participating in this competition, they will also obtain valuable experience as they manufacture and present their own designs.

Many manufacturing departments cringe when design engineers simply throw their designs "over the wall" and assume they can be easily manufactured. 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.

Professional Skills
With a project of this size and magnitude, the students' skills in communication, teamwork and time management will be greatly challenged and developed through necessity. This project will graduate students who can excel and perform under adverse conditions and pressures, with professional skills valuable to any employer.

Getting Started - How to Request an Engine and Tires
Each team is given either a 16hp Briggs & Stratton engine or an equivalent amount towards the purchase of a 31hp engine, and a set of Titan tires. Teams are allowed to use multiple engines in their designs. Please contact Mark Crossley to request an engine and tires.

How to Register a Team
If you'd like to enter a team in the competition, please send the following information in an email to Mark Crossley as soon as possible. If your school will be entering an X-Team (junior teams who modify their first team's previous year's tractor), please send the same registration information below and identify it as an X-Team.

Team Name:
-Advisor's Name
-Advisor's Phone Number
-Advisor's Email Address
-Team Captain's Name
-Team Captain's Cell Number
-Team Captain's EMail Address
-Shipping Address for Tires & Engine (if different than Advisor's address) - must be a university address

1/4 Scale Competition Informational Brochure
Sled Configuration
CNH Scholarships for Top Three Winning Teams

Past Results - 1998-2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012
Important Competition Information