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Mobile Equipment Mechanic Vs Forklift Technician

The differences between mobile equipment mechanics and forklift technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a mobile equipment mechanic and a forklift technician. Additionally, a mobile equipment mechanic has an average salary of $72,190, which is higher than the $43,589 average annual salary of a forklift technician.

The top three skills for a mobile equipment mechanic include hand tools, cranes and electrical systems. The most important skills for a forklift technician are troubleshoot, preventative maintenance, and safety procedures.

Mobile equipment mechanic vs forklift technician overview

Mobile Equipment MechanicForklift Technician
Yearly Salary$72,190$43,589
Hourly rate$34.71$20.96
Growth Rate8%8%
Number Of Jobs105,687179,388
Job Satisfaction--
Most Common DegreeHigh School Diploma, 38%High School Diploma, 36%
Average Age4444
Years Of Experience44

What does a Mobile Equipment Mechanic do?

Mobile equipment mechanics are skilled employees who are responsible for conducting repairs and maintenance of construction and surface mining equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, and excavators. These mechanics must inspect machines and heavy equipment while evaluating operating manuals to perform diagnosis and resolve any defects. They are required to use hand and power tools to perform repairs on the defective equipment parts. Mobile equipment mechanics must also check any open circuits on the electrical systems of heavy equipment.

What does a forklift technician do?

Primarily, a forklift technician services and monitors forklifts and any other heavy industrial vehicles. Forklift technicians maintain tools, communicate with the salespeople, handle inventory, and utilize computer-based diagnostics on any equipment. Typically, they work in repair shops doing repair and troubleshooting tasks. They repair, rewire, and troubleshoot the electrical, electronic, and mechanical problems of vehicles. Among their other duties and responsibilities are shop analysis, equipment modification, diagnostics, electronic system troubleshooting.

Mobile equipment mechanic vs forklift technician salary

Mobile equipment mechanics and forklift technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mobile Equipment MechanicForklift Technician
Average Salary$72,190$43,589
Salary RangeBetween $45,000 And $115,000Between $31,000 And $60,000
Highest Paying CityHayward, CA-
Highest Paying StateMassachusetts-
Best Paying CompanyKoch Industries-
Best Paying IndustryGovernment-

Differences between mobile equipment mechanic and forklift technician education

There are a few differences between a mobile equipment mechanic and a forklift technician in terms of educational background:

Mobile Equipment MechanicForklift Technician
Most Common DegreeHigh School Diploma, 38%High School Diploma, 36%
Most Common MajorAutomotive TechnologyAutomotive Technology
Most Common College--

Mobile equipment mechanic vs forklift technician demographics

Here are the differences between mobile equipment mechanics' and forklift technicians' demographics:

Mobile Equipment MechanicForklift Technician
Average Age4444
Gender RatioMale, 94.6% Female, 5.4%Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage1%1%

Differences between mobile equipment mechanic and forklift technician duties and responsibilities

Mobile Equipment Mechanic Example Responsibilities.

  • Inspect building systems HVAC and plumbing to ensure operation equipment is within design capabilities and achieves environmental conditions prescribe by the client
  • Replace faulty injectors, governor advance units, heads or blowers.
  • Provide HVAC, plumbing, electrical and general maintenance support to commercial accounts.
  • Revise and implement a HAZMAT standard operating procedure in accordance with USAEUR regulations.
  • Work with the PLC systems to control product movement and other logic controls.
  • Determine and repair malfunctions in electric, mechanical, pneumatic and plc systems.
  • Show More

Forklift Technician Example Responsibilities.

  • Organize and preform OSHA inspections for overhead hoists.
  • Pick outbound orders using AS400 RF system using FIFO.
  • Load and unload trucks by hand with Forklift/double forks.
  • Employ wide variety of hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments and electrical testing devices.
  • Perform on-site field maintenance, quarterly calibrations, and major repairs to heavy machinery such as cranes, man-lifts and forklifts.
  • Position lifting device under, over, or around load pallets and secure materials or products for transport to designate area.
  • Show More

Mobile equipment mechanic vs forklift technician skills

Common Mobile Equipment Mechanic Skills
  • Hand Tools, 12%
  • Cranes, 10%
  • Electrical Systems, 6%
  • Loaders, 6%
  • Hydraulic Systems, 5%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 4%
Common Forklift Technician Skills
  • Troubleshoot, 70%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 3%
  • Safety Procedures, 3%
  • Hand Tools, 3%
  • General Repairs, 2%
  • OSHA, 2%

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