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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.

Also called: Construction Equipment Mechanic, Equipment Mechanic, Equipment Technician, Field Mechanic, Field Service Technician, Field Technician

Compare with my current job (Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$76,770
$36.91/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,180
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.9%
200 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Long-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$60,530$66,540$76,770$89,530$108,670

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Repair and replace damaged or worn parts.
  • Test mechanical products and equipment after repair or assembly to ensure proper performance and compliance with manufacturers' specifications.
  • Operate and inspect machines or heavy equipment to diagnose defects.
  • Read and understand operating manuals, blueprints, and technical drawings.
  • Dismantle and reassemble heavy equipment using hoists and hand tools.
  • Overhaul and test machines or equipment to ensure operating efficiency.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure16 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 11
  • Language-model AIOE 9
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 27

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with looking up manuals and technical drawings. Operating machines to find defects, taking heavy equipment apart, and testing repairs are hands-on tasks that stay with people.

Likely to change

  • Looking up manuals and technical drawings
  • Finding repair steps in documentation

Still relies on people

  • Taking apart and rebuilding heavy equipment
  • Operating machines to diagnose defects

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Crane and Tower Operators

    You already know how cranes and heavy equipment work. Operating them pays a Boston median of $98,140, with projected growth of 16.1%.

    Pay difference
    +$21,370 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +16.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Reading blueprints and technical drawings carries over. This apprenticeship path pays a Boston median of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$44,070 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

    Equipment checks and safety habits carry over. The work pays a Boston median of $111,490, with 13.3% projected growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
    +$34,720 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +13.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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