Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul small engines used to power lawn mowers, chain saws, recreational sporting equipment, and related equipment.
36,060 people do this job in the US. $47,880 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 8%
- 2%
- 90%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 8%. Today's estimate: 8%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repair and maintain gasoline engines used to power equipment such as portable saws, lawn mowers, generators, and compressors.Done daily by most who do it. | 27% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Repair or replace defective parts such as magnetos, water pumps, gears, pistons, and carburetors, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 18% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Test and inspect engines to determine malfunctions, to locate missing and broken parts, and to verify repairs, using diagnostic instruments.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 38 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Reassemble engines after repair or maintenance work is complete.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Dismantle engines, using hand tools, and examine parts for defects.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform routine maintenance such as cleaning and oiling parts, honing cylinders, and tuning ignition systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 42 min21 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Obtain problem descriptions from customers, and prepare cost estimates for repairs.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 29 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Record repairs made, time spent, and parts used.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Adjust points, valves, carburetors, distributors, and spark plug gaps, using feeler gauges.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 21 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Grind, ream, rebore, and re-tap parts to obtain specified clearances, using grinders, lathes, taps, reamers, boring machines, and micrometers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Show customers how to maintain equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 21 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Sell parts and equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists0% now, 0% by 2028
- Motorcycle Mechanics0% now, 0% by 2028
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines5% now, 5% by 2028
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians3% now, 3% by 2028
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers8% now, 9% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).