Your combine now behaves like a real machine. Push it too hard — and you'll pay the price.
Please do not re-upload or redistribute without permission.
In vanilla FS25, you can drive at full speed through any crop density with no consequences. Realistic Harvesting changes that.
Your combine now has a real engine load that responds to:
- Crop density and type
- Header width
- Terrain slope
- Calibration settings
- Pickup Header / Swathing (detected automatically, 0.75x load multiplier)
- Extreme Precision Calibration (15+ crops tuned to real-world bu/hr targets)
Drive too fast → engine overloads → you lose grain. Simple.
You don't need to do anything special to start. The mod works automatically.
- Enter your combine and start harvesting normally.
- A HUD panel appears on screen with live data.
- Watch the Engine Load bar — keep it below 100%.
- If Load goes over 95%, crop losses begin. Slow down.
- The mod will automatically suggest a safe speed.
That's it for the basics. Everything else is optional depth.
The HUD appears automatically when you enter a combine. Right-click to enable cursor and drag it anywhere on screen.
| Indicator | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Engine Load % | How hard your combine is working. Stay below 95%. |
| T/h | Tons per hour — your harvesting productivity. |
| Yield | Live t/ha or bu/ac. Fluctuates naturally. |
| Speed / Rec. | Your speed vs. the recommended safe speed. |
| Loss | LOW / MED / HIGH — how much grain you're losing right now. |
Color code: Green = good, Yellow = caution, Red = losing grain.
Losses happen from two sources:
- Engine Load > 95% → losses begin
- The faster you push past the limit, the more grain you lose
- Slow down or switch to a narrower header
High losses — combine going too fast
Less grain in the trailer as a result
Optimal speed — minimal losses
Full trailer when harvesting correctly
If your combine's settings are incorrect for the current crop, you'll incur a calibration penalty on top of speed losses.
Each machine type now has unique controls — different parameters appear depending on whether you're driving a grain combine, forage harvester, root harvester, or cotton picker.
Preview Loss in the Calibration Menu shows the estimated penalty from your current settings — even when you're not harvesting!
New saves start at neutral settings (50%) — safe, but not optimal.
Open: ESC → Settings → Realistic Harvesting
| Mode | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Arcade | 200% — very forgiving |
| Normal | 120% — slight boost |
| Realistic | 100% — real machine specs |
| Mode | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Arcade | 50% of standard |
| Normal | Standard |
| Realistic | 200% — very strict |
Press Right Shift + K while in a combine to open the Calibration Menu.
Well-calibrated — low loss, high efficiency
Poorly calibrated — high loss penalty
| AUTO | MANUAL | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Sets near-optimal values automatically | You adjust everything yourself |
| Accuracy | Good starting point, intentionally imperfect | Can be perfect — if you know what you're doing |
| Loss penalty | Small (AUTO isn't perfect) | Zero or better — if tuned correctly |
AUTO is convenient. MANUAL rewards the skilled operator with up to +2.5% efficiency bonus.
The physics are strictly divided into two distinct mechanics based on which part of the combine you are tuning:
1. Efficiency (Speed) — Rotor & Feeder House These components pull crop into the machine and thresh the bulk of it. If these are poorly configured, the engine will struggle, throughput will drop, and your cruise control will force you to drive slower. Perfect settings grant up to a +5.0% Speed Bonus.
2. Crop Loss (Wasted Grain) — Fan & Sieves These components separate the grain from the chaff. If the fan is too strong or sieves are badly adjusted, clean grain gets blown out the back onto the field. Perfect settings ensure 0% Added Crop Loss.
Overload Shield: Achieving perfection in your Speed settings also grants an "Overload Shield", preventing minor crop density spikes from accidentally triggering crop losses when you are driving fast! All 5 parameters are interconnected.
The Zero Loss Zone is the range where settings contribute 0% penalty. Values outside this range start adding crop loss.
Open the Calibration GUI with RShift+K. Use < > buttons to switch crops manually — the GUI shows a Preview Loss % even without harvesting.
(Fan Speed · Rotor Speed · Upper Sieve · Lower Sieve · Feeder House)
| Crop | Fan Speed (RPM) | Rotor Speed (RPM) | Upper Sieve (mm) | Lower Sieve (mm) | Feeder House (RPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat / Barley | 940–1070 | 870–970 | 15–18 | 10–13 | 500–600 |
| Oat | 940–1070 | 820–930 | 18–21 | 12–15 | 530–630 |
| Corn (Maize) | 1070–1180 | 470–560 | 21–24 | 15–18 | 600–700 |
| Soybean / Pea / Legumes | 910–1040 | 640–750 | 15–18 | 10–13 | 490–570 |
| Canola (Rapeseed) | 880–980 | 600–700 | 14–16 | 9–11 | 490–570 |
| Sunflower | 870–990 | 440–530 | 19–23 | 14–17 | 550–650 |
| Rice | 960–1080 | 910–1020 | 19–23 | 16–19 | 540–660 |
| Sorghum | 940–1070 | 720–830 | 15–18 | 11–14 | 500–600 |
| Lentil | 960–1080 | 520–610 | 18–21 | 12–15 | 610–690 |
| Chickpea | 1080–1230 | 520–610 | 21–24 | 14–16 | 610–690 |
(Fan Speed · Drum Speed · Feeder Speed)
| Crop | Fan Speed (RPM) | Drum Speed (RPM) | Feeder Speed (RPM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass / Dry Grass | 1150–1290 | 1110–1150 | 380–460 |
| Corn Silage (CHAFF) | 1220–1360 | 1140–1180 | 440–520 |
(Fan Speed · Roller Speed · Feeder Web)
Each crop has unique optimal values — check the Calibration Menu when switching crops!
| Crop | Fan Speed (optimal) | Roller Speed (optimal) | Feeder Web (optimal) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potato | 610 RPM | 200 RPM | 310 RPM | Low air: soil doesn't blow, gentle roller: prevent bruises |
| Sugarbeet | 640 RPM | 240 RPM | 300 RPM | Harder than potato, faster cleaning |
| Beetroot | 630 RPM | 220 RPM | 300 RPM | Between potato and sugarbeet |
| Onion | 850 RPM ⬆️ | 210 RPM | 270 RPM | Strong airflow needed to separate skins and leaves |
| Carrot / Parsnip | 580 RPM | 190 RPM | 330 RPM ⬆️ | Very gentle root, fast feeder to lift weight |
| Spinach | 520 RPM ⬇️ | 160 RPM ⬇️ | 280 RPM | Minimal air: leaves fly and tear easily |
| Green Bean | 670 RPM | 200 RPM | 290 RPM | Moderate, careful: pods crack easily |
Tolerance zone: ±5–8% from the optimal value shown above.
(Fan Speed · Picker Speed · Feeder House)
| Parameter | Optimal | Zero Loss Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Fan Speed (RPM) | 3250 | 3100–3400 |
| Picker Speed (RPM) | 210 | 200–220 |
| Feeder House (RPM) | 190 | 170–210 |
Q: My combine is slowing down by itself. Is that normal? Yes. The mod automatically limits speed when engine load is too high. This prevents grain loss. You can override it by pressing accelerator harder, but losses will increase.
Q: I just installed the mod and my settings are all at 50%. Is that bad? That's normal — the mod starts at 50% by default until it detects which crop you're harvesting. Once you start harvesting, AUTO mode automatically adjusts settings to near-optimal values for that crop. It's not always perfect though, so there may still be small losses. For zero loss, tune manually using the reference table above.
Q: Does AUTO mode fully optimize for me? No. AUTO is intentionally imperfect. A skilled manual operator can outperform AUTO.
Q: I lost a lot of grain. How do I prevent it? Two main causes: (1) driving too fast — watch the Load bar, (2) wrong calibration — open RShift+K and check your settings for the current crop.
Q: Does this work in Multiplayer? Yes. Speed limiting syncs across all players. Each player has their own HUD settings.
- Download from kingmod.net
- Place
FS25_RealisticHarvesting.zipinto yourmodsfolder- Usually:
Documents/My Games/FarmingSimulator2025/mods/
- Usually:
- Activate in the in-game Modhub
Created by: exekx
- Bugs: GitHub Issues
- Download: kingmod.net
Made with ❤️ for the FS25 Community