- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
ESAB donates $511,000 in equipment to agricultural mechanics student contest
- March 25, 2024
- News Release
- Arc Welding
Through its Future Fabricators program, ESAB has donated welding and cutting equipment with a retail value of $511,000 as part of the prize packages for winners of the Agriculture Mechanics competition at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, sponsored by Shell, held at the NRG Center in Houston. More than 500 projects, including trailers, truck beds, gates, hay haulers, log splitters, and tractors, were submitted by 1,500 high school FFA and 4-H students from more than 250 Texas school districts.
Tucker Soules of the Hallsville, Texas, FFA chapter was named Grand Champion of Show for fabricating a hydraulic arm truck bed that is made for moving two round bales of hay at time. The prize package included an ESAB Ruffian ES 150G EDW engine-driven welding generator, an ESAB Rebel multiprocess welding machine, Victor oxyfuel equipment, a plasma cutter, TIG and MIG welding machines, and welding helmets.
“The support that I’m receiving here now is going to help me grow. I plan to make a business one day as far as building beds and custom fabrication,” said Soules, a 17-year-old-junior who invested about 425 hours to build the bed himself. He will put it on his 2016 F250 truck for delivering hay as part of the family’s cow/calf and hay operation.
The Agricultural Mechanics team from West Hardin, Texas, was named Reserve Champion of Show for its 40-ft.-long deck over trailer for hauling school buses that break down and metal for the Agricultural Mechanics program. The school won a prize package that featured an ESAB Warrior 400i MV CC/CV heavy industrial multiprocess welding machine, MIG and TIG welding machines, and oxyfuel cutting equipment.
“We’re teaching life lessons that go way beyond a welding curriculum so we can make sure students can obtain a job in industry and climb that corporate ladder to become project managers, engineers, and more,” said West Hardin Adviser James Merrifield.
“The way that the industry supports the program doesn't just last until the end of the life of the tools they donate. It lasts for the lifetime of these students,” added Curtis Langley, PhD, current superintendent of the Agricultural Mechanics competition, assistant professor at Tarleton State University, and owner of Langley Metal Works. “By supporting these kids at a young age, they can continue to build those skills throughout their young adult life and have the skills and the abilities manufacturers want, not just for technical work, but in sales, engineering, and more.”
Related Companies
subscribe now
The Welder, formerly known as Practical Welding Today, is a showcase of the real people who make the products we use and work with every day. This magazine has served the welding community in North America well for more than 20 years.
start your free subscription- Stay connected from anywhere
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Welder.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Tube and Pipe Journal.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator en Español.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
- Trending Articles
Sheffield Forgemasters makes global leap in welding technology
ESAB unveils Texas facility renovation
Engine-driven welding machines include integrated air compressors
How welders can stay safe during grinding
The impact of sine and square waves in aluminum AC welding, Part I
- Industry Events
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI