Tractor Driver - Medium Power

Role Overview

Operate medium-power tractors and specialized planting equipment to prepare fields and establish crops with consistent row spacing, bed shape, and planting depth. Your care in setting up implements, monitoring field conditions, and catching equipment problems early will help protect planting quality and keep field operations productive.

Key Responsibilities

• Operate 155–190 hp MFWD tractors with trailed billet planters, multi-row bed formers, and related agricultural implements.
• Set up and adjust planters for billet metering, planting depth, row spacing, and alignment to suit field conditions and crop-establishment requirements.
• Configure bed formers to achieve the required bed geometry, working depth, spacing, and drainage profile.
• Monitor billet feed, moving-floor hopper operation, hydraulic controls, PTO, and tractor linkage systems during work.
• Check planting quality in the field, including billet placement, soil contact, row alignment, and bed integrity, and make adjustments when needed.
• Identify hydraulic issues, blockages, feed-system faults, and other equipment problems; communicate findings clearly to the maintenance team.
• Track hectares worked, planting output, work rate, and fuel use to support efficient field operations.
• Follow safe operating practices, care for machinery, and coordinate with colleagues to maintain steady, productive work.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Valid NTSA Class G12 heavy agricultural equipment operator licence.
• At least five years of practical experience operating high-power agricultural tractors in commercial farming, plantation, land-development, or comparable field operations.
• Experience with heavy implements such as trailed planters and bed formers; familiarity with precision-farming equipment is an advantage.
• Practical knowledge of sugarcane planting, bed formation, ratoon management, or other row-crop establishment work is an added advantage.
• Ability to operate and control tractor hydraulic, PTO, three-point linkage, and implement systems.
• Working understanding of trailed planter mechanics, including billet feed and metering, hopper operation, depth adjustment, and hydraulic functions.
• Ability to set and adjust bed formers and assess how moisture and soil compaction affect planting, traction, and bed quality.
• Confidence in monitoring field productivity and calculating hectares per hour, output, and fuel consumption per hectare.
• Strong machine-care habits, attention to detail, situational awareness, teamwork, and commitment to safe field operations.