The University of Missouri Torq’N Tigers had two teams compete in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition this month. The A-Team finished 5th place overall and placed first in the Overall Performance Event and Durability Competition out of 21 teams. The X-Team brought home 1st place in their Performance Event out of nine teams, finishing first in both pulls.
The event took place May 31 – June 2 at the Peoria, Illinois, Expo Gardens.
The team provides its members the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge and gain hands-on experience, as well as develop professional skills and network. Students are challenged to harness the power and torque of a specified stock engine during the competition, to maximize performance during a series of challenges.
According to the ASABE website, for the competition, “teams of students are given a 31-hp Briggs & Stratton engine and a set of Titan tires. The design of their tractor is up to them. A panel of industry experts then judge each design for innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, sound level, and ergonomics. Teams also submit a written design report in advance of the competition, and on-site, they must sell their design, in a formal presentation to industry experts playing the role of a corporate management team. Finally, machines are put to the test in three performance events – three tractor pulls, a maneuverability course, and a durability course.”
Members of the 2024 Torq’N Tigers Team include:
- Sierra Beaver, junior, agricultural education
- Gracen Clark, junior, agribusiness management
- Ethan Gutz, spring 2024 graduate, agricultural systems technology/agribusiness management
- Jonathan Ebbesmeyer, senior, mechanical engineering
- Will Hanson, senior, plant sciences
- Aidan Engbert, junior, information technology
- Andrew Kabrick, junior, mechanical engineering
- Trevor Blanken, junior, mechanical engineering
- Avery Thomas, sophomore, mechanical engineering
- Kohl Bush, sophomore, mechanical engineering
- Braden Denning, sophomore, mechanical engineering
- Evan Masterson, junior, agricultural systems technology
- Jake Lakenburger, junior, mechanical engineering
- Jack Knop, junior, mechanical engineering
- Kent Shannon, coach