Job Summary

We are recruiting seven Medium-Power Tractor Operators to manage specialized planting and secondary land preparation operations. You will operate 155-190 hp MFWD tractors equipped with heavy-duty trailed billet planters, multi row bed formers, and complementary equipment to plant. This role combines technical precision, agronomic knowledge, and operational discipline to ensure optimal crop establishment and uniform plantation geometry.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operate high-power agricultural tractors fitted with a Heavy-Duty Trailed Billet Planter during the sugarcane planting season.

2. Operate the planter's moving-floor hopper and dual-row feed system to maintain a continuous and consistent supply of cane billets while achieving accurate row spacing, planting depth, billet distribution, and soil contact.

3. Monitor and correctly operate the planter's hydraulic controls and twin tanks, promptly identifying and reporting hydraulic pressure loss, leaks, abnormal movements, or other system faults.

4. Before the planting operation, operate the heavy-duty multi row bed former to establish consistent three-row field geometry, drainage channels, row alignment, and reference lines for accurate planter operation.

5. Maintain consistent bed dimensions and row alignment across planted blocks and work closely with the planting partner and field supervisor to ensure uniform field geometry.

6. Achieve the planned bed-forming work rate while maintaining the required quality standard.

7. Coordinate the timing and sequencing of bed formation and planting operations to minimize delays and ensure that prepared beds are planted within the appropriate soil moisture window.

8. Monitor planting quality continuously and make appropriate adjustments to planting depth, travel speed, seed/billet rate, hopper feed, row alignment, and implement settings according to field and soil conditions.

9. Conduct regular checks during operation to ensure billets are being fed and distributed correctly and that the planter is maintaining the required planting depth and row configuration.

10. Outside the main planting season, operate the multi-row bed former for ratoon-cane bed reforming and undertake other secondary land preparation activities as assigned.

11. Coordinate with other tractor operators on haulage and soil-amendment logistics, including the transportation of gypsum, filter mud, and cleared materials using a tipping trailers where required.

12. Exercise particular care when operating haulage equipment on soft, partially formed, uneven, or recently prepared fields to prevent rutting, compaction, and damage to field structures.

13. Conduct comprehensive pre-start inspections of the tractor and all implements, including hydraulic connections, PTO, tires, brakes, hitching systems, planter components, hopper mechanisms, and safety systems.

14. Manage fuel consumption and monitor tractor and implement operating hours to maximize productivity and minimize unnecessary fuel use and equipment wear.

15. Maintain accurate daily operation logs recording hectares planted, hectares bed-formed, planting/seed-rate settings, operating hours, fuel consumption, soil conditions, adjustments made, breakdowns, delays, and other equipment issues.

16. Communicate promptly with the Planting Supervisor regarding planter performance, field conditions, planting quality, equipment faults, and operational delays.

17. Coordinate closely with Agronomy, Plant & Machinery, Land Development, and planting teams to ensure planting operations meet the required agronomic and operational standards.

18. Comply fully with company HSE procedures, machinery operating standards, field traffic controls, and safe working practices.

19. Perform any other tractor and implement operation duties assigned by the Supervisor.

Required Qualifications & Experience

1. NTSA class G12 Valid heavy agricultural equipment operator license.

2. Minimum five (5) years' hands-on experience operating high-power agricultural tractors in commercial farming, plantation, land development, or similar field operations.

3. Demonstrated experience operating trailed planters, bed formers, heavy agricultural implements, or precision farming equipment is highly desirable.

4. Practical experience in sugarcane planting, bed formation, ratoon management, or other row-crop establishment operations will be an added advantage.

5. Demonstrated competence in operating tractors with advanced hydraulic, PTO, three-point linkage, and implement-control systems.

Technical Knowledge & Skills

1. Strong practical understanding of the mechanical and hydraulic operation of trailed sugarcane planters, including moving-floor hopper systems, billet feed mechanisms, seed/billet metering, depth control, row spacing, and hydraulic implement controls.

2. Ability to identify and respond to hydraulic pressure abnormalities, leaks, blockages, feed-system failures, and other planter faults, and communicate technical issues accurately to the maintenance team.

3. Proficiency in operating, setting, and adjusting multi-row bed formers, including row spacing, bed geometry, working depth, alignment, and field drainage configuration.

4. Good understanding of sugarcane planting depth, billet placement, soil contact, row alignment, and establishment requirements.

5. Ability to adjust planting speed, depth, feed rate, and other planter settings according to soil type, soil moisture, terrain, and field conditions.

6. Understanding of how soil moisture and compaction affect planting quality, bed integrity, traction, and crop establishment.

7. Basic knowledge of sugarcane agronomy and planting principles, including the importance of consistent billet placement, adequate soil cover, moisture, and uniform row geometry.

8. Ability to monitor work rates and calculate hectares per hour, fuel consumption per hectare, planting output, and operational efficiency.

9. Strong machine-care discipline, attention to detail, situational awareness, teamwork, and commitment to safe and productive field operations.