Farm equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator

The differences between farm equipment operators and heavy equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a heavy equipment operator has an average salary of $39,822, which is higher than the $27,872 average annual salary of a farm equipment operator.

The top three skills for a farm equipment operator include harvest, CDL and mowing. The most important skills for a heavy equipment operator are loaders, backhoe, and CDL.

Farm equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator overview

	Farm Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Yearly salary	$27,872	$39,822
Hourly rate	$13.40	$19.15
Growth rate	1%	5%
Number of jobs	45,459	47,261
Job satisfaction	-	4.6
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	40	45
Years of experience	-	4

Farm equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator salary

Farm equipment operators and heavy equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Farm Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average salary	$27,872	$39,822
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $27,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Aberdeen, SD	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	North Dakota	New Jersey
Best paying company	The Wonderful Company	Moody's
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Energy

Differences between farm equipment operator and heavy equipment operator education

There are a few differences between a farm equipment operator and a heavy equipment operator in terms of educational background:

	Farm Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Farm equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator demographics

Here are the differences between farm equipment operators' and heavy equipment operators' demographics:

	Farm Equipment Operator	Heavy Equipment Operator
Average age	40	45
Gender ratio	Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7%	Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 1.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 0.9% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%
LGBT Percentage	3%	2%

Differences between farm equipment operator and heavy equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Farm equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and conduct the baling, hauling, advertising, and selling of 2000 straw square bales a year from 2002-2006.
Operate combines, grain trucks, tractors, cultivator, and augers.
Landscape work (leaf pickup, lawn mowing, weed spraying, repairing fencing, etc . )
Utilize GPS while planting grain.
Used GPS to navigate farm equipment.
Use of tractor for raking and baling.

Heavy equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and cross-train subordinates in several job-relate tasks while promoting leadership.
Operate trucks and equipment such as backhoe, dump trucks, front-end loader, hydraulic excavator, skid steers and bulldozers.
Operate heavy equipment including, but limit to, backhoe, excavators, bobcats, forklifts, trucks and wheel loaders.
Operate equipment used for construction purposes such as tankers, cranes, bulldozers, loaders, compost mixers and excavators.
Put down mulch cut grass, plant and dig up.
Work with asphalt, cut down trees, and dig trenches.

Farm equipment operator vs heavy equipment operator skills

Common farm equipment operator skills

Harvest, 28%
CDL, 7%
Mowing, 5%
GPS, 5%
Routine Maintenance, 5%
Equipment Maintenance, 4%

Common heavy equipment operator skills

Loaders, 9%
Backhoe, 6%
CDL, 6%
Asphalt, 5%
Safety Regulations, 5%
Dump Truck, 5%

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Farm Equipment Operator vs Heavy Equipment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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