Examples

• Level 2 read work orders in order to determine which repair to do on a specific machine.
• Level 2 read basic instructions, for example, for a hitch, from a decal (label) on a machine.
• Level 3 read farm periodicals to broaden base of agricultural knowledge.
• Level 3 read service bulletins that describe particular problems or new procedures and integrate with text from other sources, for example, a manual.
• Level 3 read shorter text in the Troubleshooting Section of a Service Manual to diagnose a problem.
• Level 4 read text in Service Manuals: principles of operation of a system to get an understanding of how the whole system operates before beginning to diagnose a problem. Manuals from different companies vary in text complexity. Some text is written in an obscure manner, or has been translated from another language, and requires more study. Getting meaning from textual reading can involve co-workers and managers as well.
• Level 4 read text in Service Manuals: critically, assessing value and correctness of information to make sure the information needed to assess a problem is correct.

Examples

• Level 1 read decals and symbols on machines to be aware of moving parts and direction of levers.
• Level 2 read road maps to determine route and time to farms for service calls.
• Level 2 locate farms by legal description (for example, Township, Range Road).
• Level 2 sketch to explain parts to customer.
• Level 2 sketch to show how a part was put together wrong or where a fault is in the metal.
• Level 2 interpret symbols: from a list, or from context.
• Level 2 take photos to send with sketches and written report to the manufacturer.
• Level 2 complete delivery inspection forms.
• Level 2 read photographs to understand parts of hydraulic pump, valves, or systems.
• Level 3 read tables to analyse information for performance tests, flow meter tests, e.g. performance tests on hydraulic pumps: output in gallons per minute at x rpm.
• Level 3 read electrical schematics for understanding to diagnose a problem.
• Level 3 look up system and repair information in manuals and on computer system.
• Level 4 Manuals from different companies may use different formats. Different systems also have different symbols and formats. Understanding the information is complicated when terminology is not consistent.
• Level 4 read diagnostic flow charts to determine a problem with a machine. Integrate this information with knowledge and information from other sources.

Examples

• Level 1 write notes to self about a job when there will be a delay in starting work on it.
• Level 2 write partial parts orders, on a paper form or on computer, with the number and name of a part, or a work order for routine maintenance. Parts person or office staff complete the order.
• Level 2 complete work orders: what was done, what parts were used.
• Level 3 write up estimates, including parts list, and what will be done.
• Level 3 write a work order that justifies why and by what procedures the work will be done.
• Level 3 writing must be understandable to non-technical audience, i.e. office staff and customer.
• Level 3 write a report on each job, detailing what was done. The report also includes the hours on the machine, serial number, make and model.
• Level 3 write up a work order to include a disclaimer or notice of caution that the customer has chosen a repair or rebuild when the mechanic (from experience in similar situations) has advised the customer that such a repair may just break again and that it may be more economical to replace the whole system or machine.
• Level 3 inform a manufacturer, using oral communication, writing, and photographs, of obscure writing and errors in written text in service manual.
• Level 4 write warranty reports to explain work for which the dealership will be reimbursed. Some companies require that writing be detailed, descriptive, and technical. The writing may be one or two pages in length. The Service Manager or Service Writer usually will finalize a warranty report.

Examples

• Level 1 collect money on an invoice. (not common)
• Level 2 look up parts prices and tell customer as part of a rough estimate.
• Level 3 use a variety of tools to measure pressure and rates of flow.
• Level 3 measure tolerances in machine parts to thousandths of an inch or decimals of a millimetre to determine wear.
• Level 3 analyse measurements of pressure, flow, and power related to adjustments to hydraulic pump.
• Level 3 after receiving work orders and/or defining a problem and laying out a course of action, incorporate labour and travel time as part of own planning and organization.
• Level 3 do a check over on a piece of equipment and give a list of labour and parts to the Service Manager.
• Level 3 estimate the time needed to do a job one way as compared with another, at the request of the Service Manager.
• Level 4 calculate correct ballast required for actual situations. For example, add fluid to tires, or add additional weight up to manufacturer's specifications to give proper traction.
• Level 4 work out the cost of a job, including the cost of fabricating a part, factoring in time/labour, materials, incidentals, mark up. Not usual, or done with the Service Manager.

Examples

• Level 2 pass on messages and information to co-workers who are coming in from a service call.
• Level 2 listen to informal directions (miles in each direction) to locate a farm.
• Level 3 assist in setting up new machines and advise farmers on safe operation and maintenance.
• Level 3 set a relaxed tone in a situation that can be stressful for the customer who is losing money while the machine is down and faces repair costs as well. They describe what they are doing to diagnose and define a problem with a machine. They show and describe the repair before they start to work.
• Level 3 talk with the office staff who do the work orders, explaining the parts used and the time it took to do a job. They explain technical language and describe processes.
• Level 3 may give feedback to the company and the manufacturer, verbally, in writing, and using sketches, about how a section of a manual may be worded more clearly, or about a particular machine problem.
• Level 4 describe a problem, some possible courses of action, and the advantages of each to a customer, making sure the customer has enough information to make a reasonable decision.
• Level 4 talk with a customer by telephone, listening as the customer describes a problem, interpreting, questioning, advising, describing (talking through) a procedure to repair/replace a part.
• Level 4 listen to a customer to begin to diagnose a problem. They question and interpret customer descriptions to define the area of the problem, aware that their specific questions lead to detailed information that make the job easier. They listen with an open mind for cues that are not immediately evident. For example, a farmer doesn't tell a mechanic that he changed the parameters in an on-board computer. Farm Equipment Mechanics glean this type of information by tactful questioning.
• Level 4 deal with frustration and anger in a customer in the field. For example, a machine does not do what the customer believes the sales representative said it would. The Farm Equipment Mechanic works through the situation in a way that ensures respect for each person, listens until the anger is diffused, and then works on the machine. A Farm Equipment Mechanic can refer a situation to a Service Manager.

Examples

• Level 1 deal with an obvious problem where an easily accessible part needs to be replaced and is ordered and replaced.
• Level 3 diagnose problems with equipment. They assess a problem, gather information, and lay out steps for solution, for example, following a sequence of steps to locate a problem with a grain handling system in a combine, where there are several options for repair or replacement of parts.
• Level 4 deal with a problem with a hydraulic system that originates in an electrical system where adequate information is not readily available and correcting the problem requires several steps.
• Level 4 work to solve, for example, a series of problems relating to, but not necessarily caused by, the electrical system in a combine. The problem may only show up under certain conditions, for example, only after the machine has been running for 30 minutes. They use their knowledge of a problem solving sequence for that machine and a cycle of developing hypotheses, testing them, gathering information and trying again. Other people are involved in the problem solving.

Examples

• Level 2 decide when to seek assistance in diagnosing a problem in a machine.
• Level 3 decide when to stop diagnosing a problem and recommend another course of action, for example, to replace a part that costs $300 and that will probably get the machine working again, instead of spending more hours/money to diagnose further.
• Level 3 decide on a course of action to recommend after a problem is identified. They base decisions on time/labour and parts costs as well as what will correct the problem. They are aware of realities of customer service, for example, that the customer who will approve and pay for the work may be more amenable to paying for parts than labour.
• Level 3 decide to recommend an expensive layout of repair, rebuild, or replacement that may, if the system fails again, lose a customer for the company. The Service Manager may be involved in this decision as well.

Examples

• remember trade and technical information about a particular make and model of equipment, for example, a baler. They are familiar with the whole machine: the electronics, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical aspects and how they work. They remember similar information about many different types and ages of machines. They do not rely on memory for precise information, for example, settings, and look these up to make sure.
• remember previous problems and compare a current malfunction to determine if a similar repair would work.
• remember details/sequences of several jobs in progress. They are interrupted on one job to talk with a customer about another machine, remembering aspects of that, then return to the first.
• remember the sequence of tasks on a machine they started overhauling weeks earlier, picking up where they left off and continuing the process.
• recognize customers by name, remember their machinery and farms.

Examples

• Level 2 scan on board computer screens to locate the area of a problem.
• Level 3 use fault codes on computer to isolate a problem.
• Level 3 question the shop foreman, service manager and people who have experience working on the type of machine, for example, the seeder they are working on. Sometimes the manual is not available on an older machine and this is the first line of information finding.
• Level 3 operate a tractor themselves to check for a problem.
• Level 3 contact manufacturers' technical expert via a 'hotline' to describe a problem and get information about the problem and how to fix it. Sometimes the technical expert has little knowledge of the problem either and both people discuss and explore possible diagnoses.
• Level 4 locate and use information from service manuals, online or in print. Complexity ranges from 1 to 4 where 1 is information that is frequently used, easy to locate, and easy to read. Search strategies can be complicated because of complex or unwieldy classification. For example, in looking up information on a particular shaft on a combine, a Farm Equipment Mechanic discovers on that model, the part is listed in a section under "Housings". Trade terminology or parts names also vary. For example, in different manuals or parts catalogues, a park brake can be called a safety brake, an emergency brake, or a hand brake or a chain can be called a conveyor or an elevator. More complex searches to find information about system diagnosis and repair require a sequence of combinations of search strategies: including other mechanics, manufacturer's manuals and hotline, and trial and error strategic tests on the machine itself.

Examples

• Level 1 they write notes or draft for a warranty report.
• Level 1 they enter information in a billing program, occasionally.
• Level 1 they send or receive repair information by e-mail.
• Level 3 use other computer applications. For example, they use analysis software such as on-board computers to diagnose problems in a complex machine like a combine. Computer use is combined with knowledge of where the sensors are and what can go wrong to make them inaccurate. A code on the screen may give false information about a part or an area that is faulty. The Farm Equipment Mechanics may go back and forth between two programs and use outside knowledge of how the sensors and the computer are working to diagnose the mechanical problem.
• Level 3 using a database that includes graphics/pictures of parts to obtain parts information and prices.

Physical Aspects

Attitudes

The Farm Equipment Mechanics interviewed felt that Farm Equipment Mechanics should enjoy problem solving, a diversity of tasks, unpredictable schedules, and new learning. "I don't look at it as a job, I look at it more as an adventure." "It helps to love machinery." A mechanical sense and interest in learning beyond the immediate situation are important. Farm Equipment Mechanics take pride in skill and efficiency: They strive to do the best job at the most economical cost to the farmer. Patience (with machines and people) is important as is persistence tempered with judgement about when it may not be practical to keep working on a machine or system. Interest in learning and finding information are important. Farm Equipment Mechanics are aware of the importance of keeping an open mind when asking questions.

Future Trends Affecting Essential Skills

Changes in the industry are reflected in demands on essential skills. In the past, the Farm Equipment Mechanic often worked on a general work order, completing tasks as needed, and consulting with a foreman and the customer on larger items. Now, every piece of equipment that comes through the shop has a detailed work order with owner signatures for all work. Farm Equipment Mechanics will use more electronic sensory measurement, more on-board computer diagnostic systems, and more information systems. They will learn not just to read the monitor, but, perhaps, more about how the computer systems work. There will be more need for computer use skills. Higher levels of reading, information finding, and writing are being demanded and will continue to be. Communication skills continue to be important as Farm Equipment Mechanics write for and speak with technical and non-technical people.