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2004 BUV Design
Competition
Many spectators preferred the
Endurance Test and the Acceleration test
because all the vehicles compete at
once. For most of
the courses, the vehicles were divided into three
groups for simultaneous events. MSOE had a very impressive
documentation with assembly instructions, a
product brochure, Design Report and kitting plan.
The high school shop instructors see the competition
as a great way to teach the students automotive
technology. Mooresville High
School took first place in the high school division.
Students from United Church of Christ Youth
Group (Clay City, IN) won 2nd place in the high
school division. They hope to send their BUV
to a missionary in the developing world (they sent
last years BUV to Living Water International, a
Christian well drilling ministry.
Many thanks go out to all the spectators and
volunteers that helped organize the competition.
A very special thanks to the students whose time and
effort helped make this years competition a complete
success. Their involvement provided spectators
with many inspiring examples of ingenuity motivated
by the heart’s desire to help.
 M.S.O.E
in the swamp
Diesel power
Judge Jeremy Rawlings of Ford Motor Company testing
the entry from John Brown University
University of Dayton - Hydrostatic & Articulated
Summary - 4th Annual BUV Competition
(to be integrated with 1st account)
The 4th Annual
Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) competition was held
on May 8, 2004 in beautiful sunshine conditions
(unlike the monsoon conditions in the past).
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) won 1st
place with a Kohler Engine. Tri-State won 2nd
place, and returning 2003 champion Southern
Alberta Institute of Technology won third place.
The ten teams had to traverse
eight driving events, including crowd favorites
like the Mud Pit and Swamp Crossing, and six
non-driving events such as the Oral Report and
Written Report. Six judges from the automotive
industry evaluated the vehicles. The teams had
very demanding design objectives…including a $900
target cost, 500 lb weight, and 1000 lb payload.
The Milwaukee Team (MSOE)
either won or tied for first place in ten of
events with their mid-engine, front wheel drive
vehicle. Tri-State University, and first time
participant, had a very agile, low-profile BUV
that had marine-style steering. SAIT had the best
riding vehicle according to the driving Judge
Jeremy Rawlings of Ford Motor Company.
The obstacle course consisted
of several 5 foot moguls, various wood obstacles,
12” deep ruts, several 8-14” drop offs, cement
blocks and railroad ties, and frame twister
moguls. The Mud pit measured 14” at its deepest
point…only MSOE and two other vehicles made it
through unscathed. The static pull was
impressive…the most powerful BUV pulled with a
force of over 1600 lbs when chained to a
stationary object. The Grand Finale was the swamp
crossing. The winning vehicles forded 26” of
water to win the event.
CBS Radio, Fox 59 TV, and the
Indianapolis Star covered the competition. The
CBS Radio piece will aire in late May on the
Osgood File. SAIT team was interviewed on CBC
“The World this Weekend” (Canada’s version of NPR)
and on CBC television, and was also featured in
Canada’s leading paper, The Globe & Mail.
There were several creative
entries…including an articulated, hydrostatic BUV
from University of Dayton; a BUV with 4-wheel
independent sway bar suspension from John Brown
University; a vehicle with two PTO devices from
University of Cincinatti; a vehicle with rear
castors from University of Missouri; a vehicle
based on a steerable Chinese walking tractor from
Mooresville, and a 4WD entry by First United
Church of Christ Youth Group in Clay City.
During lunch and at the
awards ceremony, IAT Board Members Ned Campbell
and Bob Fecitt discussed the need for affordable
transportation in the developing world. An
impromptu speech of Professor Otieno of Northern
Illinois University drove the points home by
sharing a personal story of how his mother in
Kenya almost died due to a lack of transportation
in a medical emergency. Her friends laid her on a
bicycle and walked 4 miles to the hospital and she
was unconscious after the journey.
It was announced at the competition that SAIT
will host a “Rocky Mountain” version of the BUV
competition in Calgary, Canada. Vincennes
University will host a high school BUV competition
through their Aviation Technology Center in
Indianapolis. This program will be aimed at high
school vocational programs and pre-engineering
programs. The high school students will focus on
building a 3 wheel BUV based on the rear end of
salvage pickup trucks.
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