The idea of building an electrically powered toy tractor was first envisioned by the Irish Farmers Journal team, and was instantly supported by our friends at Tralee IT. It was later built and designed by a team of students from the college. The original idea was to design and build a children’s safety tractor and use it as a safety promotional tool for kids.

The team that successfully built the educational toy incorporated a host of features to keep children safe and to help teach safety at an influential age. The project was completed by Tralee IT students Eddie Lane, Donal Hand, Jack Cotter, Chris Joughin from Zimbabwe and Mong Pengs from Malaysia.

Here, we highlight some of the tractor’s main features ahead of its appearance at the Tullamore Show this weekend.

Battery powered

Weighing in at just 68kg, the safety tractor is capable of carrying over 100kg of payload. The tractor is powered by a 24v lithium ion battery which provides up to five hours of continuous driving. It comes with a minimal charging time of 15 minutes per hour of use. The students explained that the 1,000-watt motor provides more than enough power and torque to conquer any terrain and through the use of its integrated electromagnetic braking system can stop safely and reliably.

The chassis is extendable by up to 150mm via a telescopic screw system adjustable from underneath. This is to cater for the needs of children of varying sizes. The tractor is fitted with a functioning drop hitch, mounted to the chassis, for towing a trailer. This can be raised and lowered through a screw handle mechanism but can only be operated when the operator is off the seat.

The tractor has pneumatic tyres. It has a rack-and-pinion front wheel cambering steering system.

Initiation

The dashboard, mounted below the steering wheel, has the light switches on it and the shuttle gear. The tractor is activated and deactivated by an ignition switch which requires a key to operate. For safety, a roll bar is fitted to the tractor. A LED pole-mounted beacon is attached to the top of the roll bar. A yellow button on the instrument panel activates the beacon.

The tractor has two right and two left indicator signal lights on the front and back of the roll bar. To activate the indicators, a toggle switch on the instrument panel can be flicked left or right.

When the tractor is put into reverse, an alert system is activated. This sounds a beeping noise, alerting nearby people to the tractor’s movements. A volt meter on the instrument panel shows how much capacity is left in the battery.

Boundary system

The first of the safety systems incorporated into the design was a boundary system, or a “geo-fence” as some may call it. Once the tractor is started, a central point in the radius of the boundary is established. The parent/guardian can then set the radius of the boundary, for example 20m.

The system is designed so the child doesn’t drive the tractor outside the boundary.

If the tractor leaves the designated area, an alarm will sound and will continue to ring until the tractor returns within the radius boundary. In addition, the exact coordinates of the positioning of the tractor will be sent to the parent/guardian via GSM SMS along with a message stating, “Your child is now outside the boundary”.

These coordinates can then be put into Google Maps, where they will accurately locate the tractor’s position. The alarm is designed to teach the child to stay within the set boundary, while the parent will be immediately notified that the child is not within the set boundary.

Seatbelt sensor

Another really important element of the safety features is the seatbelt sensor. The students designed the seatbelt sensor in such a way as to only release the handbrake when the seatbelt has been fastened. This means that the tractor will not move unless the child has the seatbelt on.

The motor that drives the tractor is equipped with an electromagnetic brake. When the brake is active, it’s not possible for the motor to drive the tractor. The tractor also has a tilt sensor. If the tractor goes beyond a tilt of 27° or more, an alarm will sound to warn the operator of the tilt.

Proximity sensor

On the front of the tractor is a waterproof proximity sensor. This sensor is continually taking measurements from obstacles in front of the tractor. The idea of the sensor is to bring the tractor to a halt before it comes into contact with any obstacles, avoiding a potential collision.

The system measures 1m ahead of the tractor. If the sensor detects an object, the forward function from the F/R switch is broken using a relay. When this relay is activated, the signal is broken.

In addition, the electromagnetic brake is briefly activated to bring the tractor to a halt. The operator can then put the tractor into reverse and move away from the object.

Photo cell

The students integrated a photo cell into the bonnet of the tractor. The data from the photo cell is fed back into the tractor’s electrical system.

When the lighting value drops below a certain threshold, a relay will be activated. This turns on the tractor’s external lights when the lighting conditions require, such as at dusk.

The tractor is fitted with nine front LED lights, six of which are on the bonnet, while the remaining three are on the roll bar. There are also two red tail lights. The lights can be manually initiated at any stage by pressing a blue button on the instrument panel.

It must be said that the team of students involved did a terrific job with the design and build of the tractor.

The unit will be in action at the Irish Farmers Journal stand at the Tullamore Show this weekend. Be sure to take some time to enjoy the tractor’s superb engineering.