The University of Tennessee at Martin tractor team competed in the 29th annual American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, held May 28-31 at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Illinois.
This year, the UT Martin team placed 15th overall with a total of 1,726 points, with only 64 points separating 15th place from 10th place. The four-member team competed against 22 other teams from the United States and Canada, some of which had more than 20 students on their tractor teams.
Members of the 2026 UT Martin tractor team are Addi Dawson, a sophomore nursing major from Newbern; Carter Mann, a sophomore agriculture major from Columbia; Hunter McCoy, a senior engineering major from Nunnelly; and Hunter Watson, a senior agriculture major from Jackson, with guidance and mentorship of Nathan Robison of Bruceton and Sam Baker of Bolivar.
This year marked the 14th year that the team has participated in the international competition. The competition consists of teams of university students who must work together to design and build working tractors to one-fourth scale.
Each team was provided with a 34-horsepower Kawasaki engine and a set of Titan tires; the teams were otherwise responsible for the design and creation of their tractor. Teams were also responsible for submitting a written design report in advance of the competition and conducting a formal on-site presentation selling their design to industry experts playing the role of a corporate management team.
Each tractor was put through three separate performance events, including three tractor pulls, a maneuverability course and a durability course. A panel of industry experts judged each design for innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, sound level and ergonomics.The UT Martin tractor team competed with just four members, including.
Dr. Sandy Mehlhorn, professor of agricultural engineering technology, has dedicated her time as faculty adviser for the UT Martin team every year that it has participated.
Dr. Ashley Owens, assistant professor of engineering, emphasized the team’s ability to overcome the challenge of being a small team.
“Their performance showcased the team’s dedication, preparation and ability to compete at a high level, despite having one of the smallest teams in attendance,” she said.
The team’s design for this year differed from the design of last year’s tractor in that the team members decided to feature a rear-engine configuration rather than a front-engine design, allowing the team to explore a different engineering approach.
The team was also able to preserve the previous year’s tractor and build a new one for this year’s competition, thanks to the generous donations of longtime supporters Charles and Bettye Moore of Obion County.
According to Mehlhorn, the Moores’ contributions provided the team with the necessary resources to develop their new tractor and boosted the team’s confidence and motivation.
“The fact that they were willing to give a donation for them was exciting – encouraging – that their project is getting others interested in the student activities, and humbling that the Moores considered the team worthy of such a generous donation,” she said.
The team made improvements in several performance events, particularly in the lightweight pull event. The team recorded a pull of 172 feet in the lightweight event, 101.3 feet in the straight chain pull event and 160.3 feet in the heavy pull event. The team also completed 12 laps in the durability course. The UT Martin team continues to hold the competition record for the longest pull with an electric drivetrain.
The top five teams in the 2026 ASABE International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition were the University of Illinois, first place; the University of Nebraska, second; Purdue University, third; Kansas State University, fourth; and the University of Missouri, fifth.
For more information about the agricultural engineering technology program at UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu/AgEngineeringTech or call Mehlhorn at 731-881-7253.
For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 1-800-829-UTM1 (-8861).
PHOTO: Representing UT Martin at the ASABE International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition – shown with the tractor they built – are (l-r) adviser Nathan Robison, Addi Dawson, Carter Mann, Hunter McCoy, Hunter Watson and adviser Sam Baker.
