The University of Saskatchewan Sled Dogs finished sixth at the 15th annual International Quarter Scale Tractor Student Design Competition.
The event was held in Peoria, Illinois, May 31-June 3.
Last year, the Sled Dogs placed fourth among 26 teams from universities across North America.
Teams must design and construct a fully functional tractor. During the four-day event, they go head to head in four main categories: pulling performance, team presentation, written design report and design judging.
In a June 4 e-mail update, team member Allison Graham wrote that the competition was “jam-packed” with activity.
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She described this year’s manoeuvreability course as a “bit tricky.” Turns were tight, with teams required to touch three pylons while making their way around them.
In the sound testing event, “we were not the quietest tractor out there, but we still came in under the required 91dB maximum at 88 dB,” she wrote.
The Sled Dogs team pulled ahead of its competition during design judging.
“Each of the five sets of judges (testing and development, safety, ergonomics, manufacturability and serviceability) had very positive things to say about the design of our tractor,” wrote Graham.
The marketing presentation was unnerving for team members, who spoke at Caterpillar’s world headquarters in Peoria.
“It is always a bit intimidating to have to do a presentation in a world class facility boardroom in front of a panel of judges composed of industry professionals, but the boys handled the pressure well,” she wrote.
Tractor pulls drew a large crowd of onlookers and the Sled Dogs performed well.
“The 1,500 pound class went well for us,” she said.
“We were within 30 feet of the top pull in both heats, right where we hoped to be. We were very happy and fortunate to be one of the few teams who did not have any mechanical issues during the pulls.”
A surprise invitation to lunch came from the Florida State team. It was a thank you to the Sled Dogs for lending them tools and manpower.
“The meal was filled with things no one on our team had tried before, including mullet, a type of mild tasting salt water fish, and grits: they cooked it up with lots of cheese and butter, it reminded us a bit of Kraft dinner macaroni. It was all very much appreciated and delicious.”
