Small equipment operator vs custom harvester

The differences between small equipment operators and custom harvesters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a small equipment operator has an average salary of $36,820, which is higher than the $32,135 average annual salary of a custom harvester.

The top three skills for a small equipment operator include routine maintenance, customer specifications and asphalt. The most important skills for a custom harvester are harvest, CDL, and .

Small equipment operator vs custom harvester overview

	Small Equipment Operator	Custom Harvester
Yearly salary	$36,820	$32,135
Hourly rate	$17.70	$15.45
Growth rate	5%	1%
Number of jobs	45,412	1,003
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	45	40
Years of experience	2	-

Small equipment operator vs custom harvester salary

Small equipment operators and custom harvesters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Small Equipment Operator	Custom Harvester
Average salary	$36,820	$32,135
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $48,000	Between $17,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between small equipment operator and custom harvester education

There are a few differences between a small equipment operator and a custom harvester in terms of educational background:

	Small Equipment Operator	Custom Harvester
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Small equipment operator vs custom harvester demographics

Here are the differences between small equipment operators' and custom harvesters' demographics:

	Small Equipment Operator	Custom Harvester
Average age	45	40
Gender ratio	Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3%	Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 0.9% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0%	Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 1.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	2%	3%

Differences between small equipment operator and custom harvester duties and responsibilities

Small equipment operator example responsibilities.

Certify in the use of forklifts, clamp trucks and skidster
Field work include all preparation for planting through harvest on particular operation including liquid manure spreading.
Manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients using GMP format and aseptic techniques.

Custom harvester example responsibilities.

Set up and manage GPS equipment for optimum harvesting efficiency.
Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools.
Ensure DNR compliance by maintaining different lakes according to specifications.

Small equipment operator vs custom harvester skills

Common small equipment operator skills

Routine Maintenance, 46%
Customer Specifications, 17%
Asphalt, 9%
Boats, 8%
General Maintenance, 4%
Mowing, 3%

Common custom harvester skills

Harvest, 79%
CDL, 21%

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Small Equipment Operator vs Custom Harvester

Updated January 8, 2025

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