Simma Software donates cutting-edge software to support ‘Illini Pullers’ tractor-building team
The Illini Pullers, a registered student organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a generous donation of software from Simma Software, Inc. to help the student team build safer, more advanced tractors for competition and learning.
The Illini Pullers compete in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition. Each year, teams are given a 31-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine and a set of Titan tires, and the rest of the design is up to them. Industry experts evaluate tractors based on innovation, manufacturability, serviceability, safety, sound level, and ergonomics. Teams also prepare a detailed written design report, pitch their design in a formal presentation to industry leaders, and finally put their machines to the test in tractor pulls, a maneuverability course, and a durability course.
The donated software programs will allow the Illini Pullers to create a communication system inside their tractors so that key parts — like the engine, brakes, and safety features — can “talk” to one another more smoothly. This type of system is widely used in modern farm and construction equipment, and learning to work with it gives students a real-world edge.
“The J1939-FD stack and J1939 Diagnostic Manager from Simma Software will go a long way towards helping us develop a robust and professional electronics system on future tractors,” said Illini Pullers President Payton Voltz, a senior in mechanical science and engineering at Illinois. “As we plan to design and program our own circuit board to manage these systems, the software will save us a lot of time and effort while making sure everything works together the way it should.”
For Simma Software, the gift is about investing in the next generation of innovators.
“Simma Software is proud to partner with the University of Illinois by providing these tools to Illini Pullers,” said Patrick Browne, director of business development at Simma Software. “Students get hands-on experience with the same kinds of systems used in industry today, preparing them to make an immediate impact in their future careers.”
The Illini Pullers is an interdisciplinary student organization affiliated with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering at the U. of I.
To learn more about joining or supporting the Illini Pullers, contact Voltz at pvoltz2@illinois.edu.