Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, dairy equipment, and irrigation systems.
- Median pay
- $56,550
- Doing it now
- 41,900
- By 2035
- Up 10.7%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
3,700 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Record details of repairs made and parts used.
- Reassemble machines and equipment following repair, testing operation and making adjustments, as necessary.
- Maintain, repair, and overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems.
- Examine and listen to equipment, read inspection reports, and confer with customers to locate and diagnose malfunctions.
- Dismantle defective machines for repair, using hand tools.
- Test and replace electrical components and wiring, using test meters, soldering equipment, and hand tools.
- Repair or replace defective parts, using hand tools, milling and woodworking machines, lathes, welding equipment, grinders, or saws.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Agricultural MechanizationSee 24 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines$65,510
- Agricultural Equipment Operators$41,730
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians$79,870
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$49,590
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics$50,620
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers$61,010
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $56,550 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.