Hot peppers are well known for being spicy and also have a high nutrient content. Human resources have formerly been used to harvest hot peppers; however, a high level of musculoskeletal risk to the human workforce has been reported. Therefore, to reduce the risk to farmers and replace the human workforce, the mechanical harvesting of hot pepper and steps to improve the harvesting efficiency of farmers were conducted. To achieve this, the effect of planting distance on the mechanical harvesting of hot peppers was analyzed at three planting distances (30, 40, and 50 cm) with several cultivars. Subsequently, machine-harvested hot peppers were classified into five groups (marketable, damaged, lost, unharvested, and twigged hot pepper), depending on their postharvest status. The average weight ratio of each group was then calculated, after which statistical analyses were conducted. The effect of planting distance on mechanical harvesting was then analyzed by comparing the differences between each group’s average weight ratio and the total weight of hot pepper, which was simultaneously harvested mechanically at each planting distance. Results showed that the average weight ratio of marketable, unharvested, and twigged hot pepper improved as the planting distance increased. However, no effect on the average weight ratio of damaged and lost hot pepper was observed. The highest yield of marketable hot pepper was found at a planting distance of 40 cm, and the average weight ratio to the whole was lower than at 50 cm of planting distance. Thus, the most suitable planting distance for mechanical harvesting was 40 cm.

Overturning accidents in agriculture offroad vehicles have been reported annually around the world. Safety structures, such as rollover prevention, have been adopted to mitigate these accidents. Despite this, accidents remain persistent but less fatal. This study investigated the safe driving boundary for a multi-purpose platform with attachments (cargo, pepper harvester). Mathematical formulations of the roll and pitch motions for multi-purpose platforms were created. The critical overturning angle, at five load levels for each machine (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 kg), was determined using Recurdyn, a dynamic analysis software. Regression analysis of each coordinate of the center of gravity was conducted to verify the most critical coordinate against gaining loads. The critical overturning angle for the X and Y directions was found. The cargo and pepper harvester had 28.64° and 21.04° of critical overturning angles in the Y direction, respectively, with a full loading state while climbing a steep hill. The regression model of the X, Y, and Z coordinates of CoG suggested that the most critical coordinate of the CoG against the loads was in the Y coordinate for the pepper harvester and the X direction for cargo. This study could be applied to develop an awareness safety system that warns the operator of the risk of a fatal accident.