Life As a Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician
Position Description Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, dairy equipment, and irrigation systems.
Life As a Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician: What Do They Do?
- Repair or replace defective parts, using hand tools, milling and woodworking machines, lathes, welding equipment, grinders, or saws.
- Drive trucks to haul tools and equipment for on-site repair of large machinery.
- Install and repair agricultural irrigation, plumbing, and sprinkler systems.
- Examine and listen to equipment, read inspection reports, and confer with customers to locate and diagnose malfunctions.
- Repair bent or torn sheet metal.
- Clean and lubricate parts.
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What a Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician Should Know
These are the skills Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians say are the most useful in their careers:
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Types of Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician Jobs
- Service Technician
- Farm Tractor Mechanic
- Field Technician
- Farm Equipment Mechanic Apprentice
- Pea Viner Mechanic
Job Outlook for Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians
In the United States, there were 42,500 jobs for Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 7.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 3,200 new jobs for Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician by 2026. The BLS estimates 4,500 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician are Utah, Nevada, and Georgia. Watch out if you plan on working in West Virginia, Maine, or Delaware. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians Salary
The typical yearly salary for Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians is somewhere between $26,790 and $60,590.

Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians who work in Wyoming, North Dakota, or Nevada, make the highest salaries.
How much do Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $46,350 |
Arizona | $50,110 |
Arkansas | $39,510 |
California | $47,310 |
Colorado | $44,980 |
Connecticut | $54,710 |
Delaware | $37,800 |
Florida | $39,940 |
Georgia | $36,580 |
Idaho | $42,660 |
Illinois | $45,270 |
Indiana | $41,540 |
Iowa | $44,130 |
Kansas | $41,080 |
Kentucky | $35,690 |
Louisiana | $42,160 |
Maine | $36,570 |
Maryland | $40,510 |
Massachusetts | $37,110 |
Michigan | $38,820 |
Minnesota | $44,470 |
Mississippi | $36,420 |
Missouri | $37,790 |
Montana | $43,350 |
Nebraska | $42,400 |
Nevada | $45,850 |
New Hampshire | $38,190 |
New Jersey | $43,000 |
New Mexico | $44,610 |
New York | $41,150 |
North Carolina | $37,230 |
North Dakota | $49,000 |
Ohio | $39,790 |
Oklahoma | $43,760 |
Oregon | $44,420 |
Pennsylvania | $38,590 |
South Carolina | $40,480 |
South Dakota | $41,840 |
Tennessee | $38,030 |
Texas | $43,880 |
Utah | $43,720 |
Vermont | $37,660 |
Virginia | $38,400 |
Washington | $43,090 |
West Virginia | $27,590 |
Wisconsin | $44,250 |
Wyoming | $47,510 |
What Tools do Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- ServiceMax
Becoming a Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician
Are there Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians education requirements?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians Are Employed

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Similar Careers
Those interested in being a Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician may also be interested in:
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- First-Line Supervisors of Agricultural Crop and Horticultural Workers
Are you already one of the many Farm Equipment Mechanic or Service Technician in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: Alandmanson via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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