Noise and Vibration of Tractors: An Ergonomic Evaluation

The improvement and reliability of the agricultural machines provided a revolution in the human activities facilitating the production of commodities of agribusiness. Though, the efficiency of the tractor, well as the occurrence of accidents also depends on the level of fatigue to which the operator is submitted. Between the ergonomic factors that affect the operator machine, noise and vibration stand out among the principal. This study aims at evaluating the levels of vibration and noise emitted by agricultural tractors with different powers, comparing the results with existing regulations in Brazil. The tractors studied: MF 4292, MF 283, MF 297 and MF 680. As results, the structures of the seat were able to absorb the impact and creating a good working condition for the machine operator. The vibration levels, in general, were below the limits established for eight hours of work at frequencies 5-10 Hz, for the three directions for all tractors studied.