Timber Haul crane practice: load 12 logs, no clock
The crane practice is a calm extra mode in Timber Haul. You park a forwarder next to a pile of twelve pine logs and load them all onto your load bed. There is no clock, no money and no damage to pay for, so it is a good place to learn the crane before your first forest job.
How to start the crane practice
On the title screen, choose Start loading. (Start forest work starts the career instead.) The practice is saved on its own, separate from your forest career, so it never changes your career.
The goal: load all 12 logs
The screen says Load all 12 logs and "A tidy load starts here." Three numbers at the top help you:
| Display | What it shows |
|---|---|
| LOGS LOADED | How many of the 12 logs are on your load bed |
| LOAD | The weight on your load bed, in tonnes |
| BALANCE | How steady the machine is, in %. It drops when you reach far with a heavy load. |
The three steps are written above the buttons:
- Reach the pile and grip.
- Lift, turn and reach the bunk.
- Release. Repeat!
When all twelve are loaded, you see "That's a full stack!" and whether your stack is "Neatly stacked". If not, the tip is "Try turning the logs before you release them."
The buttons
| Button | Key | Controller | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach pile | 1 | A | Moves the grapple to the top of the pile |
| Grip | Space | RT | Closes the grapple |
| Lift clear | 2 | Y | Lifts the logs up high |
| Turn logs | 3 | X | Turns the logs along the load bed |
| Reach bunk | 4 | B | Moves the grapple over your load bed |
| Release | B | LT | Opens the grapple |
| Drive / crane | Q | LB | Switches between driving and the crane |
| Camera | C | (on screen) | Changes the camera view |
| Pause | Escape | Start | Opens the pause menu |
You can move each crane part yourself too: J / L swing, I / K reach, U / O raise or lower, N / M turn, Y / H shorten or extend. On a controller, use the sticks and the D-pad. On touch, hold the small arrow buttons below the big ones. Every control is on the controls page.
You can also tap or click the snow next to the pile, the load bed or a dropped log to send the grapple there.
Tip control and joint control
Open Pause to change Crane controls:
- Tip control (the usual one): the keys move the grapple at the end of the crane, and the crane works out how to bend.
- Joint control: each key moves one joint of the crane on its own, like a real crane lever.
Tip control is easier. Joint control is a fun challenge once you know the crane well.
The pause menu
The practice pause menu has Keep going, Crane controls, Play your way (the settings), Start again (a fresh pile of twelve logs), Full screen and Save slots. It also lists the keys and the controller buttons.
Messages you may see
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Park and switch to crane mode first." | Press Drive / crane to park. |
| "Turn the grapple to match the pile, then grip." | Choose Turn logs before you grip. |
| "Bring the grapple closer to the top of the pile." | Choose Reach pile again. |
| "Got them! Lift clear, then turn them towards the bunk." | You are holding logs. |
| "Nice stack! Go back for more." | Your logs landed neatly. |
| "Those logs are a bit wonky. Turn the next ones to match the bunk." | Some logs lie across the bed. |
| "Easy! Bring the load closer to your machine." | The machine is unsteady. Pull the load in. |
| "Logs on the snow! Tap them to reach over and pick them up again." | A log fell. Tap it, or use the crane keys, to pick it up. |
How the practice helps in the career
The forest career uses the same loading loop with the forwarder and the truck: reach, grip, lift clear, turn, reach the load bed, release. Once you can load twelve neat logs here, read loading logs with the crane for the career's extra buttons, like Machine load and Unload pile.
See also
- Your first forest job: start the career after practising.
- Controls: every key and button.
- Tips for new forest workers: habits for neat stacks.
- Play Timber Haul and try the crane practice.
