Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

Also Called:

Farm Equipment Mechanic,

Mechanic,

Service Technician,

Tractor Mechanic

What they do: Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, dairy equipment, and irrigation systems.

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Maintain, repair, and overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems.
  • Dismantle defective machines for repair, using hand tools.
  • Record details of repairs made and parts used.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Engineering and Technology
  • Mechanical

  • Computers and electronics

Business
  • Customer service

  • Management

Arts and Humanities
  • English language

Math and Science
  • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Hand and Finger Use
  • Hold or move items with your hands

  • Put together small parts with your fingers

Controlled Movement
  • Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat

  • Use your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down

Verbal
  • Listen and understand what people say

  • Communicate by speaking

Ideas and Logic
  • Notice when problems happen

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Technical
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment

  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move
  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Connect with a career advisor or mentor
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop