Transmissibility of agricultural tractors seats - effectiveness on driver whole body vibration damping

Agricultural tractors are very different from each other in terms of structural and preservation parameters, as for mass, work age, construction and so on. Vibration transmissibility to driver's body is largely related to seat installed on tractor that will be substituted for ageing (3). These differences lead to a variability in workers' whole body vibration exposure, mainly considering that the life of tractors largely overcomes life of seats. The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of tractor seats both in terms of certification tests and in terms of whole body vibration reduction to drivers on field measurements. Moreover, seat producers have to define correct seat regulation considering weight and position of drivers. This research wants also to compare ergonomics posture of driver's seat in subjects with different anthropometrical characteristics in medium and small tractors. Concerning latest vehicles it has been to underline that does not exist a technical directive that defines, in ergonomic terms, correct design of driver's position.