About Us       

       

        The Illini Pullers is a student-run club at the University of Illinois that was created in 2000 to compete in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) International ¼ Scale Tractor Student Design Competition. The purpose of the competition is for students to use knowledge that is learned in the classroom and apply it in a real world setting. Students achieve this by designing, building, and marketing a new ¼ scale tractor all during the course of a school year.

        The Illini Pullers is comprised of two teams.  The A-Team is comprised of returning members who have previous experience on the team.  These members design and build the new tractor that is taken to competition.  They must also submit a detailed design and cost report before competition. Then, at competition, the team must pass a safety inspection and sound test, give a design and marketing presentation to judges, as well as compete in maneuverability and durability tests and participate in three separate pulls.

        The X-Team is made up of new members on the team.  These members take the previous year's tractor, fix problems from the year before, and take it to competition.  Before competition, they submit a design report about why they made certian changes to the tractor.  Then, at competition, they must pass a safety inspection, as well as give a design presentation and compete in two pulls. The purpose of the X-Team is to give new members experience in the club before having to build a completely new tractor.