A memorable group photo taken with all the participants at the competition ground on the second day of the competition

The Annual American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) ¼ Scale Tractor National Student Design Competition was first launched in 1998 and opened to student teams that enrolled in Agricultural Engineering program in American and Canadian Universities.  The competition has gained its international status with the participation of the Universiti Putra Malaysia team in 2001.  This year event bearing the new name as the Annual American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) ¼ Scale Tractor International Student Design Competition is scheduled from May 31 through June 3 at Quad City Downs in East Moline, Illinois, USA.

Each participating team in the competition will be challenged to develop a ¼ scale tractor that is capable of harnessing the power and torque from a 16 horsepower Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine and a set of 26X12-12 Firestone rear drive tires.  Judging is made on the written design report, written design log book, written cost analysis report, team homepage, team oral presentation, tractor overall design, and the tractor pulling performance. Through this involvement, students will gain practical experience in the design of drivetrain systems, tractor performance, manufacturing processes, analysis of tractive forces, weight transfer and strength of materials. Besides that, they will also developed engineering skills, development of skills in communication, leadership, teamwork, fundraising and test and development.