Illini Pullers

Just under a month away from our 25th Anniversary Reunion Event!

Doors will open at 2 PM, and we will have a short program at 5 PM. All alumni, friends and family are welcome. Food will be provided. We hope you can join us to reconnect with old teammates, see how the program has evolved over time, and celebrate the last 25 years of tractors, pulls, and memories!

Illini Pullers have our 2025 competition tractor “The Illini Ghost” set up at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur.

We are at the ACES booth at 34W in the Southwest Quadrant.

Come stop by and check it out, August 26 - 28 🚜

Day 3 of competition completed. Looking forward to a strong finish at the pulls tomorrow. Pulls run from 10 to 3 at the Peoria Expo Gardens Fairgrounds. Hope to see you there.

The Illini Ghost has arrived in Peoria. Stay tuned more competition updates.

We are pleased to announce that we placed 13th overall out of 24 teams at the 2022 ASABE International Quarter Scale Tractor Student Design Competition with our tractor, the Illini Nightmare! Below are our placings in each of the competition judging categories:
- Tractor Pulls: 8th
- Written Design Report: 13th
- Team Presentation: 17th
- Static Design Judging: 16th
- Durability: Tied for 10th
- Maneuverability: Tied for 15th

We would like to thank everyone who supported us this year and who came out to the competition to see how we were doing! Without your continued support this club would not be able to build a new tractor every year to take to competition!
The full competition results can be found soon at https://asabe.org/IQS in the the "2022 final rankings" tab.

Ever wonder what our members do when they’re not in the shop? Check out this to find out more!

This weekend, current members Peyton Ruwe and Becca Lynn, along with alumni member Adam Kozuszek, are attending the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders Conference in Peoria Illinois for educational and professional development and networking with other young farmers and agricultural leaders from across the state!

It's Time for Member Monday!!

This week we are spotlighting our team advisor, Dr. Alan Hansen!

Dr. Hansen, a university professor, has been club advisor since 2000, when the club first formed, and was with the team for their very first competition. Dr. Hansen is celebrating his 20th year with the team this year!

Dr. Hansen's favorite thing about being a part of the club is seeing all of the awesome designs and work that the team undertakes each year, and seeing the reward of their labors each year at competition.

Dr. Hansen's three favorite tractor models are: 1) Chief Full Pull, the first tractor the club built, 2) The Commander-in-Chief - 2005 and 3) The Chief's Vendetta - 2008

Hey Everyone! This semester we are bringing back the old tradition we like to call Member Monday! Each week we will highlight a different member of our team for you to get to know us!

This week's member spotlight is Hunter Bolen! AKA The Charlie Daniels of the Torque Wrench

The current Vice President of Design of the Illini Pullers, Hunter is a Junior studying Technical Systems Management and this is his second year on the team.

Hunter's favorite past tractor model is the Commander-in-Chief (2005) and his favorite part about being on the team is the opportunity to work with his hands and gain experience designing mechanical systems

New Member Cookout RSVP This Thursday night at 7pm in AESB 204 will be our new member information meeting, followed by a cookout down in our shop, AESB 129. Please fill out this form so we have an idea of how many people will be coming so we can purchase the food.

With another successful Quad Day and first day of school in the books, the Illini Pullers are excited to get things rolling for this year!!

Missed us at Quad Day but interested is joining the team? Look out for us at the following upcoming events around campus!

**Regular meetings Mondays/Thursdays 7pm AESB 204

What: Engineering Quad Night
When: Wednesday, August 28th 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Where: Bardeen Quad

(if poor weather: Thursday, August 29th 4:00pm - 6:00pm - stayed tuned for updates)

What: Aces Welcome Back:
When: Wednesday, August 28th 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Where: TBA (stay tuned for updates)

What: Welcome Cookout (info session, shop tour, food, test drives)
When: Thursday, August 29th 7:00pm
Where: AESB 204 / Pullers Courtyard
RSVP: https://forms.gle/7sFoWcPpxFFCiizW9

What: Aces Fall Festival
When: Wednesday September 4th 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Where: TBA (stayed tuned for updates)

What: Meet and Greet / Cookout (GFX point eligible - freshman)
When: Saturday, September 14th 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Where: AESB 204 / Pullers Courtyard

If you are interested in our club, but cannot make it out to these events, please email [email protected] to join the email list for this fall to stay up to date on meetings and general happenings!

New Member Cookout RSVP This Thursday night at 7pm in AESB 204 will be our new member information meeting, followed by a cookout down in our shop, AESB 129. Please fill out this form so we have an idea of how many people will be coming so we can purchase the food.

If you like tractors and working with your hands, we’ve got the team for you! Come check out The Illini Pullers at University of Illinois Quad Day! (Located in the demonstration area between Noyes Lab and the Chem Annex - circled in orange)