Timber Haul walkthrough: your first forest job

Your first job in Timber Haul is in Pine Heath. You start with the harvester, cut a few trees, carry the logs to the road with the forwarder and drive one load to a mill with the timber truck. This page walks you through it, one step at a time.

If you want to learn the crane first, with no clock and no money, try the crane practice. All buttons for keyboard, controller and touch are on the controls page.

Start the game

1. Open the game. After the short intro you see three save slots: Save 1, Save 2 and Save 3. Pick an empty one and choose New game.
2. On the title screen, choose Start forest work. (Start loading opens the crane practice instead.)
3. A card called Your next job tells you the goals: cut 8 trees, bring 3 m³ to the road and deliver 6 m³. Choose Let's work.

The job card at the top of the screen shows your three goals with bars: Trees, To the road and To the mill. "m³" means cubic metres, the way timber is measured. You do not need to clear the whole forest: some timber from earlier work is already waiting at the roadside.

Step 1: fell your first tree with the harvester

You start in the harvester. The tree you should cut is marked yellow, and the Next stop box shows its name, like "Tree 1", and how far away it is.

1. Drive close. Steer with W/S and A/D (or the arrows). Stay on the strip road, the track between the rows of trees.
2. Park. Press Drive / crane (Q). The machine stops and the crane is yours. Cranes only work when you are parked.
3. Reach the tree. Choose Reach selected tree (1). The harvester head swings to the trunk. If you are too far away, the message says so: drive a little closer and try again.
4. Grip. Choose Grip / release stem (Space).
5. Fell. Hold Hold to fell (hold F). Keep holding until the tree is down. If you let go, the saw stops, but it does not lose its progress.
6. Cut logs. Choose Next cut (E). The head feeds the trunk forward and cuts a log of a good length. Do it again until the trunk is finished.

The logs land in small forest piles next to the tree. Then the next yellow tree is chosen for you. Want a different one? Use Next tree (T). Learn more in felling and cutting.

Step 2: cut eight trees

Do the same thing for eight trees. When the eighth tree is done, a message tells you the cutting is finished and your forwarder gets a Bigger grapple as a reward. The Next stop box then sends the harvester to its parking space and suggests the forwarder.

Step 3: carry the logs to the road with the forwarder

1. Open Map & machines (Tab) and choose Forwarder.
2. Follow the yellow guide to the Forest timber. Park with Drive / crane.
3. Choose Forest pile (1). The crane reaches for the nearest pile.
4. Wait for Ready to grip, then choose Grip logs (Space).
5. Choose Lift clear (2) so the logs do not drag.
6. Choose Turn logs (3) to turn them along your load bed, then Reach load bunk (4).
7. Choose Release logs (B). Let them settle before you grab more.
8. When your load bed is well filled, drive to the Roadside landing by the workshop and park.
9. Choose Machine load to reach into your own load, grip, lift clear and choose Unload pile. Then release.

The game picks the right roadside pile for you: sawlogs, pulpwood and energy wood each have their own. When 3 m³ have reached the road, you see "Timber is at the road!". The full method is on loading logs with the crane.

Step 4: drive the timber truck to a mill

1. Open Map & machines and choose Timber truck.
2. On the same panel, pick a mill under Destination. River Sawmill takes pine and spruce sawlogs.
3. Choose Roadside pile (1) to reach the pile that this mill takes. Grip, lift clear, turn and choose Reach load bunk, then release. Repeat.
4. Drive along the marked road to the mill. Take wide turns: the trailer cuts inside corners.
5. Park on the weighbridge and choose Weigh / get paid (E).
6. Unload: grip logs from Machine load, choose Unload pile to reach the mill deck, and release. Move every weighed log.
7. Choose Weigh / get paid again. "Delivery paid!" Your money goes up.

A delivery note shows the pay and any fine. Read mills, weighing and pay to get the best price.

Step 5: finish the chapter

Keep going until you have delivered 6 m³ in all. When every goal is met, you get "Contract complete!", a chapter bonus of $650 and a short report with your medals. Choose Start next chapter to move on, or Keep working to stay in Pine Heath. See the three forests for what comes next.

Common first-day mistakes

See also

• Tips for new forest workers: small habits that save time.
• The three machines: what each machine can carry.
• Controls: keyboard, controller and touch.
• Play Timber Haul and try your first job now.

• About Timber Haul
• All game guides