Career profile · SOC ESC-60CBD311

land-based machinery technician

Land-based machinery technicians maintain, overhaul and repair agricultural equipment and machinery.

land-based machinery technician land-based machinery technicians maintain, overhaul and repair agricultural equipment and machinery. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include mechanical tools, principles of mechanical engineering, hydraulics, health and safety regulations, maintain agricultural machinery.

AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Pay in the UK

UK: median £40,760 a year for Metal working production and maintenance fitters (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

Middle half of full-time jobs: £31,226 to £52,357 a year

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5223). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only land-based machinery technician, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹17,819 a month
Rural India
₹15,532 a month
All India
₹16,773 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

Top skills

mechanical tools principles of mechanical engineering hydraulics health and safety regulations maintain agricultural machinery manoeuvre heavy trucks diagnose fuel systems assemble machines drive agricultural machines repair equipment on site

Knowledge you'll build

  • English Language
  • Mechanical
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Mathematics
  • Transportation
  • Production and Processing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Chemistry

What you'd actually do

  • Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
  • Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.
  • Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.
  • Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions.
  • Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery.
  • Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment.

Tools & technology you'd use

Microsoft Access hot Microsoft Excel hot Microsoft PowerPoint hot Farm Management Software Hay and Crop Manager Martens Farms Farm Site Mate Martens Farms Farm Trac

Frequently asked questions

What does land-based machinery technician do?

Land-based machinery technicians maintain, overhaul and repair agricultural equipment and machinery.

What skills does land-based machinery technician need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include mechanical tools, principles of mechanical engineering, hydraulics, health and safety regulations, maintain agricultural machinery, manoeuvre heavy trucks. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace land-based machinery technician?

Our AI-durability model gives land-based machinery technician a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

Take it further