Re: Attach Front Loader Farming Simulator 22
Matt Dreher
Welcome to your next basic lesson in the Farming Simulator Academy! Today, we will focus on the different front loader attachments. We'll explain what front loaders are, what types are available and how to use them.
Find more information on loader types in our overview article. For the most common tasks, like picking up bales or loading and unloading big bags and similar goods, a front loader will do the job just fine. But, there's more to it, with basically two kinds of front loaders that are used with tools. Continue to learn more.
First, you decide if you want to use a separate vehicle that's specifically designed for using front-loading tools. Or, if you want to equip your tractor with an extension and use the tools with your tractor instead of a stand-alone vehicle.
* Please note: In order to use the front loader attachment + tool on the tractor, you must first purchase the necessary attachment configuration at the dealership. You can either add this to the tractor when purchasing the machine, or you drive an already owned tractor to the dealership, park the machine in the vehicle options field and add the attachment on the configuration screen.
Whether you want to put bales into your barn, cops into a silage bunker, stack up pallets and bigbags of fertilizer, fill up the forage mixer wagon to produce animal food, or transport light-weight logs: a front-loader is the right choice of a tool.
There's a whole set of tools you can attach to your front loader. With some tools, you have a choice of several manufacturers, but in most cases they are compatible either way - so, usually you don't have to mind which manufacturer to pick.*
A Front Loader is a Tractor that has been specially modified to work as a Loader. It must be upgraded at the store or at a Workshop, adding a special attachment point. A Front-Loading Arm must then be fitted to that attachment point. Finally, Loading Tools can then be attached to the arm in order to perform a variety of Loading Work.
Only some Tractor models - specifically Small and Medium tractors - can be fitted with the special upgrade. Some models of Small and Medium tractors lack this upgrade altogether. The upgrade is cheap and affordable. In addition, a Front Loading Arm must be bought at the store, as well as an appropriate tool for the task at hand. Together with the price of the Tractor itself, this makes Front Loaders some of the more expensive Loaders available in the game.
The primary advantage of Front Loaders is their versatility. They have access to a wide variety of tools for many different kinds of Loading Work. Furthermore, when the loading work is done, the Front Loader is still a tractor; It can go right back to working your fields and towing your machinery. In the long run, a Front Loader can be very economically viable. On the other hand, Front Loaders are not the best Loaders for any job - they are "jacks of all trades", masters of none.
In Farming Simulator 17, there are 19 models of Tractors that can become Front Loaders. The description for each of these models at the store, as well as their articles on this Wiki, clearly state which tractors can be fitted with a Front Loading Arm attachment. All other tractor models cannot become Front Loaders.
Below is a list of all 19 models of Tractors in Farming Simulator 17 that can be upgraded with a "Front Loader Attacher" to become Front Loaders. All other models cannot receive the upgrade.
An additional unique hybrid model can be found in the "Front Loaders" section of the store. While technically similar to a Telehandler, it can only be fitted with Tools designed for Front Loaders (also found in that section of the store). It does not require an upgrade or Front Loading Arm to use those tools.
There are many factors that can affect a tractor's performance when used as a loader. This includes the tractor's weight, whether it has any tire modifications, and even its maximum reverse speed. Engine power is also important, of course - but only in relation to the tractor's weight.
There are also financial concerns, as with any tool. Front Loaders are the cheapest of all Loaders - as long as you modify a Tractor that you already own. When buying a brand new tractor to serve as front loader, the costs go up sharply.
Loading Work typically involves alot of backwards and forwards movement, over very short distances. The ability of a tractor to quickly accelerate from a complete standstill to a reasonable speed is therefore very important to any Loader. When choosing a Tractor model for Front-Loading duties, it is important to examine the tractor's Horsepower-to-Weight ratio, rather than looking at Horsepower alone.
A few models, like the Case IH Puma CVX, have a very high HP/Weight ratio, and are excellent for this job. A much cheaper and smaller model is the Lindner Lintrac 90. Conversely, tractors like the Hrlimann XM T4i are very heavy for their engines, and do not accelerate very quickly - ultimately making the Front-Loading work harder.
Note that Maximum Speed can be totally irrelevant for Front Loaders, if they are expected to work only in one given area, such as Animal Husbandry tractors. Unless a Front Loader is expected to need to haul cargo from place to place, it does not need to be very fast.
Loading work often requires precision - whether for carefully picking up cargo or for putting it down in the right place. A tractor with a small turning radius usually has the advantage here, and this typically results from smaller wheels whose axles are closer together; In other words, smaller tractors. Furthermore, smaller tractors - being shorter and narrower - have less trouble navigating in tight spaces, such as those found around storage areas or Animal Pens.
The weight of the tractor is an important factor in-and-of-itself, because a heavier tractor has more innate stability than a lighter one - its weight counter-balances the weight of the Front-Loading Tool and the cargo it is lifting.
It is of course possible to increase the balance of a smaller tractor by adding a Weight at the back. However, this not only costs extra, but also makes the tractor heavier relative to its Horsepower (see prev. subsection), reducing acceleration. An innately-heavy tractor with a suitably powerful engine is generally a better choice - assuming you can afford one.
Several of the Front Loading Tractor models can be fitted with Wheel Weights, which are generally a good choice. These will counter-balance the lifted cargo quite effectively, keeping the rear wheels more firmly planted on the ground.
Nonetheless, a few tractor models, particularly those manufactured by Valtra, have a respectable maximum reverse speed. This can come in handy during any Front-Loading work, but especially in any job that requires constant forward-and-backward movement, e.g. shoveling or leveling.
Front Loaders are typically the cheapest of all Loaders, but do not really excel at any specific loading job. Therefore, they are typically used when you do not yet have have the cash to buy a dedicated Loader for the job at hand. Unless you're buying a brand new Tractor to be your Front Loader, the equipment is remarkably cheap - as little as $6000-$7000 - and you're likely to already have at least one Front-Loading-Ready tractor at the start of the game to install it on.
On the other hand, if you're going to buy a new tractor specifically for Front Loading work, the costs skyrocket. A new tractor costs at least $82,000, and the largest and heaviest Front-Loaders cost almost $200,000. Therefore, it is not advisable to buy a completely new Front Loader instead of a Skid Steer Loader, Telehandler or Wheel Loader, unless you know that you specifically need a Front Loader for the kind of work at hand.
For example, Front Loaders are generally very good at Animal Husbandry, thanks to their ability to tow and power other machines. When looking for a permanent machine to tend to your animals, a Front Loader is a good choice, and you should spend the money to buy a good one. If you're looking for a permanent machine to handle your shoveling, for example, it's a good idea to buy a Wheel Loader instead - and for much less money.
In order for a Tractor to become a Front Loader, it must first be fitted with a special upgrade called a "Front Loader Attacher". This upgrade is only available to the tractor models listed above.
The Front Loader Attacher upgrade can be installed during purchase. If you've already bought a valid Tractor, you can take it to the store's sale point and upgrade it there, or bring it to your Workshop (if you have one) to install the upgrade. The upgrade can also be removed at any time, using the same method.
The Front Loader Attacher upgrade costs exactly $800, regardless of what model of tractor you install it on. This makes Front Loaders very affordable in the early game, as you probably already own at least one tractor that could be refitted with this upgrade, and the expense is very small.
Once installed, the tractor's in-game model will change slightly, and will now feature two new attachment points at the front of the tractor on either side of the engine hood. This is where a Front Loading Arm can be attached to the tractor.
Note that the Front Loader Attacher upgrade adds these attachment points - it does not remove the existing Three-point hitch on the front of your tractor. However, as long as a Front Loading Arm is attached, it is difficult to also attach an implement to the front of the tractor.
Once you've modified your Tractor for Front-Loading, you need to buy at least two additional pieces of equipment: A Front Loading Arm and a Loading Tool with the correct attachment point. These can be found in the "Front Loaders" category at the store.
There are two models of Front Loading Arms in the base game, and they are very similar to one another. Other than a price difference, the more expensive model is slightly longer than the shorter model - giving a slightly higher reach. Whichever arm you purchase, it can be attached directly to the attachment point you've installed on your tractor (see prev. section), whenever you need to do Front Loading Work.
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