Pöttinger Novacat 302 ED/Farming Simulator 15
The Pöttinger Novacat 302 ED is a Mower available in Farming Simulator 15. It is designed to be dragged over ripe Grass, which it will turn into Mowed Grass. It is the cheapest Mower in the base game. The primary disadvantage of the Novacat is that it is offset to one side of the tractor, making it a little harder to use.
Overview
The Novacat 302 ED is the cheapest Mowers available in the base game. Underneath the device are several horizontal cutting blades that will only cut ripe Grass.
The Novacat 302 ED is mounted on a frame equipped with a Three-point hitch, that can be attached to the rear of any tractor in the game. Some tractors can also attach this device at the front. There is no functional difference between attaching at the front or the back, it's a matter of personal preference.
When this Mower is unfolded, lowered and activated, it will automatically destroy any piece of ripe Grass it comes in contact with, leaving that grass in a pile on the ground behind it. As it is dragged across a patch of grass, the Novacat 302 ED will leave a long trail of cut grass behind it. That trail can then be picked up by a Loading Wagon, or further processed by a Windrower or Tedder. While working, the Novacat 302 ED enforces a speed limit of 22 km/h.
The Novacat 302 ED's cutting head is the smallest among mowers, having a working width of only 3.0 meters. Furthermore, it is offset to the side of the tractor by several meters - it will cut the grass next to the tractor, rather than directly in front or behind the tractor. This makes it a little more difficult to maneuver, and makes it much harder to get perfect coverage of Grass meadows. This also makes it more difficult (but still possible) to effectively use the Novacat at the front, and a Loading Wagon at the rear - a combination that would otherwise speed up the mowing+collecting process of Grass.
A different and somewhat effective combination is to use two Novacats - one mounted at the front, and the other at the rear of the tractor. The Novacat at the front will then cut grass off the left side of the tractor, while the Novacat at the rear will simultaneously cut grass on the right side. Note however that this leaves the Grass underneath the tractor uncut.
The store states that this Mower requires 51 kW / 70 hp to operate. There is no tractor in the base game that fails to meet these requirements, so they are somewhat meaningless. However, any DLC or Modded vehicles with less than this much power may find it impossible to activate the device at all. Note that the device does weaken its tractor when operating, so if you wish to use two Mowers simultaneously and/or tow a working Loading Wagon behind you, a more powerful tractor (around 150 hp) is very much recommended.
If using a very small tractor to carry this Mower, consider counter-balancing it with a Weight, otherwise you may find it hard to stay balanced and straight due to the offset of the Novacat's heavy cutting head. Mid-sized tractors should have no such problem.
Finally, it should be noted that the Novacat has an unfortunate tendency to fall over if it is unattached while in its folded state. If the Novacat has fallen over, it may become impossible to reattach it to a tractor. You would need to either reset it to your farm, or try to lift it back to a useable position somehow. Therefore, always remember to unfold your Novacat before unattaching it.
Specifications
- Price: $8,300
- Maintenance: $20 / day
- Working width: 3.0m
- Required power: 51 kW / 70 hp
- Max speed (work mode): 22 km/h / 14 mph
- Selling price: $4,150 ($4,980 at shop)
- Front Hitch: Three-point hitch