Timber Haul workshop: upgrades, repairs and operators
The roadside workshop in Timber Haul is where you fill fuel, repair machines, buy upgrades and hire operators. Open it with the Workshop button at the top of the screen. Fuel, repairs and upgrades are only fitted when the machine is parked by the workshop, next to the WORKSHOP / DIESEL sign at the roadside landing.
What is in the Workshop panel?
The panel is about the machine you are driving now. At the top you see its fuel, its condition and your money. Then come two lists:
- Keep it running: Fill fuel tank, Repair machine, Recover machine, Hire / stop operator and End work day.
- Machine upgrades: the upgrades this machine can take, with prices.
It also shows whether this machine has an Operator (Working or Off) and how much of the forest floor has Deep ruts. To service another machine, switch to it on Map & machines first.
Fuel, repairs and recovery
| Service | Cost | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fill fuel tank | $2 for each litre you add | At the workshop | Fills the tank to 180 L |
| Repair machine | $12 for each % of condition you add | At the workshop | Brings the condition back to 100% |
| Recover machine | $150 | Anywhere | Brings a stuck or tipped machine back to the landing |
If you are too far from the workshop, the game says "Park at the roadside workshop first." When the work is done: "Ready to work again."
A machine's condition drops a little with every hour of work, and more when it bumps into things. When a machine runs low on fuel or condition, the Next stop box sends you to the Roadside workshop. At 0 L of fuel, or below 5% condition, it stops. A machine in poor condition can also break a hose after a hard crane bump, and then it stops until you repair it.
After Recover machine, a tipped machine stands on its wheels at the landing again. It still needs a repair. The truck comes back with its trailer hitched.
Machine upgrades
Each machine has its own upgrades: buying one for the forwarder does not fit it to the truck. Choose the machine first, park it at the workshop, then buy. "Upgrade fitted!"
| Upgrade | Price | For | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboard scale | $400 | Forwarder, timber truck | "See the weight of your load as you work." The Load display shows tonnes instead of m³. |
| Bigger grapple | $650 | Forwarder, timber truck | "Pick up more timber in each grab." Holds 1.5 m³ instead of 0.9 m³. |
| Longer crane | $950 | All three machines | "Reach farther with the telescope." The telescope reaches 1 m farther. |
| Bigger trailer | $1,200 | Timber truck | "More room for timber on your trailer." The trailer bed holds 18 m³ and 18 t. |
| Larger machine | $1,800 | All three machines | "A bigger load bed and a heavier machine." Wider and longer load beds, more engine power, 20% more fuel. |
What the Larger machine changes
| Machine | Load bed | Weight of the machine | Other changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forwarder | 9 m³ / 12 t becomes 12 m³ / 16 t | 17 t becomes 20.5 t | More pulling power |
| Timber truck | 14 m³ / 14 t becomes 18 m³ / 16 t, on the truck and the trailer | 19 t becomes 23 t | Four axles instead of three, and its crane reaches 1.5 m farther |
| Harvester | (no load bed for timber) | 17 t becomes 20.5 t | A bigger head and more pulling power |
A heavier machine also presses deeper ruts into soft ground, and the larger truck weighs more on the forest road's 38 t limit. Read advanced tips before you buy it.
Free upgrades from the chapters
You do not have to buy everything. The chapters give you some upgrades when you finish their cutting:
- Pine Heath: a Bigger grapple for the forwarder.
- Spruce Slope: a forwarder driver (a hired operator).
- Mire Edge: a Longer crane for the truck.
If you already own one, you get its price back. See the three forests.
Hired operators
An operator is a driver who works a machine for you. You can have one on each machine: harvester, forwarder and timber truck.
How to hire one
- Open Map & machines and choose the machine.
- Open Workshop and choose Hire / stop operator. Hiring costs $100. You can do this anywhere.
- The operator earns wages of $24 for each hour they work, taken from your money.
Choose Hire / stop operator again to stop them. If your money runs out, operators stop by themselves.
What operators do
An operator works their machine whenever you are driving a different one.
| Operator on | What they do |
|---|---|
| Harvester | Drives to the next standing tree, reaches it, fells it and cuts it with Next cut. When the chapter's tree goal is met, they park the harvester. |
| Forwarder | Picks up timber from the forest piles, drives to the landing and unloads onto the matching roadside piles. They stop when there is enough timber at the road for the deliveries. |
| Timber truck | Loads from the roadside piles that your chosen mill takes, drives to that mill, weighs, unloads, gets paid and drives back. |
In free play, after the season, the harvester operator keeps cutting.
Watch operators and Take the controls
Choose Watch operators on Map & machines (or press Z, or D-pad right). Now every hired operator works at once, and you watch. Choose Take the controls to drive again. You need at least one hired operator first: "Hire an operator at the workshop first."
While you watch, you can still use the camera and the workshop services. Watching stays on after you save and come back.
Operators and dropped logs
Operators pick up a log that slips off the load once it lies still. If a dropped log rolls out of the crane's reach, it stays on the ground for you to pick up with Reach dropped logs. The chapter's goals can still be met with the other logs.
See also
- The three machines: load bed sizes and fuel use.
- Winter, thaw and money: every cost in one table.
- Advanced tips: which upgrades to buy first.
- Play Timber Haul and visit the workshop.
