title: Optimum handle height for animal-drawn mould board plough.
abstract: In Indian agriculture, animal-drawn equipment is widely used for various field operations. The user exercises control via the handle, and its height affects the work performance as well as the operator's comfort. This paper reports an investigation for finding the optimum handle height for an animal-drawn mould board plough. Experiments studied postural discomfort and physiological reactions of the operators at six handle heights. Downward force applied by the operator on the handle, and depth and speed of operation, were also recorded. Based on these data, the optimum handle height for a mould board plough is between 732 mm and 842 mm for Indian workers. For a fixed handle, a height of 770 mm is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Crop Production Engineering Division, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Nabi Bagh, Bhopal-462 018, India.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Gite