Farm Equipment Mechanic
Complex machinery today needs highly skilled personnel, such as farm equipment mechanics, to handle repairs, overhauling, and routing maintenance as family farms grow into agricultural corporations.
What does a mechanic for farm equipment do?
Duties
When you accept a position as a farm equipment mechanic, you are in charge of carrying out the following obligations:
- Execute routine preventative maintenance operations based on work orders, such as overhauling tractors, payloaders, skid loaders, grain scales, conveyors, and other mobile agricultural equipment.
- Use a variety of tools and equipment effectively, such as an acetylene torch, an arc welder, an OHM meter, and other hand tools.
- Train junior technicians as needed to improve their aptitude for repairs and troubleshooting based on their roles.
- Maintain a current understanding of all safety guidelines and procedures, paying attention to them while you work on repairs throughout a facility.
- Be proactive by offering helpful advice on enhancing the department’s maintenance requirements and increasing overall effectiveness.
Everyday Life
A farm equipment technician spends most of the day maintaining and repairing tractors and other farming machinery to ensure that they consistently function at their best.
You will frequently use tools to identify issues with a machine’s operation and offer recommendations for fixes.
Depending on the complexity of the system and the type of problem found, the repair process might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. You would follow a step-by-step strategy to either replace or upgrade parts following a thorough testing process to pinpoint the problem.
Often, the solution is a simple adjustment or installation of a specific element, like tightening the chain on a chainsaw or modernizing a fertilizer dispenser.
Job Scheduling
Based on the time of year and the workload that goes along with it, farm equipment mechanics work unpredictable hours.
For instance, the planting and harvesting seasons are the busiest times of the year, requiring farm equipment mechanics to work up to 12 hours per day, six to seven days a week.
During the winter months, when it is off-season, you can anticipate working fewer than 40 hours per week. You’ll frequently be working outside with heavy machinery, using hand tools, and putting yourself in uncomfortable positions while standing or lying down. The likelihood of suffering minor burns, bruises, or cuts while working is very minimal.
Expansion of the job
Farm equipment mechanics will be in demand as agricultural technology continues to progress and larger equipment is used to support rising crop demand. Job openings are anticipated to increase between 7 and 13% faster than the average rate for occupations.
Furthermore, there will be new positions available for younger technicians when experienced farm equipment mechanics retire or leave the field.
Because professional repair services account for a sizable portion of a company’s earnings, people in this industry can also find work with businesses that rent, lease, or sell farm equipment.
With enough experience in the field, you can quickly transition to working in field service positions or even move up to the supervisor or service manager level. A few agricultural equipment mechanics go on to launch their businesses or make an investment in an established franchise.
Common Employers
Agribusiness dealers, operators, manufacturers, rental, and service organizations all employ farm equipment mechanics.
Private companies like Seneca Foods Corporation, Tyson Foods, or Hutson Inc., as well as academic institutions like Colorado State University, are among the employers in the market right now looking for a dependable farm equipment technician.
How to Become an Equipment Mechanic for Farming
People that identify with fields like agriculture, mechanics, or transportation are highly suitable for the profession of farm equipment mechanic.
With a minimum of a high school graduation, many employees in this field obtain their certifications through on-the-job training. However, an understanding of technology or farm equipment and a mechanical skill set is helpful.
The ability to handle manual and power hand tools will be a big plus because you’ll be working closely with equipment.
Reading comprehension and effective communication skills are additionally necessary for work as a mechanic because you will frequently translate and read service instructions for repairs.
From high school onward, you should take classes in physics, chemistry, and mathematics to get a head start in this field.
A farm equipment mechanic will move to the level of an experienced worker more quickly if they complete their training at a trade school or earn an associate’s degree.
Earnings for Farm Equipment Mechanics
The information below will help you learn more about this profession. The editorial material and recommendations on this page are based on our research, while the income and growth information is based on newly released Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Low Range for National Annual Salary: $29,720 Average Range: $38,510 High Range: $56,470
Nationwide minimum wage
Low Range: $14/hr; Average Range: $19; High Range: $27/hr
How do wages for Farm Equipment Mechanics compare to those at similar positions across the nation?
According to the most recent statistics on employment across the country, Farm Equipment Mechanics can earn an average annual salary of $38,510, or $19 per hour. It is therefore a Salary Above Average. When just starting or depending on the state you live in, they may make as little as $29,720, or $14 per hour.