How to Save Money When Buying sugarcane harvester

Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by NateS » Wed Nov 15, 1:02 am

If you want to learn more, please visit our website HUILI Machinery.

Seeds:
The cheapest way is to buy sugar cane pallets from the pallet category. They sell at $340 per L. So at $170/L, this is even cheaper than using cane from a previous harvest. Much like potatoes, this is also an option. You can also use regular seed bags but these cost MUCH more.
NOTE: It takes roughly 12,000L of seed per ha.

Planters:
Gessner Single Row: seed cap 8,000. Fert cap 990
This planter took me 67 minutes with a worker to work exactly 1 ha. It uses roughly L fert per ha which is double that of the other planters.
TT Single Row: seed cap 12,000. Fert cap
Took my worker 58 minutes to work a ha with this guy. It has a larger capacity and uses half the fert as the Gessner.
Gessner Two Row: seed cap 16,000. Fert cap
Worker completed the ha in just 26 minutes as this planter is twice the width of the other 2.
PLANTING NOTES: Planting is a painfully slow process that should be reserved for a worker. Planters can be filled with auger wagons, however, the wagons can only be filled with the much more expensive 'big bags. AFTER planting, the crop shows up as 'harvested in the map overlay as opposed to the first growth stage like most crops.

Growth:
Sugar Cane takes twice as long as other crops to grow. On normal growth mode, this meens it takes just under 2 game days to get from planting to harvest as opposed to 1 game day for standard crops. When first planted, the crop shows as harvested in the map overview. It then goes through the growth stages as normal (though twice as slow). When ready to harvest, it shows the Remove Tops state just as beets and potatoes. After harvesting, it reverts to the harvested state. MAJOR POINT: SUGAR CANE DOES NOT NEED TO BE RE-PLANTED AND WILL GROW BACK ON IT'S OWN at the same speed as it grew the first time.

Harvesters:
Lizard SET 7: Single row harvested that can have a trailer mounted to the back or driven next to. I tried both ways with limited success. The worst part of this harvester is that it offsets to the right and the worker goes back and forth down the rows which means half the time the tractor is actually driving right through the yet to be harvested cane. If you work this harvester yourself and have crop destruction on, you will lose much of your crop either from your tractor or the trailer behind the harvester.
Case A Multi-Row: Twice as nice, eight times more expensive! Comes with an optional trailer hitch that, sadly, can't connect to ANY trailer (possible bug?) So in this case, you must hire a worker and drive a trailer beside him.

Harvesting:
As stated above, I found the best method to be hiring a worker to pilot the larger harvester. Whichever harvester your worker is using, set the speed limit on your trailing tractor to 10kph. Since I knew this would take a while and I had to follow the whole time, I chose to grab a semi and one each of the Randon trailers (included in the expansion) hooked together. This is not realistic but having to dump over and over again would just make it take longer for testing purposes. It still took 50 minutes to harvest 1 ha.
NOTE: After harvest, there is a thin layer of what looks like straw. You cannot do anything with it and it does not disappear unless you cultivate/plow. If you leave the cane as is to regrow, it just grows over this 'bed'. (possible bug?)

Trailers:
The 3 smaller trailers included in the DLC are designed to dump into larger trailers ideally parked at the edge of the field. The 2 larger trailers also dump high on the left side. I was able to dump cane from the large trailers directly into the train cars on the GCV map. I would assume you could do the same with any of the smaller ones as well. They say you're not supposed to be able to store cane in silos but I waa able to transfer it freely between either train, the silo, and a trailer at the Central Transport Hub on GCV.
NOTE: Sugar Cane is accepted in MOST trailers but definitely try to sell in the largest possible quantities as we all know how fast the prices are crushed.

Crop Yield:
The short and sweet if it is about 225,000L per ha.
I haven't spent much time looking at the market price but on GCV (normal difficulty) I've seen prices around $250/L. That gets us to about $56,000. This is about double the price of a beet/potatoe harvest and quadruple that of a normal crop. However, you must factor in that it takes twice as long to grow so the higher yield price makes sense. Also, remember that cane does not need to be re-planted so the time and money it takes to plant could be considered a one time expense. Fertilization still needs to be done as usual. I have not gone so far as to see what effect 'Periodic Plowing Required' has on the crop. I would assume after 3 harvests you would lose that 10% bonus and have to decide if it's worth plowing it under and re-planting.

If I left anything out, please let me know! Last edited by NateS on Wed Nov 15, 4:05 am, edited 1 time in total. PC & PS5

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by lefe1 » Wed Nov 15, 1:21 am

I'm confused it's cheaper to buy pallets than using cane from a previous harvest. they charge you to use your own sugarcane from your own harvest?

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Nigelbilt » Wed Nov 15, 1:28 am

No, he means the price you can sell the cane for is higher (on average, like 270/ l) than the price to buy pallets (170/ l)

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by NateS » Wed Nov 15, 1:33 am

Nigelbilt wrote:No, he means the price you can sell the cane for is higher (on average, like 270/ l) than the price to buy pallets (170/ l)

EXACTLY!!! PC & PS5

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by NateS » Wed Nov 15, 1:35 am

I will be updating this thread with harvest and yield notes but I am currently swearing at the game as I work out different harvest methods. PC & PS5

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Cajunwolf » Wed Nov 15, 1:49 am

Cool Beans NateS, and I'll be following along because I haven't got that far yet. I don't guess you'd know yet if you plow the field after harvest, will the cane still regrow?

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Nigelbilt » Wed Nov 15, 2:10 am

If you plow you have to re-sow

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Cajunwolf » Wed Nov 15, 2:19 am

Kewl, that's what I was thinking.

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Omniplasma » Wed Nov 15, 2:34 am

does sugarcane only work on the new map? Xbox One FS17 Player from the US. Gamertag: Omniplasma
Fellow farmers needed.

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by NateS » Wed Nov 15, 2:38 am

Omniplasma wrote:does sugarcane only work on the new map?

No, it works on GCV for sure and I would assume Sosnovka as well. It will work on mod maps as well, provided the modder add the crop, textures, sell points, all that stuff... then resubmit the map. Last edited by NateS on Wed Nov 15, 4:08 am, edited 1 time in total. PC & PS5

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by CMDRTAKEDOWN » Wed Nov 15, 3:13 am

On hard it's cheaper to use the harvested cane. Sale price is lower then to buy pallets.
Started planting by filling up a tipper then transported it to the filled. Tipped it out and used the front loader to load the planter. When I get enough money for a auger wagon I'll use a belt to load the auger. Then it should be easier to fill the planter from there. PS4
PS5

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by redglasses » Wed Nov 15, 3:23 am

this is good info, I was wondering if it grew back, this will save me a ton of time. Thanks Playing Lincoln Creek on PC
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Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by Omniplasma » Wed Nov 15, 4:03 am

NateS wrote:

Omniplasma wrote:does sugarcane only work on the new map?

No, it works on GCV for sure and I would assume Sosnovka as well. It will work on mod maps as well, provided the kidder add the crop, textures, sell points, all that stuff... then resubmit the map.

I couldn't get it to plant on TWC for some reason. I owned the field and it was freshly cultivated. Xbox One FS17 Player from the US. Gamertag: Omniplasma
Fellow farmers needed.

Re: Sugar Cane - What you should know

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Post by NateS » Wed Nov 15, 4:08 am

OP has been updated for the final time... I think PC & PS5

Welcome to your next "Crops 101" lesson of the Farming Simulator Academy! Today, we’re focusing on sugarcane. We’ll show you how to plant, harvest and sell it. Let’s go!

What is special about sugarcane?

• Sugarcane grows back!
• High yield, but low selling-price
• You can fill your planter with harvested sugarcane
• No plowing or cultivating required (except periodic plowing)
• Narrow working width of harvesting machinery
• Can be sold or processed into sugar at the sugar mill

What you need for sugarcane

• This is a special case! For sugarcane, you don’t need to prepare the field. No initial plowing or cultivating necessary. Only after the third harvest, you need to plow to avoid a yield penalty. The field info box will tell you when it's time. 
• You need a tractor + weight attachments. You require weights in addition to various tools, so the front wheels of your tractor don't lose traction because of the heavy machinery attached in the back. They counter the weight of tools. More info in the equipment section.
• You need a planter and a sugarcane pallet. In the "Sugarcane technology" category of the shop, you find suitable planters. The pallets are found in the “objects” tab of the shop.
  • Tip! Sugarcane grows back. You don’t need to plant again after harvest, unless you plow. You can fill the planter with sugarcane from the previous harvest!
• You need a fertilizer spreader, fertilizer and lime.  Without, the income from your harvested crops will be lower. For beginners, artificial fertilizers are the best choice. You find both lime and fertilizer in the bigbag section of the shop. A fertilizer spreader is found in the fertilizing technology category.
  • Tip! If your field requires lime, it will be shown in the right corner box if you’re standing on the field and on the map in the menu.
• You need a weeder to get rid of the weeds that will soon pop up. Otherwise, the income from your crops will be reduced when you sell it.
• You need a cane harvester. Two choices: Either a self-propelled harvester OR (and this is the cheaper option) a harvester to attach to your tractor. 
• You also need a trailer to transport and sell the sugarcane. In the shop, you find specialized trailers in the “sugarcane technology” category of the tool tab to attach to the cane harvester. If you have two tractors, you can attach any normal trailer to the second tractor and let the helper drive the harvester.

Equipment Selection (recommendation) 

We chose the following equipment. For sugarcane, you need specialized equipment. Make sure you have the required amount of cash in your account balance. Otherwise, you should start with another crop! Like grains.

• Tractor: Massey Fergusson
• Cultivator: RABE EG3/9
• Planter: Gessner Single Row Billet + Tenwinkel PAC-750*
• Harvester: Lizard SWT 7
• Weeder: Einböck Aerostar-Exact 600 + Tenwinkel PAC-750*
• Fertilizer: BREDAL K105 + Tenwinkel PAC-750*
• Trailer: WELGER DK 115

* Weight attachments recommended: Click on "combinations" on the shop page of a tool to display corresponding weights to attach to your tractor. You may use one weight module for multiple tools (see our recommendation) - small weight discrepancies are not critical.

Let’s go to work!

Got everything you need? Then let’s start on your assignment and plant some crops. Note, that you can only plant sugarcane between the beginning of March and the end of April if seasonal growth is enabled. 

Step 1: Planting sugarcane

Contact us to discuss your requirements of sugarcane harvester. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Get the planter attached to your tractor and fill it with seeds by positioning it next to a pallet of sugarcane. Head over to the field. Position yourself at one corner of the field, lower the planter and turn it on. Now, plant away!

Tip! Do yourself a favor and don’t speed up the time while planting, or the crops will grow unevenly. 

Optional: After you're done with planting, you can also use a soil roller to condense the soil and increase the yield by additional 2,5%. You don't have to, though. If small stones are left on the field, they get pushed back into the soil, so they don't damage your harvester, later.

• More about seeding & planting
• More about soil rollers
• More about field stones

Step 2: Apply fertilizer and lime

Fertilizer will improve the yield. Click on the "vehicle" category and buy the Solid Fertilizer from the "consumables" sub category. Then, hook up your spreader to your tractor, position it right next to the BigBag and click the button to refill.

Back on the field, you turn it on and cover the whole field in fertilizer. It should now be fertilized to 50%, look at the right corner box while standing on the field. It’s okay if there are some tiny spots still not covered.

Does the field tell you it also needs lime? Then head back to the shop, buy lime and repeat the same procedure. If you have fertilizer left, you can unload it first at your farm.

Tip! Repeat the process after planting to increase the fertilization to 100%. The yield will be even higher.

More about fertilizing

Step 3: Getting rid of weeds

Soon, the first weeds spawn on the field. Take your weeder to get rid of it before the crops grow past the first stage. In the first stage, you can still use the weeder to remove weeds. After that, you’d need a field sprayer, but let’s try to avoid that in favor of our finances. If you play with crop destruction, use a tractor with narrow tires, otherwise a lot of plants get destroyed. Got rid of it? Good, now we wait again, until the crops are fully grown.

More about weed control

Step 4: Harvest the sugarcane

With seasonal growth enabled, sugarcane has to be harvested between October and November.  Now, we take our machines and go to the field of fully grown sugarcane. This is what you need to do when you use the recommended machines:

1. Attach the harvester to the tractor
2. Attach the trailer to the harvester
3. Open the cover of the trailer
4. Unfold the harvester
5. Move out the pipe of the harvester
6. Turn on the harvester
7. Start harvesting the field

When you harvest the sugarcane now, it will automatically fill the trailer via the pipe that's positioned directly over the trailer. When it's full, you need to store or sell it.  If you want to sell it later, you have to unload it on the ground or leave it in trailers for the time being.

Step 5: Selling the sugarcane

Look for the best-selling point on the prices screen and unload the trailer in the designated area. You might want to look at the price fluctuations, too. You might make more money, if you sell it later. Sugarcane can’t be stored in a silo, though.

Well done!

Congratulations, you harvested and sold sugarcane. Take your time and start on the next lesson, when you’re ready. And don’t forget to clean up your machines once in a while. Stay with the Farming Simulator Academy and you become a virtual farmer in no time!

For more information, please visit dump Farm Tractor.