The hopeless state of Grimme and potato equiptment on FS19, and the mess they made with the new Grimme Pack.

[Juls]

I don't know if I'm the only one, But I've constantly been frustrated by the lack of realism with Grimme products in FS19, both from a function and feature perspective.

So lets look at each machine one at a time.

Grimme SE260 Harvester.

In real life the "SE" range of harvesters claim to fame is the ability to automatically separate the tops from the crop itself, yet for some unknown reason in the game it cannot, "ANY SE BASED HARVESTER REMOVES THE TOPS ITSELF!!!" unbelievably silly. Luckily a few modders have sought to fix this issue.

Secondly lets move onto working width, the SE260 is a 2 Row Harvester, Potato rows are normally 75cm wide, and the in game planters the 4 row is 3m working width, so 75cm rows, and the 8 row is 6 metres, so again 75cm rows. while in real life there is also common row spacings of 80, 85 and 90cm, 75cm is most common, and it's the only row spacing available from the supplied planters in game. But the harvester is claimed to be 1.8m working width?????.. oh no problem it's setup for 90cm row spacing (which isn't available in game) but.. actually, the SE260 in real life is "ONLY" available in 1.5m working width, so 75cm rows, the entire width of the intake cannot be changed for wider rows. Yes the only real life possible working width is 2x75cm = 150cm. The only planter row spacing in game is 75cm.. yet the in game harvester is unfaithful to real life, and it's unfaithful to the in game planting.

Next up is capacity, in real life the harvester can hold 6000kg of potatoes in it's bunker, so no big deal, that must be something like the claimed 9276 Litres of capacity, fine, but... the Gimme Variatron 470 in game has a capacity of 9590 Litres, but in real life it holds 7000KG so why is the difference only 300 odd litres?

Finally, you might be able to run the harvester on 110Hp but in reality it'd be terribly uncomfortable, if not downright dangerous in real life, at least a 150hp tractor with a 6.5T Frame would be far more comfortable in real life, mainly from the sheer weight and size of the thing.

Problems,
Doesn't harvest spuds without haulm removal
Harvesting width is impossible and totally wrong.
Capacity is nonsensical comparted to the Variatron 470.
Power requirement may be right, but the tractor size should be double that.

Grimme GL420 and GL820,

So really, not much to grumble about here,
The GL420 is rated to 3M so 4 x 75cm. It is generally not available with fertilizer from grimme so ok there. It is avaialble with a Grimme cultivator or mount for a power harrow, pity that option is missing. the capacity in real life is 2 Ton (2000kg) and in game it's rated at 2740Litres. (but when the SE260 has a 6000KG capacity in real life but 9276L in game?)

if we look at the GL820, the working width is 6M, so 8 x 75cm so that all adds up, the liquid fertilizer tanks are more likely to be used for fungicide but fertilizer in game is a good match. The capacity however in real life is 6000kg the same as a real life SE260 harvester, yet the in game capacity is 9020L, not only does that not match the harvester, it doesn't equal 3x the 2000kg capacity of the GL420...

Really not much to complain about, just the capacity mismatches don't make sense.

NEW GRIMME DLC,

Oh dear, the problems just get more embarrassing, it's like they didn't bother to look at the grimme website, or visit a farm to see how half this stuff is used. Clearly didn't bother to even run the specs past a potato grower.

Grimme GL32E

A Few small problems here, the capacity of the GL32E is 500kg, in game we get 500L, while thats not neccessarily accurate, cause you certainly cannot fit 1KG of potatoes into 1L of space, and it also doesn't add up when the SE260 is claiming roughly 1.5L per KG for it's capacity.
The working width is consistent, 1.5M for 2 rows, so 75cm row spacing. The GL32E is available in real life with a small fertilizer unit, and i'm not sure why you wouldn't either have it as a option, or include it. The Horsepower rating is about right, and this is a nice economical planter for small tractors with a minus fertilizer weight of under 500kg (around 1000kg loaded). All in all it's a nice addition to the game.

The working speed is probably the upper level of what this machine could effectively achieve, assuming it was set to long seed placement spacing.

Grimme GL32F

What a mess.. its such a stuff up it's funny.

The GL32F offers a fixed hopper up to 750kg, OR a moving bunker that takes up to 1000kg, now in game take 1 second to look at the machine and it's fitted with the 1000kg moving bunker, no big deal hey? well in game the seed capacity is 500L.... yes that same as the above GL32E.. in real life it's 500kg bigger, but in game it's the same size? WTF?

The fertilizer capacity may well be close to the mark, in real life the capacity is about 500kg, since fertlizer is heavy, 300L might be close to the mark.

The working width is right at 1.5M so 2 x 75cm rows. all is good here .
The working speed is a bit nonsensical at 11km/h, the working speed of the GL420 in game is 12km/h, yet in real life both the GL420 and GL32F Share identical planting elements, there is no reason for the GL32F to be slower than the GL420, if anything it'd be a bit quicker.

Power Requirement,
Now in game it's rated at 60HP which is the same as the GL32E.

This is a total stuff up, because the planter is firstly, fitted with the fertilizer element which not only makes it heavier but longer too, and it's fitted with the largest bunker. the Total weight of the GL32E in game fully loaded is a touch under 1000kg, yet the GL32F in game as specced is likely to be close to 3000kg! and half of that weight will be nearly 2 metres behind the machine!! In real life you'd need the same size tractor to pickup this as the GL420, so anything less than 100hp is totally and completely unrealistic. (in the real world you've want 150hp for the GL420 and 120-130hp for the GL32F as spec in game.)

WH200 Eco/S and WR200CDW

No alot to moan about here, the WH200 Eco probably gets used for Onions and various other root vegetables in real life more than potatoes,
not yet sure why we needed both. the WH200's need conversion for Onions and maybe carrots asap!

the WR200CDW is most commonly fitted with a side exit so you can harvest 2 rows, and drop them in between the next 2 rows, which then allows your SE260 to pickup 4 rows in one pass. The issue I guess is that in game there is probably not coding to support digging up 2 rows while also collecting 2 windrowed rows in the same pass. the WR200CDW is available in 75-90cm row spacing, so unlike the SE260, would be realistic with a 1.8M working width. But with no in game planter to plant that width, 1.5m is the only possible config.

GH2,4,8.

These are a lovely addition to potato growing in FS19, apart from the lack of available real world options the GH2 and GH8 is relatively problem free, however the option of the roller is not realistic for weeding use.

the GH4 is the most hilarious stuff up, i can't believe how stupid this is, the GH2 has a working width of 1.5M, 2x75cm rows.. great, the GH8 has a working width of 6M so 8 x 75cm row.. all good right? GH4.. in game 2.5M working width.... WTF what kind of stupid *$#%§*.. ?!?!?! 4 x 75cm rows equals 3M... I mean seriously? you can make an amazingly beautiful mod but you can't count? Giants in house Quality assurance is clearly rubbish, we paid money for this!

Grimme SE75-55 harvester.

The most frustrating of all mods in the grimme pack, is this single row harvester, of course the working width is 90cm, yet the SE75-55 stands for SE Meaning self removal of tops, 75 standing for "75CM working width" and 55 standing for 5500kg hopper.

Secondly, in the real world, this machine would be used to DIRECT harvest potatoes, just the same as a SE260 or any other SE model harvester, but for some stupid reason, we are stuck with the onion pickup, so it can only pickup tubers/root veges off the ground, now I think the addition of a different intake is ingenious, but where is the available in real life carrot pickup and "The standard potato shear/diablo so we can direct harvest???"

Not only do I have to Run the ks75-4 over the crop first (completely unnecessary in real life) but then also run a windrower over the crop before I can use the 75-55, then of course, I cannot hire anyone to drive the harvester!! in real life you can do it all in one pass! and in game i could employ a working to drive it, why provide such a convoluted unrealistic unnecessary mess that makes people not want to grow potatoes.

but I guess that comes back to the inclusion of the WH/WR machines, if they didn't limit the SE75-55 to only collecting windrows then those machines would be useless right? well I don't actually care, the WR200CDW should have been made to dump the windrow between the next 2 rows.

Instead of including a SE75-55 and the WH200's, they should have made a SE140 or a 75-20 single row harvester as is, then made a EVO290 (2 rows, 9T bunker) that could collect the 2 normal rows and 2 windrowed rows in the same pass, because that combo of the WR200 and EVO290 would actually be a upgrade over the variatron 470, greater capacity and greater speed, it'd actually be fun and it'd mimic a common real life occurence. And then forget about the WH machines.

Finally the SE75-55 has a 5500KG Capacity in real life, where the SE260 has a 6000kg Capacity, yet in game the SE75-55 is stuck with just 6800L where the SE260 has 9276L. So a 500kg hopper on a planter is 500L in game, yet 500kg difference in a harvester is 2476L?!?!?

I'm not a modder, but if I was I'd re release all of these machines so that they made sense and they worked properly.
Many people don't like playing potatoes in FS19, and it doesn't help nothing is consistent with real life, for some unknown reason it's deliberately made harder and more unrealistic in game than in real life. Game balancing or not, it's a crying shame that things need to be so broken.

Sorry for the rant.

[eric21]

Team fsi with help from Grimme made this, not giants. This is probably from the 2018 range not the current range

[Juls]

Team fsi with help from Grimme made this, not giants. This is probably from the 2018 range not the current range

All of the machines mentioned where available in 2018, Grimme does not alter it's machines or models on a regular basis, most of these machines are 10++ years old.

The problems are mainly just numerical oversights and dramatic inconsistency's, that could easily be fixed with a very basic patch.

Making the SE75-55 as windrow pickup only is unforgivable, and the GH4 being 2.5m working width is an amazing oversight.

I'd be very surprised if Grimme helped them make the models or signed off on the numbers as they are. I'll admit that Grimme website has it's issues with inconsistent information, but there is enough there for FSI to get the details right if they tried to properly understand the device they where creating.

[blue_painted]

It's a good rant, not least because it's mostly objective

I haven't tried the DLC yet -- potatoes in FS are a paint to do and seem to need huge investment.

[Mwal]

Seems to me the horsepower requirements are pretty close to what Grimme says they would be minimum, not really sure what you propose they do, just make them up off what you think they should be? Conditions change and so do hp requirements so all they really have to go off is the factory minimums.

[DEERE317]

And the game has never really replicated the weights requirements to safely handle stuff, you yourself (op) said that the HP requirements are right yet say their to low. For flat dry ground 110 would be plenty but descending a hill with a full hopper maybe a different story just like IRL. Hay equipments biggest requirement is weight, easy to get the HP in anything but hard to not become a tractor, baler, wagon spaghetti ball on a hill, but might be perfectly fine on flat lands.

[wallacewellfarm]

Who cares it’s a game!

[DEERE317]

Who cares it’s a game!

Don’t start poking the realism nuts...
“People have been hung for less round here”

[Guil]

All of the machines mentioned where available in 2018, Grimme does not alter it's machines or models on a regular basis, most of these machines are 10++ years old.

The problems are mainly just numerical oversights and dramatic inconsistency's, that could easily be fixed with a very basic patch.

Making the SE75-55 as windrow pickup only is unforgivable, and the GH4 being 2.5m working width is an amazing oversight.

I'd be very surprised if Grimme helped them make the models or signed off on the numbers as they are. I'll admit that Grimme website has it's issues with inconsistent information, but there is enough there for FSI to get the details right if they tried to properly understand the device they where creating.

Should check your facts before making wild assumptions. The Grimme DLC was nothing to do with giants, they didn't design or make it and Grimme themselves held up it because allegedly they weren't happy with some of the machines or stats

[Mwal]

I didn’t know Grimme held it up, it’s pretty cool they care that much

[Barrcott]

I myself was hoping to see something like the drive alongside GT 170 type of harvester or a larger capacity self propelled even

[Wolf Farming]

Interesting piece of info about Grimme holding it up but ok it’s not perfect but to be honest I’ll be happy with any new potato equipment realistic or not can’t remember the last time we got another planter or harvester

[AndOnTheDrums]

Who cares it’s a game!

The man is passionate about potatoes.

[wallacewellfarm]

Who cares it’s a game!

The man is passionate about potatoes.

[norfolk farmer]

I myself was hoping to see something like the drive alongside GT 170 type of harvester

In that you are not alone I was really hoping one would be included, quite surprised it wasn't as I believe it's one of the most popular sellers.