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COMPILATION OF A HANDBOOK FOR THE CAL POLY TRACTOR PULL TEAM by Jake Wilcox AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT BIORESOURCE AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY SAN LUIS OBISPO 2013 SIGNATURE PAGE TITLE : COMPILATION OF A HANDBOOK FOR THE CAL POLY TRACTOR PULL TEAM AUTHOR : JACOB WILCOX DATE SUBMITTED : June 7, 2013 _________________________________ ________________________________ Senior Project Advisor Signature ________________________________ Date _________________________________ ________________________________ Department Head Signature ________________________________ Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all I would like to thank the Cal Poly Tractor Pull Team for all of the fun over the past four years. It is an experience I will never forget. I want to thank Dr. Mark Zohns and Gary Weisenberger not only for their assistance with the creation of this senior project and handbook, but also for their understanding and experience they bring to the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department. It would not have been the same without you. I also want to thank the tractor pull team members and friends who helped me with this project. Needless to say, it was an undertaking. Last but not least, I want to thank my family for putting up with me for all this time. Without your constant support and constant nagging to get back to doing homework, none of this would have been possible. i ABSTRACT This senior project discusses the compilation of a handbook for the Cal Poly Tractor Pull Team. The handbook was written to aid new team members and students in getting acquainted to the history of the motorsport, what is expected of a team member, standard operating procedures of equipment, and event operations. Results were obtained from a quiz administered to various persons. Responses showed ease of locating information as well as areas of potential improvement. ii DISCLAIMER STATEMENT The university makes it clear that the information forwarded herewith is a project resulting from a class assignment and has been graded and accepted only as a fulfillment of a course requirement. Acceptance by the university does not imply technical accuracy or reliability. Any use of the information in this report is made by the user(s) at his/her own risk, which may include catastrophic failure of the device or infringement of patent or copyright laws. Therefore, the recipient and/or user of the information contained in this report agrees to indemnify, defend and save harmless the State its officers, agents and employees from any and all claims and losses accruing or resulting to any person, firm, or corporation who may be injured or damaged as a result of the use of this report. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ i Background ................................................................................................................................... i Justification ................................................................................................................................... i LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................ ii PROCEDURES AND METHODS ................................................................................................. iv Design Procedure ........................................................................................................................ iv Content Selection. ................................................................................................................... iv Handbook Topics. ................................................................................................................... iv Construction Procedure ................................................................................................................ v History Sections. ...................................................................................................................... v Maintenance Section. ............................................................................................................... v Standard Operating Procedures. ............................................................................................... v Competition Events. ................................................................................................................. v NTPA Rules and Regulations. ................................................................................................. v Sample Driver’s and Maintenance Log. .................................................................................. v Testing Procedure ....................................................................................................................... vi RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... vii DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................... viii RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................ ix REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ x APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................ xi APPENDIX A: How Project Meets Requirements for the ASM Major ................................ xii APPENDIX B: Testing and Evaluation Quiz ....................................................................... xiv APPENDIX C: Testing and Evaluation Quiz Responses ...................................................... xv APPENDIX D: Cal Poly Tractor Pull Handbook ................................................................. xvi iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Tractor pulling a weight transfer machine (sled). .............................................................. i v INTRODUCTION Background Tractor pulling is a motorsport that challenges a competitor to pull a weight transfer machine (also known as a sled) as far as possible down a straight dirt track. The exact origins of tractor pulling are unknown, but it most likely started as many other motorsports did; one person bet that his tractor was better than someone else’s. Eventually the competition escalated to the point where custom tractors were built for the purpose of tractor pulling, and the sport was born. Today, pulling competitions are held worldwide and by a variety of machines ranging from stock tractors to fully custom machines. Figure 1. Tractor pulling a weight transfer machine (sled). The California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Tractor Pull Team owns two pulling tractors and actively competes in events throughout California and Nevada as a member of the Pacific Tractor Pullers Association (PTPA). The team is comprised entirely of students and is responsible for the maintenance, modification, transportation, operation, and driving in competition of its two modified pull tractors. The team is advised by BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (BRAE) faculty members Dr. Mark Zohns and Gary Weisenberger, who offer their experience and expertise to aid the team. The tractor pulling team is designed to allow students the experience of motorsport competition as well as act as an educational tool to support concepts and material taught in BRAE classes at Cal Poly. Justification As the Cal Poly Tractor Pull Team is responsible for the maintenance, modification, transportation, and operation of the two modified pull tractors, it is important that all members are informed of the maintenance and operational procedures associated with the tractors. Currently, students must be taught in a one-on-one fashion by faculty advisors and experienced members of the team as to how to properly carry-out the aforementioned procedures. This task is tedious, slow, and information can vary causing some members to be ill-informed. There is also the issue of how competition events are operated, what competitors need to do, rules regarding safety concerns, technical specifications a vehicle needs to meet, and appropriate behavior at events. Currently everything is taught to members as situations present themselves. There exists a need for a tractor pull handbook that compiles all of this information and archives it for students to reference. Such a handbook would address all of the aforementioned concerns and issues, as well as present a consistent learning medium through which all members and students will have access to the same information so as to avoid the inconsistencies that occur through one-on-one teaching, and to preserve this information for future members. i LITERATURE REVIEW A search was initiated to find sources pertaining to the construction of a handbook and guidelines for proper and efficient formatting. Dr. Philip Hodgson’s internet posting through the internet site UserFocus centered around how to construct an effective handbook or manual and formatting concerns. Dr. Hodgson recommends for the general layout of an effective handbook, that it should include a one page quick start guide to help acquaint the user with the purpose of the handbook. For a handbook concerning a machine or product, all functions of the

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