# Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farm-equipment-mechanics-and-service-technicians
- SOC code: 49-3041.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $56,550 (10th percentile $37,470, 90th percentile $78,740)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +10.7%
- Openings a year: 3,700
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 34 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 5 |
| Enterprising (E) | 1 |
| Conventional (C) | 55 |

## What you'd do

- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 90/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 80/100)
- Getting Information (importance 79/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment (importance 78/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 77/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 77/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 75/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 74/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 74/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 71/100)

## Skills

Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Selection, Active Listening

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Engineering and Technology, Physics, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Design, Administration and Management

## Also called

Agricultural Equipment Mechanic (Ag Equipment Mechanic), Agricultural Mechanic (Ag Mechanic), Agricultural Service Technician (Ag Service Tech), Assembly Repairer, Combine Mechanic, Dairy Equipment Installer, Dairy Equipment Mechanic, Dairy Equipment Repairer, Dairy Service Technician (Dairy Service Tech), Diesel Mechanic

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Agricultural Mechanization](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0102) (CIP 0102, 90 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Iowa State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/iowa-state-university-1305) | Agricultural Mechanization | $69,450 | $78,890 | $15,777 |
| [Kansas State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/kansas-state-university-1364) | Agricultural Mechanization | not reported | $78,537 | not reported |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | Agricultural Mechanization | $68,847 | $78,080 | not reported |
| [University of Nebraska-Lincoln Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-nebraska-lincoln-main-campus-2975) | Agricultural Mechanization | $61,751 | $74,003 | not reported |
| [Purdue University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/purdue-university-main-campus-2163) | Agricultural Mechanization | $63,519 | $73,393 | not reported |
| [South Dakota State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/south-dakota-state-university-2445) | Agricultural Mechanization | $64,756 | $67,746 | $19,569 |
| [Sam Houston State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/sam-houston-state-university-2333) | Agricultural Mechanization | $59,342 | $67,729 | not reported |
| [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](https://www.collegesref.com/college/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh-1884) | Agricultural Mechanization | $54,479 | $60,122 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics-except-engines): $65,510 median pay
- [Industrial Machinery Mechanics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-machinery-mechanics): $64,520 median pay
- [Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/outdoor-power-equipment-and-other-small-engine-mechanics): $47,880 median pay
- [Maintenance and Repair Workers, General](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-workers-general): $49,590 median pay
- [Engine and Other Machine Assemblers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/engine-and-other-machine-assemblers): $53,710 median pay
- [Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electric-motor-power-tool-and-related-repairers): $56,210 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.