Tractor cab to protect the operator from hazardous sub- stances in spray application

Crop protection is mostly carried out spraying active chemical agents with potential impact on the health of environment, operator and consumer. Recently the European Commission played an important role in the protection of the operator with respect to the pesticide contamination during spray application. An active protection offered by tractor cab is a new requirement when the machine is used in crop protection. The solution to be adopted by the tractor manufacturers is the fitment of filtered and pressurized cabs. The subject is quite recent but a dedicated standard has been developed, the EN 15695:2009, to define the testing procedure to evaluate the performance of these cabs. However some lacks of information are evident in the standard application and only few prototypes of filtered cabs for self-propelled sprayers are nowadays on the market. The goal of the work has been to design and test in field a filtered and pressurized cab prototype fitted on a narrow-track tractor for orchard and vineyard. Two years of activity were carried out. Starting from a commercial cab already existing, the cab was re-designed and fitted on the tractor modifying completely the roof in order to locate the new type of active carbon filters required by the European standard. Then the tractor-cab platform was completely sealed in order to reach the required pressure level into the cab. Once the cab was ready and the standard requirements were fulfilled, the tractor was tested in orchard and vineyard for one year at the experimental farm of the University of Bologna. The results of the tests showed a positive performance of the prototype but highlighted the need to improve the standardized procedure with additional points on the correct use and maintenance of the cab during the normal operation in field. A crucial issue was to define the methodology for the evaluation of the performance of the active carbon filters during the use of the tractor in pesticide application in order to assess the field durability of filters.