Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RCI

Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

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

Also called: Farm Equipment Mechanic, Mechanic, Service Technician (Service Tech), Tractor Mechanic, Agricultural Mechanic (Ag Mechanic), Agricultural Service Technician (Ag Service Tech), Dairy Service Technician (Dairy Service Tech), Farm Equipment Service Technician (Farm Equipment Service Tech).

O*NET 49-3041.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $56,550; Middle half earn $46,450 to $65,580. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate; 52% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Record details of repairs made and parts used.
Dismantle defective machines for repair, using hand tools.
Clean and lubricate parts.
Repair or replace defective parts, using hand tools, milling and woodworking machines, lathes, welding equipment, grinders, or saws.
Test and replace electrical components and wiring, using test meters, soldering equipment, and hand tools.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Active Listening3.1 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical4.7 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.8 / 5
English Language3.7 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.7 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.5 / 5
Physics3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative34
Artistic0
Social5
Enterprising1
Conventional55

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

water-based aquaculture technician · DE Aquakulturtechniker – schwimmende Systeme/Aquakulturtechnikerin – schwimmende Systeme · FR technicien d’aquaculture en milieu aquatique naturel/technicienne d’aquaculture en milieu aquatique naturel
irrigation system installer · DE Installateur für Bewässerungssysteme/Installateurin für Bewässerungssysteme · FR installateur de systèmes d’irrigation/installatrice de systèmes d’irrigation
vehicle technician · DE Kraftfahrzeugmechatroniker Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik/Kraftfahrzeugmechatronikerin Schwerpunkt Personenkraftwagentechnik · FR technicien de véhicules/technicienne de véhicules
diesel engine mechanic · DE Motorenmechaniker für Dieselmotoren/Motorenmechanikerin für Dieselmotoren · FR mécanicien diéséliste/mécanicienne diéséliste
construction equipment technician · DE Baumaschinenmechatroniker/Baumaschinenmechatronikerin · FR mécanicien d’équipement de chantier/mécanicienne d’équipement de chantier
mining equipment mechanic · DE Berg- und Maschinenmann Fachrichtung Transport und Instandhaltung/Berg und Maschinenfrau Fachrichtung Transport und Instandhaltung · FR mécanicien d’engins de mine/mécanicienne d’engins de mine

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Pipe fitters (5214)3,700 employed
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers (5315)153,700 employed
Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers (5236)16,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.21. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-3041).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test