becoming a tractor mechanic/tech

[thepumpguysc]

Shop rates ARE in the 100.00 +/hr & the mechanic rate is in the "low teen's" when starting out.. UNLESS u have years of experience.. & know darn near EVERY component on a machine.. Fuel systems, hydro & electrical.. Brakes & trailer rebuild.. 18.00/hr..
Just depends on how bad u wanna job..
Mechanic work IS LIKE nursing.. in the fact that u can go anywhere in the world & get a job, once u know/mastered your craft..
I use to move around A LOT when I was younger {20's}.. Not just down the street but State to State..
Back then it was> get bored w/ the job, pick up the phone & find a fuel shop, talk to the Mngr. & plan a day off for an interview, hop in the car & travel 200 miles JUST TO TALK to someone about a job.. & of course u get it because there aren't any new fuel injection guys {mechanics} around..

 

[thepumpguysc]

Its gotten to the point now that the companies are putting in their ads.. "Great job for retired person".. because they aren't paying squat..

 

[rScotty]

Its gotten to the point now that the companies are putting in their ads.. "Great job for retired person".. because they aren't paying squat..

Or maybe they are looking for experience.

 

[rScotty]

....fact that u can go anywhere in the world & get a job.
Shop rates ARE in the 100.00 +/hr & the mechanic rate is in the "low teen's" when starting out.. UNLESS u have years of experience.. & know darn near EVERY component on a machine.. Fuel systems, hydro & electrical.. Brakes & trailer rebuild.. 18.00/hr..
Just depends on how bad u wanna job..

If local shops are charging too much and paying their mechanics too little, that's a golden opportunity to go into business for yourself.
Or as you say, a mechanic can go anywhere in the world and get a job. .... Or create one.
rScotty

 

[thepumpguysc]

Lol.. Scotty.. That's exactly what I did.. I built a fuel shop at my house to help folks out..& "retired"..
The ONLY THING I retired from was "driving to work".. NOW>> I take a golf cart.. Lol.

 

[rScotty]

Lol.. Scotty.. That's exactly what I did.. I built a fuel shop at my house to help folks out..& "retired"..
The ONLY THING I retired from was "driving to work".. NOW>> I take a golf cart.. Lol.

Hah! I'm laughing because that's real familiar. At one point in my early 20s I was helping so many friends fix their machines after my job at a local shop that I rented an old building just so we would have a clubroom space to gather in the evenings. You can guess what happened next..... Inside of a year it was a bustling business.
rScotty

 

[flashpuppy]

In 2009, I started heavy equipment wrenching in the civilian world. I did have military experience and was CAT certified in several things. As such, I started at $24.50/hr. I wound up around $28/hr after year.

I would not do that job for less than $35/hr today. Keep in mind, when we are discussing 100lb starters and impact gun/socket that needs to hang from the crane on your service truck, this stuff wears on your body quickly. I am not sure that at 33 I could do that job as well as I could 10 years ago. I am positive I could not do it as well 10 years from now. This is part of the reason I no longer am in that field.

 

[rScotty]

In 2009, I started heavy equipment wrenching in the civilian world. I did have military experience and was CAT certified in several things. As such, I started at $24.50/hr. I wound up around $28/hr after year.

I would not do that job for less than $35/hr today. Keep in mind, when we are discussing 100lb starters and impact gun/socket that needs to hang from the crane on your service truck, this stuff wears on your body quickly. I am not sure that at 33 I could do that job as well as I could 10 years ago. I am positive I could not do it as well 10 years from now. This is part of the reason I no longer am in that field.

Lots of jobs require using muscles while the brain develops... That's just as it ought to be. There are plenty of shops looking for knowlegeable older mechanics. It's even harder to find a good shop foreman than a good mechanic. The job market is pretty good for both.
rScotty

 

[1930]

I would start with some personal research. Face to face, as well as online. And I'd advise you to approach getting the information just exactly like you would any mechanical job. Instead of building a transmission you are building up some information. It's really all the same kind of thing, 'cause being a mechanic is just as much about how you do something as it is about what you do. Think of this information gathering as just another mechanical problem to be solved. But less greasy....

You do want as much information as you can right at the start.

Ask some local tractor dealer or shop manager if they would be willing to sit down and talk to you for 15 minutes about becoming a mechanic. Take some notes. Then maybe run what you find out past an instructor at the local vo tech school or night school or adult ed or even a rural high school shop class teacher if such still exists.

Sometimes writing up your conclusions helps to make things clear. I tend to keep these sorts of projects in a notebook. In fact, I've noticed that most mechanical type guys tend to keep notebooks of some sort or another.
luck, rScotty

What he said. Done, you will have a job

 

[BHD]

How would one go about getting into being tractor mechanic at a Kubota dealer or another brand too? Would they want someone who has gone to tech school. Should I just call the dealer and ask them who they hire and what qualifications are necessary?

In my opinion, what kind of mechanic are you now, do you understand basic workings of engines? and transmissions?

some people are naturals, some need a lot of guidance to get started, some people do not need school and some may need some, even with some school most will start a young person out floor sweeping and putting machines together, to see what one knows and where they can be most valuable to the dealership, if you have some experience the process may be different,

Schools are not bad, or depending on the person are they necessary,

but talking to the dealership you have an interest in and see what they require and what it takes , if you have some basic aptitude mechanical, they may be willing to "teach you".

 

[Teachu2]

I have a former student who took Diesel Mechanics classes through the Regional Occupational Center while in high school. Went right to work after graduation. Seven years later, he's a mobile mechanic for the local New Holland/Kioti dealer, and his base salary is $120k - plus overtime, call-out bonuses, company truck, full health insurance for his wife and kids. Nice kid with a very strong work ethic.

 

[RickB]

I have a former student who took Diesel Mechanics classes through the Regional Occupational Center while in high school. Went right to work after graduation. Seven years later, he's a mobile mechanic for the local New Holland/Kioti dealer, and his base salary is $120k - plus overtime, call-out bonuses, company truck, full health insurance for his wife and kids. Nice kid with a very strong work ethic.

Left Coast rates. Wouldn’t command half of that at an ag shop in the Southeast.

 

[PaulL2]

We pay tractor mechanics very well. Lawn and garden oriented shops pay poorly, but when you get into meaningful equipment you can do very well. We pay better than any automotive technicians in our area.

I'd hire 10 young guys who want to become mechanics today if we could. Not enough of you out there, and that means you'll be worth that much more in the future.

Number 1 option. PM to Messicks, ask for some time for a phone call, then ask what it pays and what their more senior guys make, plus all the other info that you need - what's the career like, what training do you need, what are the hours like, where can it take you, what do they think the future's like with increasing electronic widgets?

Seems to me that over time high end tractors will get more automatic - the driver will be lower skilled, the mechanic higher skilled. So getting into maintenance to me feels like a winning move. Particularly if you bring a bit of computer and electronic skills with you - which younger guys tend to have a bit of. If you become the guy in the shop who deals with the tricky computer stuff, you'll be worth gold.

Most of these trades to me also have the massive benefit that if you're in any way business-minded, over time you can become an owner operator, and specialise in some niche that nobody else wants to do, but when it needs to be done is worth good money. I said to both my nieces they should become plumbers, because when someone's toilet blocks up at 9pm on a Sunday night, they'll pay whatever it takes for someone to come fix it. A broken tractor in harvest season may be quite similar, someone who's prepared to do what it takes is worth gold.

Like I say, I'd have a real good chat to Messicks, and if that talk works out like I think it would based on what I've seen of them, I'd ask them if they have a job for you. Then I'd pack your stuff in your truck and drive to PA. One thing you can afford to do when you're young is take risks. Worst that can happen is you don't like it, you pack your stuff back in your truck and drive home. Best that can happen is you get great learning from one of the better dealerships in the USA. One of the nice things about moving away from home is it breaks your old habits and makes you much more self reliant - your friends aren't hanging around saying "you can't do that", and nobody knows you so you're only as good as what you bring to work every day - no history hanging around for people to judge you on.

 

[Teachu2]

Left Coast rates. Wouldn’t command half of that at an ag shop in the Southeast.

Just like everything else. Looking at Lincoln County housing for sale on Realtor.com, it looks like we're about 50% more here for comparable homes. We're in the low end of California pricing. Taxes on property, purchases, and incomes are high here, as is insurance. New cars are close to the same, but may last longer here.

Still, a teacher with a Master's degree and 30 years experience makes less than this 28 year old high school graduate here in the Central Valley of California. It would not surprise me if that's true in most of the country.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Growing up, I thought tech was the future. But most jobs are just more cookie cutter, low paying positions. A few hours training, a laptop loaded with proprietary software, and a highschool kid can troubleshoot a complex engine. OR, someone overseas (that lives in a cardboard box) , via an internet connection.

Stopped by a friends shop today. He was building cylinder rods for a large local CASE/NH dealership. This (young) man will never find himself out of work. He has a hundred times the work, he can handle. I think he should charge more! You need to find something to do, that is in demand and few can do.

 

[Little General]

I just read in Equipment World Mag that most big dealers like Cat,JD,Komatsu, etc are going into high schools and finding young people to train to be diesel techs. Some are even paying for all education if tech will sign contract to work 4 years after graduating. Article went on to state six figure income in early 20's. Now a lot of this was happening in middle US but I'm sure there are mechanic shortages everywhere . Here in NC there is a company hiring kids right out of high school to train into electricians. There is a huge shortage of plumbers , electricians and such now days. No one wants to get sweaty and dirty anymore.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I know tech companies who complain they can't find qualified and motivated employees. But, they won't pay either. Maybe twice minimum wage, tops! For some very skilled work. Those reported figures shock me!

 

[Little General]

I know you have to subscribe to the mag , but here is a look at what I was referring to.

AEM offering $5, in equipment industry workforce grants

 

[Bavarian]

We just celebrated our son's graduation yesterday.
During the ceremony, the student's future was announced and it does entirely reflect above statements.
Our son is the only one who's goal is red seal diesel mechanic out of 23 graduates. And this is a small school out in the country.

 

[rScotty]

We just celebrated our son's graduation yesterday.
During the ceremony, the student's future was announced and it does entirely reflect above statements.
Our son is the only one who's goal is red seal diesel mechanic out of 23 graduates. And this is a small school out in the country.

Congratulations to you and your son! That's great. Learning any mechanical trade really opens up his future.
Country kids are often exposed to mechanical skills from their rural upbringing, and that's one huge advantage for jobs & education.
rScotty