Baler vs building equipment operator

The differences between balers and building equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a baler, becoming a building equipment operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a building equipment operator has an average salary of $41,007, which is higher than the $31,924 average annual salary of a baler.

The top three skills for a baler include pallets, baling and waste paper. The most important skills for a building equipment operator are loaders, HVAC, and blowers.

Baler vs building equipment operator overview

	Baler	Building Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$31,924	$41,007
Hourly rate	$15.35	$19.71
Growth rate	7%	4%
Number of jobs	8,979	45,267
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 25%
Average age	43	50
Years of experience	4	2

Baler vs building equipment operator salary

Balers and building equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Baler	Building Equipment Operator
Average salary	$31,924	$41,007
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $39,000	Between $31,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	WestRock	-
Best paying industry	Media	-

Differences between baler and building equipment operator education

There are a few differences between a baler and a building equipment operator in terms of educational background:

	Baler	Building Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 25%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Baler vs building equipment operator demographics

Here are the differences between balers' and building equipment operators' demographics:

	Baler	Building Equipment Operator
Average age	43	50
Gender ratio	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%	Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.3% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 8.2% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between baler and building equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Baler example responsibilities.

Direct and leaded the baling operation.
Clean and inspect balers before they are sold to customers.
Tend automatic machine that stacks bales on pallets for storage or shipment.
Assist coworkers working on other balers to keep them from getting behind.
Operate paper baler/ operate forklift and bobcat, sorting line and perform material inventory.
Operate and troubleshoot automatic stackers.

Building equipment operator example responsibilities.

Assist in installation of new HVAC equipment residential & commercial.
Design parts in AutoCAD to transfer into DesignEdge software to operate PlasmaCAM cutting table.
Maintain all HVAC equipment, operations, and P.M. equipment for all buildings in the downtown area.
Field work include all preparation for planting through harvest on particular operation including liquid manure spreading.
Install different types of roofing materials to include sheathing, feel, roll roofing, composition shingles and build up roofing.
Install and maintain all air compressors, printing presses and conveyor systems.

Baler vs building equipment operator skills

Common baler skills

Pallets, 49%
Baling, 39%
Waste Paper, 4%
RAN, 2%
Tow Motor, 1%
Balers, 1%

Common building equipment operator skills

Loaders, 26%
HVAC, 21%
Blowers, 17%
Snow Removal, 16%
Equipment Operation, 7%
Construction Equipment, 5%

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Baler vs Building Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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