Haulm Toppers/Farming Simulator 15
A Haulm Topper is a device in Farming Simulator 15 that can prepare Root Crops (Sugar Beet or Potato) for harvesting. These crops cannot be harvested until processed by a Haulm Topper. The Haulm Topper cuts the parts of the plant that are above ground so that a harvester can get at the roots below, which are the actual fruit of these crops.
The game provides separate Haulm Topping machinery for Sugar Beets and for Potatoes. Each crop has one basic, tractor-towed Haulm Topper available; and one combination Haulm Topper/Harvester that can perform the entire harvest in one go.
List of Haulm Toppers
Trailers
These Haulm Toppers must be towed by a Tractor. They can only perform the Haulm Topping task.
| Trailer | Crop | Price
(€) |
Maintenance
(€) |
Working Width
(m) |
Req. Power*
(kW / hp) |
Max Working Speed
(km/h) |
Attachment Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sugar Beet | 17,000 | 20 | 3.0 | 45 / 61 | 15 | Three-point hitch |
 |
Potato | 7,900 | 10 | 3.3 | 45 / 61 | 15 | Three-point hitch |
* Power requirements are suggestions only.
Self-Propelled
These Haulm Toppers move under their own power. They are actually Harvesters that also top the haulms simultaneously as they work.
| Harvester | Crop | Price
(€) |
Maintenance
(€) |
Capacity
(liters) |
Working Width
(m) |
Max Speed
(km/h) |
Max Working Speed
(km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sugar Beet | 479,000 | 1290 | 32,850 | 3.0 | 27 | 10 |
 |
Potato | 479,000 | 1290 | 20,000 | 3.0 | 27 | 10 |
Overview
The two Root Crops, Sugar Beet and Potato, are the most profitable direct-sale crops in Farming Simulator 15, due to the high yields given by each hectare of these crops (compared to all other crops). However, both Sugar Beet and Potato are somewhat more work-intensive than other crops, because of an additional step required to prepare the field for harvesting - the Haulm Topping step.
In essence, once the crops on the field have ripened, a special machine must make a pass over the field to remove the leafy parts of the plant that are sticking above-ground - the "Haulms". This special machine itself is called a Haulm Topper. Each Haulm Topper is designed to work only on one specific type of Root Crop.
The default Haulm Toppers are simple, cheap machines that must be dragged behind a Tractor in order to operate. As the machine passes over the field, it will cut the Haulms off the plants, leaving only the roots underground. These roots, being the actual Beets and Potatoes you need, can then be collected using a separate Harvester device. Until the Haulms are removed, the harvester cannot process the field at all.
The basic Haulm Toppers are easy to use, and work pretty much the same as Cultivators. You may hire a Worker to do the work for you. Note however that the Haulm Toppers available in the base game are quite narrow, and will take some time to process the entire field. There are no wider tools available for this task.
Self-Propelled Combination Toppers
In addition to the tractor-pulled Haulm Toppers, the game also offers two Combine Toppers that can move under their own power, not requiring a tractor. In addition to this advantage, the two Combine Toppers are also Harvesters, which will pull the Sugar Beets/Potatoes out of the ground immediately after cutting the haulms. That is, they do both parts of the harvesting process for these crops simultaneously, saving a lot of time and effort.
On the other hand, both of the Combine Toppers in the base game are prohibitively expensive - each costing close to half a million dollars. Of course, if you can gather the money to purchase one, it will likely pay for itself very rapidly, since the Root Crops are quite profitable.
Since these machines are closer in design to Harvesters than to Haulm Toppers, their operation is described in more detail on the Harvesters article.