Grimme DLC Thoughts

[farmer_bell]

So, What is everyone's thoughts on the Grimme DLC?

I do like the DLC and the equipment offered, but it is not without its issues I think.

My farming style is lower HP machines, so this DLC fits perfectly into my game style.
I really like the animation and attention to detail that has gone into the DLC. I think it presents as a good addition to the game. However, that said, I do hope it is going to get patched soon to fix some of the issues.

So far, some of the issues I have found are

The WR 200 CDR machine, although it states a needed power of 150HP, my tractor with 180hp struggles on anything that is not flat.
Also the SE 85-55, again on a 180HP tractor, the collection unit seems to dig into the ground too much and the tractor is literally sitting in the field with its wheels spinning, going nowhere.
The WH 200S is missing its working animation.
The WR 200 CDR sometimes does a weird dance when you disconnect it from a tractor.

Personally I would love it if the 3 potato diggers could also pick up windrowed potatoes. If you hire a worker using the WH200S, I was hoping to get 2 rows into one singe windrow, but the helper simply puts the windrows side by side, so instead of one windrow you get 2 close ones. It would have been great, if like real life, the machine would collect the previously dug potatoes and make just one windrow.

Other than those small issues, I think its a great DLC and I am happy with it.

[Dairydeere]

I think it's a pretty good DLC. I've never been a fan of all the 3 meter equipment, but what I'm going to enjoy are the warehouse, conveyors, and the trailers. I'll probably use the basegame or modded harvester since I don't usually work in small equipment. But overall, Peppe did a good job with the modeling. I checked them all out ingame and they're done well

[ChiefContractor]

So, What is everyone's thoughts on the Grimme DLC?

I do like the DLC and the equipment offered, but it is not without its issues I think.

My farming style is lower HP machines, so this DLC fits perfectly into my game style.
I really like the animation and attention to detail that has gone into the DLC. I think it presents as a good addition to the game. However, that said, I do hope it is going to get patched soon to fix some of the issues.

So far, some of the issues I have found are

The WR 200 CDR machine, although it states a needed power of 150HP, my tractor with 180hp struggles on anything that is not flat.
Also the SE 85-55, again on a 180HP tractor, the collection unit seems to dig into the ground too much and the tractor is literally sitting in the field with its wheels spinning, going nowhere.
The WH 200S is missing its working animation.
The WR 200 CDR sometimes does a weird dance when you disconnect it from a tractor.

Personally I would love it if the 3 potato diggers could also pick up windrowed potatoes. If you hire a worker using the WH200S, I was hoping to get 2 rows into one singe windrow, but the helper simply puts the windrows side by side, so instead of one windrow you get 2 close ones. It would have been great, if like real life, the machine would collect the previously dug potatoes and make just one windrow.

Other than those small issues, I think its a great DLC and I am happy with it.

For the 2 windrows i out one to the right, turn around and leave 1 width and go back up and itll merge them

[bossmanslim]

Let's do the math and make an economic decision.

All other equipment being equal (topper, planter, etc.) the primary difference is in the harvesting method.

Under the base game, the harvester cost $150K, covered 1.8m at 10 kph and required a 110 hp tractor. It has a capacity of about 9300. For a 100m long field, the numbers look like this based on the number of passes and time.

• 25m = 14 passes taking 0.23 hours
• 50m = 28 passes taking 0.47 hours
• 75m = 42 passes taking 0.70 hours
• 100m = 56 passes taking 0.93 hours

Under the DLC, the windrowing digger (1/2 the passes for the gatherer), covers 1.5m at 6 kph. The gatherer takes half as many passes as the digger at 10kph, takes 90 hp and has a capacity of about 6900. Total cost is $101K. For a 100m long field, the numbers look like this based on the number of passes and time.

• 25m = 17 passes to dig, 9 to pick up, taking 0.58 hours
• 50m = 34 passes to dig, 17 to pick up, taking 1.13 hours
• 75m = 50 passes to dig, 25 to pick up, taking 1.7 hours
• 100m = 67 passes to dig, 34 to pick up, taking 2.24 hours

The base game harvester takes 59% less time to do the same work for 20 more hp and 49K money.

The additional tractor cost is irrelevant because the cheapest tractor in the game (Fiat) is 150hp. If we add in hauling, wanting a tractor with max speed, the Fendt is 115hp and is the cheapest, fastest option. The only corner case is the Valtra A, which doesn't have the hp without an upgrade for the combo harvester and gives up 10 kph to the Fendt. Overall, if one cares about speed, then the 9400 extra for the Fendt over the Valtra helps out on any task, while if speed isn't considered, then the Fiat is better, so we'll throw out the Valtra.

The digger/picker combo has to unload 1.3 times more often and while I didn't do the calculation, that translates to almost 4 more unloads per 100k liters of potatoes. I'd estimate on a 50m x 100m field, the smaller gatherer would need to unload 2 more times, taking an extra 0.15 hours (about 10 minutes). I'm pretty sure the helper won't work with the gatherer because it works similar to baling hay, so unloading is fully manual.

50m x 100m is about 1 acre, which translates to 0.81hr (49 minutes) more time to harvest that acre with the DLC. In that 49 minutes, the player can do a multitude of tasks in game and as they. A fertilizing contract pays 1820 per hectacre and takes 0.03 hours per hectacre, we'll round that up to 0.08 to account for headland turns, travel and the fertilizer cost. 49K divided by 1.85k = 26.5 hectacres to pay for the equipment delta. 0.81 divided by 0.08 = 10 hectacres per the time delta between the two sets of equipment. 26.5 divided by 10 = 2.65 harvests to break even between the two sets of equipment. After 2.65 harvests, the base game harvester makes more money assuming the delta in time is spent doing something equivalent to a fertilizer contract in time delta between the two sets of equipment.

Is it worth it, no. The DLC takes more IRL time by almost 60% and in that time the player can be doing other tasks that are more profitable and can easily overcome the cost difference. The only corner case where the DLC makes sense is for tiny fields where the crop is basically being harvested to support pigs (in which case, purchasing pig food is probably a better option).

If the DLC had the same equipment and also stuff like the Spudnik (Grimme USA) 8312, 6180 and/or 6631, it would probably be worth it. The main issue though is that Spudnik equipment is like forage equipment in that it has no capacity and unloads as it harvests into trucks. This is basically a no go with windrows as the helper cannot drive the truck nor the harvester.

[Noraf]

You definently forgot to account for the enjoyment of using different machines though

[Mwal]

Also that live bottoms are awfully nice from a realism standpoint

[PS4farmhand]

@bossmanslim

Holy Buckets!!! (-FarmerMinn) WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (-Rick Flair) *****CENSORED******* (-Me)

thank you! What a good read! I wanna go use the equipment now and do some of my own testing and compare the two results!

[bossmanslim]

You definently forgot to account for the enjoyment of using different machines though

Rule of cool means you can do whatever you want and play the game your way.

@bossmanslim

Holy Buckets!!! (-FarmerMinn) WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (-Rick Flair) *****CENSORED******* (-Me)

thank you! What a good read! I wanna go use the equipment now and do some of my own testing and compare the two results!

Things I didn't include that will probably show up

1) Time it takes to change implements
2) Time it takes to make turns are head lands
3) In theory, you can dig and top potatoes with a smaller tractor with the DLC (140 hp vs 220). Though, topping is still limited by the digger speed (6 kph). I'm not sure if the topper will destroy the potato windrow (I assume not), but if it does, then you really can't top and dig at the same time. The WR 200 CDW is rather worthless because it can't windrow and takes 10 more hp than the standard topper + windrowing digger.

[cwattyeso]

It's a nice put together DLC with some nice additions to the Potato Technology, although once again does any of it offer anything that the base game equipment can't already do? I like the warehouse I could see myself using that in the future, I can also see myself using that driveable conveyor as a nicer looking to the base game little conveyor that doesn't show the farmer operating it. For the rest of the equipment, I probably would never use any of it. The planters are just too small for me and I prefer using seeders or planters in the 9m-12m ideally, so will just use what the basegame and mods already provide as much faster and more efficient options. As for the harvesters, I just prefer self-propelled machines, rather then equipment that needs hooking up to and taking up a tractor. Also the Holmer and Ropa have a great advantage over tractors in that they don't require you to fit and use narrow tyres to avoid causing crop destruction. Again some players will be happy using 1.5m harvesters, I myself will always take the width and capacity above for speed and efficiency. As I don't tend to start doing root crops until later in a save, much the same as with cotton, the extra cost of the self propelled harvesters over the tractor mounted ones doesn't matter, because I have made plenty of money and can afford to buy them at the point I'm moving into producing that crop. If however you want to start doing root crops right off the bat in a save when you have little money, I can see the benefit this Grimme Pack offers players.

[eric21]

Well we have a belt that you can move, trailers designed for potatoes, unique harvesters that windrow

[Dairydeere]

Also that live bottoms are awfully nice from a realism standpoint

I think those trailers are really cool, I've only found one other trailer out there that is live bottom, wish we had a few more haha

[Mwal]

There’s a aulick aluminator semi trailer out there that’s a really nicely done live bottom

[Dairydeere]

Yea, I have that one. It's pretty good

[tankieboy]

Anyone found an autoload trailer for the produced pallets?

[Bryan83]

My only wish would be for a 3 axle version of this trailer...

https://trinitytrailer.com/sales/new-tr ... glebridge/

That's what I used when I hauled potatoes for Lamb Weston about 5 years ago.