How To Become A Small Engine Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a small engine mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Engines come in all shapes and sizes, in all sort of equipment. As a small engine mechanic, you'll get to work on power equipment ranging from snowmobiles to chainsaws and motorbikes to motorboats. Your expertise will help get these pieces of equipment back in working order after they break down. You'll be able to do this by identifying mechanical, electrical, and fuel system problems to make the necessary repairs.

Your tasks in this role will vary in complexity and difficulty. Some will require small adjustments or replacement of a single part. However, other repairs may involve taking an engine apart completely. You'll need to use a wide variety of tools on the jobs, including screwdrivers, wrenches, compression gauges, and voltmeters. You may also choose to specialize in only repairing engines on specific types of vehicles.

If you want to become a small engine mechanic, you'll typically only need a high school diploma or the equivalent. Many mechanics gain most of their experience on the job, especially motorboat and outdoor power equipment mechanics. Other small engine mechanics attend a trade school to earn a certification.

ScoreSmall Engine MechanicUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,668

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 0.83%

Black or African American 2.54%

Hispanic or Latino 12.44%

Unknown 5.60%

White 77.48%

Gender

female 4.04%

male 95.96%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a small engine mechanic

Explore small engine mechanic education requirements

Most common small engine mechanic degrees

High School Diploma

45.1 %

Associate

19.5 %

Bachelor's

13.3 %

Start to develop specific small engine mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Diagnosis	18.16%
Blowers	8.38%
Electrical Systems	7.97%
Mowers	7.93%
Honda	7.43%

Complete relevant small engine mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New small engine mechanics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a small engine mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real small engine mechanic resumes.

Research small engine mechanic duties and responsibilities

Perform various manual labor jobs including mowing, leaf cleanup, snow removal, and tree trimming.
Repair fractional-horsepower gasoline engines used to power lawn equipment, garden tractors, snow blowers and similar machines using hand tools.
Assemble and maintain new Polaris ATVs.
Repair Honda and Briggs & Stratton engines.

Prepare your small engine mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your small engine mechanic resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a small engine mechanic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable small engine mechanic resume templates

Build a professional small engine mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your small engine mechanic resume.