2001 Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition
Team Photos | Pull Photos

      Experience paid off for Kansas State University recently, as the K-State "Powercat Pullers" garnered their third straight championship in the ASABE International Student Design Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition.
     K-State topped twenty-five other collegiate teams from across the United States, Canada, and Malaysia. The contest was held June 1-3 in East Moline, Illinois, and brought to a climax a year's worth of work for the teams.
     In the runner-up spot was the University of Tennessee, who also took home the Manufacturability Award. Rounding out the top five were the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Colorado State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
     Narrowly missing out on a top-five finish was the University of Kentucky. The Wildcats nevertheless towed home a wagon-full of trophies, as they snagged design awards for Serviceability, Appearance, Craftsmanship, and Safety. They also collected the Sportsmanship Award and the Cook-Off Award.
     The University of Illinois, competing for the first time, turned in an exceptional eighth-place performance to win Rookie of the Year honors.
     A measure of drama was added to the weekend's events when, during an overnight stopover in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Colorado State team's tractors were stolen. "The value of these tractors isn't much compared to the work we put into them," lamented one CSU team member after the theft was discovered. After two unsuccessful days of searching, it didn't look as though the team would have their machines in time for the contest, but an eleventh-hour recovery reunited team and tractors. The machines were found hidden beneath a plastic tarp in an Omaha backyard. Credit for the happy ending goes to the generous and sympathetic efforts of the Council Bluffs Police Department and Omaha news media.
     This year's competition included its first-ever participant from outside North America. Twenty-two students from the University of Malaysia-Putra raised $42,000 to bring themselves and their tractor across the Pacific to compete. Their determination not only to get to the contest but to be competitive among more experienced opponents did not go unnoticed: the Malaysians took home the distinguished Teamwork Award, the winner of which is selected by the teams.
     For their winning effort, the Kansas State team received possession of a traveling trophy and a stipend with which to bring their tractor to the ASABE Annual International Meeting, being held July 29-August 1 in Sacramento

ASABE International Student Design Quarter-Scale Tractor Competition - Awards