| Author | Balasankari, P. K. |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AE-97-3 |
| Subject(s) | Tractor driving--India--Tamil Nadu
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree for
Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | A survey was conducted to determine the tractor utilization and the man-machine
interaction during tractor operations. The study was conducted in Coimbatore District in
Tamilnadu state of India. A questionnaire was used to collect data through personal
interviews. For better understanding of the tractor utilization, ergonomic aspects as well as
the behaviour of the people, the sample was divided into three categories namely, i) the
professional tractor drivers, ii) the farmers who drove their tractors themselves and iii) the
farmers who employed drivers to drive their tractors. The attitude of the subjects in different
category was determined by asking their choice of the commercial tractors.
The professional tractor drivers, who drove for more hours preferred a comfortable
tractor, the farmers who drove the tractors had a good trade-off between the comfort and cost
whereas, the farmers who employed the drivers to drive the tractors preferred the cheaper
tractor. The farmers who drove their tractor, used their tractors for more hours than the
farmers who employed drivers which was attributed to the economical condition of those
farmers. Also, more number of the farmers who drove their tractors, hired their tractors to
others when not is use in their own farm.
Many tractor operators (about 60%) expressed more of shoulder pain owing to the
mechanical steering and the frequent turnings required due to the small farm holdings. Hip
and bottom pain was also expressed by majority of the tractor operators (also about 60%).
Low back pain was the common illeffect found among the tractor drivers and one such
affected subject was examined by using a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imagery) scan to
understand what really it was and why it occurred. The professional tractor drivers (12.6%)
had a peculiar problem of peptic ulcer due to the prevailing socio-economic conditions. A
problem of chest pain was observed with the tractor operators which has not been noted in
any of the previous studies.
It is expected that the results of this study will be useful for the future design of the
tractor with more emphasis on human factors and for making a proper trade-off between the
economy and the human factor concerning the health of the operator. The. role of education,
engineering and enforcement needed for the betterment of the people involved in tractor
driving has been emphasized. |
| Year | 1997 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salokhe, V. M.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Gee-Clough, David ;Duflou, Joost; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Government of the United Kingdom; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1997 |