2007 ASABE 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition

Competition Summary:

After 9 months of long weekends and late nights, twenty Purdue Agricultural and Biological students were rewarded with several first place category finishes and a second place overall finish at the 2007 ASABE 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition. Thirty universities from the United States and Canada participated in the event. This was the highest overall finish ever recorded by Purdue (4th in 2005) and the first time that Purdue won the overall performance title. Purdue took a “no holds barred” approach and was able to design and build a six engine tractor weighing less than 900 lbs, the only school able to do so. The University of Illinois managed to install five engines, and the remaining schools utilized four or less engines. For Purdue this meant that over one-half the weight of the tractor was solely from the engines. To achieve this remarkable feat Purdue’s tractor utilized lightweight electric steering, electronic throttle control for each of the six engines, and an electric reverse gear using a starter motor from a Geo Metro automobile. A joystick and onboard computer is used to steer and operate the tractor, collect data, and maintain safe operation. The tractor will automatically send SMS messages to a cell phone if safe limits are exceeded, and a person can remotely disable the operation of the tractor by calling the cell phone located in the tractor computer.

Faculty advisor for the team, Professor John Lumkes of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, noted that “what the students achieved this year is remarkable. The results are a testimony to the quality and dedication of these students, their willingness to function as a team, listen to different opinions, and to overcome the many challenges brought on by designing and building the only six engine tractor at the competition. The results speak for themselves with winning the overall pulling title. I am extremely proud of what they accomplished and am privileged to be able to see the students mature not only as outstanding engineers during their years at Purdue, but as young men and women excited to go out and become leaders in a world needing new ideas and new solutions to the energy, food, and water problems facing our society.”

 
Results for Purdue (out of 30 teams):

Link to a video of two pulls:

http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~lumkes/ASABE_Tractor_2007.wmv

Link to Channel 18 News Story

 Additional high resolution pictures and uncompressed video are available upon request.
 

Please email John Lumkes at [email protected] or call 765-430-5294 for more information.

ASABE: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers

            Team Members

             Keith Harmeyer

             Michael Holland

             John Mahrenholz

             Cody McKinley

             Josh Sander

             Mitch Fenneman

             John Andruch

             Anna Weimer

             Jon Owens

             Ben Schlipf

             Casey Fillinger

             Keith Mears

             Brandon Manier

             Brad George

             Brad Paulus

             Andrew Crandel

             Craig Clemson

             Dusty Price      

             James Bartlett

             Joe Dynes