Ergonomic and Soil Performance Comparison of Electric Rear-, Front-, and Auger Tillers

This poster presents a comparative evaluation of three walk-behind tiller designs—rear-tine, front-tine, and electric auger—focusing on both soil performance and ergonomic exposure. Using a repeated-measures field study, metrics included soil compaction, bulk density, mean weight diameter (MWD), physiological workload (heart rate, energy expenditure, cardiac cost), posture (RULA/REBA), vibration (a_hv, VDV), and noise exposure. Results show that the rear-tine tiller provides the lowest workload and highest soil disruption, while the electric auger tiller reduces vibration and noise and improves posture. Front-tine tillers imposed the highest operator strain. The study highlights the need for integrated soil–ergonomic evaluation to guide safer and more efficient mechanization.