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.

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