Tractor driving

[harvey b davison]

Just a quickie, How much could a newly qualified (nptc) tractor driver be expected to be paid in general.

 

Thanks.

[timtree81]

Not much , 7 to maybe 10 per hour

[WorcsWuss]

Buttons mate.

Tractor driving is much like tree surgery [believe it or not!].. it takes years of experience to become really good at it, to be able to set up and operate a drill, drive a harvester, spray, spread fertiliser.... But even when you have that experience there's still less money in the job than climbing trees.

Seasonal trailer work will be minimum wage... you're competing with 16 year old farmer's sons looking to earn a bit of cash. And last time I did it I calculated my earnings by pints of cider....

[sandy2210]

its not being able to drive a tractor -my wife can do that and she's not got a licence-its being able to work what is behind it after all it is only the engine part of sometimes a complex and expensive machine!!

[MikeTM150]

hi

 

Depends on age, as much machinery now requires over 21's as its so large. But i'm currently paying £8/hr during normal hours, and £11/hr overtime for my good long term full time driver's...... the lads doing the summer silage and harvest trailer driving who are younger and some pretty un-skilled are on min wage and probably will require a well placed boot at some point for a bulls up!!

 

I might top up my long term chaps wages up with a bonus at the end of the year depending on what kinda season we've had and how much is left in the kitty!! They don't don't get it every year otherwise it just becomes an expectation every year.

[harvey b davison]

Can i just add, that i was thinking of doing it, instead of being stuck on the motorway in a hgv. Oh, and i'm 41 with experience in other plant ie telescopic flt. construction work is a rarity these days, so instead of hgv i was thinking of tractors.

[WorcsWuss]

No contest earnings wise..... you'll be a pauper driving a tractor after a lorry...!

[MikeTM150]

No contest earnings wise..... you'll be a pauper driving a tractor after a lorry...!

 

He's sort of right, but i wouldn't know what a lorry driver gets. Plus you'd work silly hours compared to lorry driving, through the summer months i'd expect my chaps to work 40 hour week plus a good 150 hours overtime a month for a good 4 or 5 months!

[s.varty]

Just a quickie, How much could a newly qualified (nptc) tractor driver be expected to be paid in general.

 

Thanks.

 

If you mean working in construction driving tractors/plant then i suppose you could earn good money after a couple of years experience, but if you mean farm work then forget earning big money, i do a bit of work on a couple of farms, 1 farm is 1500 acres with 1 worker and 1 manager,the worker basically does everything,ground prep,drilling,spraying,harvesting,operating hundreds of thousand pounds machinery and earns £8.50 an hour. Farm work is more than a job,its their love

[Rich2484]

When I worked harvest and cultivations I started at 8 and the earliest finish I had was 1 in the morning, I was on 7.50 hr flat rate then 10.50 overtime. Had to work a lot of overtime to make up wages.

 

I'm good a tractor operating and I can do anything behind it, but that took a long time to get good and lots of practice to figure it all out, there is so much to an implement you have to think about what your doing, I used a drill before and every spool valve is used on the machine, as well as a computer to control seed flow, fan speed etc.

 

I would stick to Hgv so much easier and less stress when you have a breakdown, oh and knowing the machine is also vital as the aa don't come out to the third field on the right at top of hill. Lol