Harvesters and headers in Farming Simulator 22
Harvesters and headers in Farming Simulator 22
Let’s talk about harvested and headers you can add on them to work with different types of plants. Here are some of the main things we will be covering here:
- Harvesters
- Harvester headers
- Forage harvesters
- Headers for forage harvesters
- Harvesters for potatoes
- Harvesters for beets
- Harvesters for beets
Harvesters
This category includes 10 harvesters – they are different in their power. Consequently, they will also different in how wide their headers are, as well as how fast they will move (although working speed doesn’t differentiate between models too much). Another important thing is how different the tanks (known as hoppers) are. This shows how much crops will fit in the tank before it has to be emptied somewhere.
Harvesters are used for a variety of crops, such as barley, oats, rape seed, wheat, sunflower, maize, and soybeans. Most harvesters (barring some cheap entry options) have an option for connecting a loading trailer where crops could be emptied.
The cheapest available harvester is FMT Bizon Super ZO56 for $84,000. It’s not a very super option though, as the grain tank is super small. Plus, headers from other models don’t work on it (which is a standard for other combines). You can connect TDK/HDK trailers though, which is a suitable option – but not enough for most.
Going upwards the price chart, the options become much better, like the Massey Ferguson MF Active 7374S for $202.000. It has an excellent output, as well as the ability to connect 9m trailers, meant for much more premium models. This is a solid workhorse, maintaining its solid maximum speed at all times, barring any damage or elevation issues.
The John Deere T560 and S790 combines are different from other solutions, as they can also get front axle tracks, leading to better maneuverability and mobility.
Harvester headers
A harvester needs an attachment to work with a specific type of crop. Called headers, and suitably found in the Headers section in the store, the main attachments will let you harvest rape seed, wheat, oat, barley, and soybean. There are also options for harvesting sunflower at a speed no higher than 15 km/h, and the Corn headers section will include options for harvesting corn and sunflower, but not at a speed higher than 10 km/h.
- Different headers can be mounted on different harvesters, however the built-in harvester header works best.
- Headers in the same type differ only in their price and width. For example, the 9m harvester header works on all types of combines that allow it. No matter if it’s cheaper.
- You can try and attach a bigger header than the harvester allows, however there’s no guarantee that it will work, and if it does, it might do so at a lower speed.
- Bizon Super ZO56 FMT is a notable example of a harvester that only works with its dedicated harvesters, and there is also no blade for quicker harvesting of corn.
Certain grain hedgers also come with a set of wheels and a drawbar for better transportation. A model too wide to use on the road will have to be transported with a dedicated trailer, found on the Trailers for harvesters/cutters section.
Forage harvesters
A forage harvester can be used for three separate applications, depending on the type of header you attach to it.
The main use – getting chopped straw. It can be converted into silage, pretty important for running a profitable operation.
Chopped straw can be taken from barley, oats, wheat, rapeseed, and soybean, with the headers that cost $38,000. Corn chopped straw is by far the most profitable option. All headers can be used for this purpose as well, they’ll be at the end of the Forage Harvester Headers tab.
These headers will collect the cut down crass, transferring it to a trailer. This is a more straightforward way than bales and forage wagons.
The forage harvesters can also cut poplars and make wood chips. They can be sold at any sawmill.
The three available models are different, depending on their power and the width of the headers they can use. There are no tanks of their own available, you’ll need to find an additional vehicle of your own for collecting the raw materials.
Each of the forage harvesters has a pin that’s on the back of it, allowing you to attach a trailer of your choice. There are options for HDK/TDK as well as the massive special trailers that can be purchased from the Sugarcane Technology tab. Regular loading wagons won’t work for sugarcane.
Headers for forage harvesters
These are the available forage harvester headers. But before you go buying one, there are still some things to consider:
- Pottinger MEX 5 only works with tractors, and it’s basically just a small version of the chopper straw harvester – only for coulters. Place this trailer behind the tractor and you’re good to go.
- New Holland 130FB can take planted poplar, and immediately extract chips. And despite the game insisting that it’s meant for the New Holland FR 780 forage harvester, it actually works on any model.
- EasyFlow 300 S and 300 FP are two $20,000 models that collect hay or grass, cut by a forage harvester. It’s a much faster solution than harvesting grass via loading wagons.
- For $38,000, XDisc 620, Spartan 610, and 600FDR can help you get chopped straw from a variety of crops, such as soy, oats, barley, wheat, and rape.
- For $80,000 and $120,000, 360 Plus, 390 Plus, SFI 900, and X-Collect 900-3 exclusively take chopped straw from corn. However, it’s by far the most efficient way to do it. Even though they would slower than grain headers (10 km/h vs 15 km/h), there is a 50% wider tip, letting you take twice as much straw from corn, compared to other options.
Harvesters for potatoes
Under the tab called Potato Technology, you’ll find this – the Grimme Varitron 470 Platinum Terra Trac. At $496,000, it’s an investment, meant for much larger fields and harvest than usual. But this machine is fully self-sufficient, and there is no need to attach a header or cut the potatoes before harvesting. The tank might seem massive at 9590l, but with the size and speed, it will fill up in no time.
There are a few other potato harvesters, but they do require an additional tractor in the rear, and a potato cutter in the front. Compared to the expensive self-propelled option, they’re much slower and much less powerful.
- Grimme SE 260 – this model requires a tractor and a cutter.
- Grimme KS 75-4 – this is a massive red flag. Do not use this option, as it has a lot of problems. The main one being the fact that when you use a cutter, a tractor, and hire an employee, it will skip every other line. The combine harvester is two times more narrow than the cutter tip.
- Ropa Keiler 2 – this option does not require the front potato cutter bit, so it actually works on a harvester with no 3-point front linkage. Plus, it uses considerably less tractor power.
Harvester for beets
The available beet harvesting machines do not differ a lot from one another. Therefore, we recommend investing into the most expensive option only if you focus very heavily on beet harvesting. Pin-mounted HDK/TDK trailers can also be connected to the combine harvester. But it doesn’t matter all that much if you’re doing a large-scale operation.
The beet harvester headers can be found on the Technology of beet growing tab. We do not advise to connect models from a more powerful harvester to a weaker model – they will consistently differ in width.
Similar to potato harvesters, beet harvesters fill up very quickly. Special beet harvester models, such as the Ropa Maus 5 allows beets to be loaded directly from the ground and lets you empty them on the ground as well. This leads to quicker and easier loading on the trailers.
A small beet harvester, such as Grimme Rootster 604, is excellent for beginners. Found in the Technology of beet growing section, it simply attaches to a tractor and overall, it’s a pretty solid machine. Much less of a nuisance than the potato harvester it does not require a powerful tractor and overall works really well.
Similar to potatoes, you need to cut the tops before harvesting. Grimme FT 300 cutter has to be attached to the front of the tractor before proceeding. However, there are still some things to notice.
- Tractor needs to have a drive shaft to attach this tool, any 3-point mounted tractor won’t do.
- Tool moves at the speed of 15 km/h, meanwhile the harvester goes at 10 km/h. You can use these tools independent from one another (i.e. working with one cutter and two harvesters, or running the operations separately)
Harvester for cotton
Cotton is a pretty recent addition to the Farming Simulator games, and there aren’t all that many machines to use. CaselH Module Express 635 is the only viable solution. Luckily. No additional headers and tools are required in order to run it, it’s an all-in-one tool that’s ready to go immediately after buying. The tank fills up after around 2 hectares, and immediately produces a large bale of cotton on the ground. Then, it can be picked up with trailers.
Harvester for sugarcane
The highest-tier tool for harvesting sugarcane in Farming Simulator 22 is the self-propelled CaselH Austoft 8800 Multi-Row. However, it’s not an ideal solution. A self-propelled option has double the harvesting area capacity as the tractor combined with a combine harvester and there are no speed advantages.
Instead, you can spend the same amount of money and get two combine harvesters with two modestly-sized tractors.
You can connect a trailer as well, but only a pretty small one. The large trailers won’t work, due to the big pipe for depositing all of the crop.
Lizard SWT 7 is a more affordable harvester for sugarcane. It can be attached to the end of any tractor like a semi-trailer. Behind it, a large trailer for harvesting sugar cane can be added. Massey Ferguson MF 3012 is the best trailer option. Compared to an even bigger Randon trailer, it works much heater, leaving no uncollected areas.
Credits:Farming Simulator 22 Mods
