A Tree Cutter (also known as a Feller) is a type of Loading Tool in Farming Simulator 17. Tree Cutters do exactly what their name implies: They cut down Trees, turning them into Logs. In essence, they are like vehicle-mounted Chainsaws - with a few key differences.
A Tree Cutter is comprised primarily of a horizontal circular saw. When the saw is activated, it will (almost) instantly cut down any tree it comes into contact with. Tree Cutters can be angled up or down to give the tree a diagonal cut, which may influence the direction in which the tree will fall.
Tree Cutters cut much more quickly than Chainsaws, but they lack the ability to remove branches from the logs. They also cost many times more than a Chainsaw. Tree Cutters are almost uniformly inferior to Tree Harvesters, which can cut branches and cut logs to a specified length. Nevertheless, Tree Cutters are significantly cheaper, and much easier to operate.
Farming Simulator 17 offers two models of Tree Cutters by default, and both of these can only be attached to Skid Steer Loaders. These small vehicles are extremely agile and can operate easily in dense forests. Additionally, the game also offers one Tractor-mounted Tree Cutter / Log Fork hybrid, which can perform the same function with some caveats.
List of Tree Cutters[]
Below is a list of both Tree Cutters available in Farming Simulator 17. Both of these models can be found in the "Skid Steer Loaders" category at the store. They both attach only to Skid Steer Loaders.
Common Features: $10 Maintenance Cost per Day, 60 Horsepower Consumption, Skid Steer Loader attachment point.
| Name | Price | Weight | Extra Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFM RT3000 | 9,400 | 447 | None |
| DFM CFB-16 | 12,000 | 695 | Can (theoretically) cut several trees and collect them, before dropping them all in a single pile. Can lift logs from the ground like a Log Fork. |
The base-game features one additional model - a hybrid Tree Cutter / Log Fork. This tool can only be mounted on a Tractor (directly; no Front-Loading Arm required), and can be found in the "Forestry Equipment" category at the store:
| Name | Price | Maint. Cost per Day |
Weight | Attachment Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFM TR3200 | 5,400 | 20 | 355 | Three-point hitch |
Working with a Tree Cutter[]
Once a Tree Cutter has been attached to a Skid Steer Loader, the actual work of cutting trees is fairly simple, and requires only a bit of skill.
- To begin, make sure the Tree Cutter is turned off. This will prevent you from making an accidental cut at the wrong place or angle.
- Locate the tree you wish to cut down, and decide which direction you wish it to fall towards. Approach the tree from the opposite direction.
- Position the Tree Cutter so that the circular saw is in contact with the trunk at the point where you wish to cut it (preferably, as close to the ground as possible).
- Turn on the saw, and the tree should be cut within less than a second.
- Remember to turn the saw off to avoid damaging the log you've just created.
- You may need to push the tree to make it fall.
The angle of the saw at the moment of cutting will influence the angle of the cut - and may influence the direction in which the tree will fall. If you keep the saw completely horizontal, it may cut the tree without causing it to fall over at all - in which case you can push the tree from any direction to make it fall away from you.
Alternatively, you can angle the saw downwards before cutting. This will make a diagonal cut that will (usually) cause the tree to fall away from your cutting vehicle. This may not always work - the tree might slide off the stump, hit the ground, and then fall back down towards your cutting vehicle. Doing this correctly takes some practice.
If the saw is turned on but refuses to cut the tree, you may need to back away slightly from the tree, push the saw closer to the tree, or attempt to cut it at a different point. Remember that some tree models are not designed to be cut - you will get a message notifying you of this, if you try to cut down the wrong type of tree.
Note that Tree Cutters can cut Logs after they have fallen. However they are not designed for this purpose, and are not as precise as a Chainsaw. Never forget that you can just jump out of your vehicle and cut the tree yourself, if you own one.
Comparison with other Tools[]
Tree Cutters are directly comparable to hand-operated Chainsaws, as well as gigantic and expensive Tree Harvesters. Each of these three categories of tools is capable of cutting down trees, but has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Compared to a Chainsaw, a Tree Cutter is significantly faster - it will cut a tree in less than a second. This allows you to cut many trees very rapidly, and is also somewhat less finicky than a Chainsaw when checking whether the angle is correct for a cut. Of course, Chainsaws are incredibly cheap (up to 1/10 the cost of the simplest Tree Cutter), and being foot-mobile they allow you the finest control of where you cut. Furthermore, Tree Cutters cannot strip the branches off a tree, which Chainsaws can.
Compared to Tree Harvesters, Tree Cutters are almost entirely inferior. They can only cut a tree down, whereas a Tree Harvester can strip the branches off automatically while also cutting the tree into logs of a specified length, as well as piling them up together. Tree Harvesters cut out many steps in the Forestry process, making it go smoothly and easily. On the other hand, Tree Harvesters are very expensive machines, costing around 20-30 times more than a Tree Cutter. They also require a lot of skill to use properly, due to having a whole mess of hydraulic controls. As such, you may want to keep a Tree Cutter around for cutting small trees in a hurry.