1. Load-It
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Walter Smith, Denis Money, and
Rick Voyles, as well as the entire Department of
Engineering Technology, with assistance in making this
project possible.
Nathan T Smith
Introduction
One of the biggest challenges in deer
hunting is getting a deer out of the woods after
you have shot one. So for my senior project I
wanted to tackle this problem with a mechanical
device that attaches to the front of an ATV.
Design
My design utilizes the pre-existing wench
through two pulleys to have an inward and
downward pull. I used square steel tube, that
was donated, for most of the structure. I
incorporated telescoping arms for uneven
surfaces to separate my design from existing
ones. I modeled every part in Nx9.0 and an
assembly was made to build my design on.
Figure 2. Nx Renderings, Extended (left), Retracted
(right).
Figure 1. Deer loaded onto ATV before my project.
Figure 3. Final Construction (left), Nx9.0 Assembly
Rendered model (right).
Figure 4. Hook Design (left), Arm Stop (top), Nx Arm
Stop Rendering (bottom right).
Construction
The main structures were made from a
type of stainless steel. The main processes
were MIG welding and drilling. For the pulley
rods I used a lathe to create the appropriate
threads and the design I wanted. I used zinc
plated, high strength bolts, nuts, and washers
for all moveable joints.
Figure 5. Steel Rods(top left), End Milled(top right),
Gator Lathe(bottom left), Threaded End(bottom left).
Conclusion
With many tests the Load-It functions as
intended and encompasses the features
desired. The prototype revealed a couple of
problems that I want to address in the future.
Production of this product should be simple
and cost effective. This project was only
possible from the skills and knowledge I
acquired from the University of Memphis.
References
ASTM International. ASTM, 1 Jan. 1996. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
<www.ASTM.org>.
Research
Current ATV front loader devices are few
and far between, and I only found two other
designs. Though the other designs were light
and durable they seem to be on the more
expensive side. I have addressed this issue as
well as keeping wanted features and working
with limited resources.