War Eagle Pullers 1/4-Scale Tractor Team

This was a tough year for the ¼-scale tractor team. Hopes were very high because of the decision to move this year to a four-wheel-drive tractor and use a hybrid mechanical-hydrostatic transmission. Fundraising also went well, with generous contributions from the College of Agriculture, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation, and Henry Farm Center. The team's hopes for a top 10 finish were not to be fulfilled, however, at the competition. After arriving with their tractor overweight, the students worked hard to lighten the tractor by doing a redesign of the hydraulic system overnight. While other overweight teams simply gave up and went home, the Auburn students overcame this challenge and resolved other mechanical problems to pass the technical inspection. Although the team did make several pulls, mechanical gremlins in their drivetrain kept them from achieving their goals. The team did however, make significant improvements in their engineering design report score over previous years and they received the Slimfast Award for being able to make the greatest improvements in their tractor weight in the shortest amount of time. The underclassmen on the team are already working on design improvements for next year's tractor. BSEN students and faculty express their sincere appreciation to all the sponsors of the 2005 team.