With 19 active members on the team, the division of labor, communications and logistics makes for a great experience for all those involved. Each team designed, constructed, documented, presented and competed in a pulling performance with its new tractor to determine the overall winner. K-State s team began its design for this year s new tractor at last year s competition and began construction in January. The tractor was ready for performance testing in March. The team made more than 100 practice pulls before the competition.
Fund raising is a year-around effort as well.
In the X-team competition, freshmen and sophomores make modifications to the previous year s tractor, give an oral presentation and test their tractors in two pulls. The competition is sponsored by the ASAE, the Society for Engineering in Agriculture, Food and Biological Systems. Contributions from numerous businesses and individuals also added to the team s success, Koelliker said.