AMES, Iowa – This year’s ¼-scale tractor looks a lot more like a garden tractor than a hot rod pulling tractor.
There’s a nice black hood. LED headlights for the front. And a three-point hitch for the back.
It’s all about selling the 31-horsepower tractor as a multi-use vehicle for home, garden or acreage. And that could help the Cyclone Power Pullers, Iowa State University’s ¼-scale tractor team, score some design and aesthetics points in the International ¼-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition May 31-June 3 in Peoria, Ill. The contest is sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
But take a closer look underneath the hood of a $28,000, student-designed and student-built machine dubbed “Cymon Sez” and you’ll see the heavy duty frame and drivetrain of a pulling tractor. You’ll also hear Iowa State students explain how their new, infinitely variable transmission helps keep the engine in its optimal power band.
Read more about Cyclone Power Pullers on the ISU News Service web site.