Agricultural Mechanic

An agricultural mechanic services, repairs, and maintains machinery and equipment used on farms and in rural settings, including tractors, harvesters, irrigation systems, and other primary production equipment. They diagnose faults through visual inspection and testing, perform component replacement and welding, and ensure equipment meets Australian safety standards and operates efficiently for seasonal production demands.

Diagnose mechanical faults in tractors and harvesting equipment using visual inspection, test runs, and diagnostic tools. Perform routine maintenance tasks including oil changes, filter replacements, fluid top-ups, and greasing of moving parts on agricultural machinery. Replace worn or damaged components such as bearings, seals, hoses, belts, and engine parts using hand tools and power tools. Repair or fabricate metal components using welding, grinding, cutting, and shaping techniques to restore equipment function. Test repaired equipment under load or operational conditions to verify correct operation and safety. Read and interpret technical service manuals, wiring diagrams, and parts diagrams specific to agricultural equipment. Maintain detailed maintenance records and service logs for equipment to track repair history and warranty compliance. Advise farmers and operators on equipment care practices, seasonal servicing schedules, and preventive maintenance to extend machinery life.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll be tied to farming seasons and emergency breakdowns, meaning irregular hours and being on-call during harvest. You'll need welding and electrical skills that take years to build properly, and farmers expect you to be a generalist across dozens of different machine brands.

Practically speaking you need to be based near farming regions: there's almost no remote work. Regional agricultural supply towns and machinery dealerships are your best bet.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3232, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adhere to traffic regulations on inland waterwayscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Digital Literacy
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Process Improvement Identification
• Purchase Order Processing
• Record Management
• Supplier Communication
• Team Collaboration
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026