Description
Operate combine and specialty harvesters to cut, pick, thresh, and collect crops. Adjust machine settings to field conditions, monitor quality and losses, unload product, and perform routine maintenance and minor repairs while coordinating with hauling crews.
- • Operate combine and self-propelled or towed harvesters to cut, pick, thresh, or chop crops.
- • Set header height, reel speed, cutterbar, and feeder settings to match crop and field conditions.
- • Adjust concaves, sieves, rotor or cylinder speed, and fan speed to optimize cleaning and grain loss.
- • Monitor machine gauges, sensors, and sounds to detect malfunctions or blockages.
- • Unload grain or product into trucks, grain carts, bins, or conveyors, on the go when required.
- • Attach and detach headers, pickup reels, knives, and auxiliary equipment; connect hydraulics and PTO.
- • Clear plugs, crop mats, and jams safely to maintain steady throughput.
- • Calibrate and operate yield monitors, moisture sensors, and GPS guidance or auto-steer.
- • Inspect, service, and perform minor repairs on harvesters; report major issues to supervisors.
- • Fuel, lubricate, and clean machines; blow out radiators, sieves, and air filters.
- • Coordinate with truck drivers and field crews to stage equipment and manage harvest flow.
- • Record load tickets, weights, field identifiers, and maintenance logs.
- • Monitor crop quality, moisture, and foreign material; adjust settings to maintain standards.
- • Position and operate unloading augers, chutes, and spouts; secure and close containers.
- • Load and unload headers, crop bins, or pallets using forklifts, header trailers, or loaders.
- • Transport harvesters between fields or along roads, following safety procedures and regulations.
- • Operate post-harvest systems integrated with harvesters, such as straw choppers or residue spreaders.
- • Inspect, adjust, service, and repair harvesters, headers, and attachments; report malfunctions to supervisors.
- • Monitor engine, cutter, separator, and cleaning systems via gauges and onboard diagnostics; listen for irregular noises.
- • Set and adjust controls for speed, header height, reel speed, concave clearance, fan speed, and sieve settings to match crop and field conditions.
- • Attach, change, and calibrate headers or pickup attachments using hand tools.
- • Operate combines, forage harvesters, cotton pickers, grape harvesters, or other harvest equipment.
- • Unload grain or harvested material into grain carts, trucks, or bins using unloading augers or conveyors.
- • Coordinate and direct grain cart and truck operators to maintain continuous harvest flow.
- • Clear blockages and perform daily lubrication, cleaning, and minor part replacement.
- • Record loads, acres, moisture, yield, and machine hours using logs or onboard systems.
- • Drive harvest equipment between fields and on public roads, following transport and safety regulations.
- • Operate and tend stationary equipment for husking, shelling, threshing, ginning, or cleaning harvested crops.
- • Guide crop flow and remove damaged or foreign material using monitors or sorting stations.
- • Load, position, and secure modules, bales, or bins; close or label full containers.
- • Fuel equipment; check fluids, belts, chains, and hydraulic systems.
- • Use GPS guidance and yield monitors to optimize passes and document performance.
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
