1/4-scale tractor team test designs at Warman-area farm
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A group of University of Saskatchewan students recentlyl gathered at the farm of Kenny Beauchemin slightly east of Warman, Sask to test out the 1/4-scale tractor designs that they plan to take to an international competition held each summer in the U.S.
Most of the students present at Beauchemin’s farm were members of the U of S Sled Dogs 1/4-Scale Tractor team, though as pointed out by team president Owen Eden, they had a few other students from other colleges present, including a few business and biology students.
According to Eden, the team annually designs, builds and eventually enters their own 1/4-scale tractor in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ (ASABE) International Quarter-Scale Tractor Design Competition.
A University of Saskatchewan student pulls a heavy sled using one of the 1/4-scale tractors designed by the Sled Dogs engineering team at the farm of Kenny Beauchemin near Warman, Sask. on Oct. 3. (Kevin Berger/Clark’s Crossing Gazette)
As stated on the event’s website, this competition “challenges students to harness the power and torque of a specified stock engine to maximize performances in a series of contests.”
The 2026 competition was held in Bloomington, Illinois from May 29-31 and featured a total of 23 university teams, most of which were from the U.S.
The Sled Dogs hold the distinction of being Canada’s No. 1 1/4-scale tractor team, though their results tend to vary from year to year.
To help prepare for this competition and potentially test out different designs, Eden said they come out to Beauchemin’s farm each year. On Oct. 3, they performed both light and heavy tractor pulls in addition to a few other tests.
Eden indicated the Sled Dogs have actually been coming out to the farm for a number of years now, though COVID did put a stop on their visits for a couple of years.
But why Beauchemin’s farm? It’s because Kenny and his brother Pat have been involved in both tractor pulls and drag racing for decades – Beauchemin Racing is a mainstay at the Saskatoon International Raceway, and Kenny himself is named in the Western Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Kenny indicated he is happy to host the students at his place, where he has a small dirt track set up for their tests, jokingly noting that he has helped to improve their results.
» Clark’s Crossing Gazette