Zunhammer SKE 18.5 PU/Farming Simulator 15
The Zunhammer SKE 18.5 PU is a Slurry Spreader available in Farming Simulator 15. It is designed to cover fields with Slurry (a byproduct of Cow husbandry and Silage production), doubling the yielded crops. This is the largest Slurry Spreader in the base game that can be directly attached to a Tractor. It is also has more than twice the capacity of the next smaller Slurry Spreader. In addition, the SKE 18.5 PU can be connected to a Zunhammer Zunidisc, which allows it to cultivate and fertilize the soil simultaneously.
Overview
The SKE 18.5 PU is a fairly simple device that can spread Slurry on a field. It is chemical tank on wheels, capable of holding up to 18,500 liters of Slurry. At the back of the tank is a nozzle that can eject the Slurry behind the vehicle as it moves, at a rate of 150 liters per second. Any piece of fertilized land will give double the Crop yield the next time it becomes ripe for harvest.
Fertilization of a field can be performed at any point before the crops have ripened, and will always result in double crop yield. It can be done on ripe crops, but in that case it will only apply to the next crop grown on the same field. The extra revenue from fertilized crops will probably cover the cost of this tool the very first time you use it.
The SKE 18.5 PU has a Drawbar (Ball) attachment point, which can be attached behind any tractor in the game. It can also only be attached to the Lizard PiQup, as well as most Harvesters.
The SKE 18.5 PU has a working width of about 15.0 meters, which is a little more than average among fertilization machines. It enforces a speed limit of 20 km/h while operating.
The store reports that this tool requires 110 kW / 150 hp to operate, but in practice this device can be activated even by the smallest tractors. However, when the tank is full and operating, a vehicle with less than 200 hp or so may struggle to get up to full speed when going up hills.
If operating this tool manually, you will first need to fill it with Slurry. This can be done at the Cow Pasture, at the Biogas Plant, or even from a Slurry Field Tank that you had previously filled with Slurry and placed near the field you wish to fertilize. The SKE 18.5 PU will refuse to activate if it does not contain at least 1 liter of Slurry.
Filling the SKE 18.5 PU with Slurry is simple: Drive the it up to the Slurry tank, and hit the Refill button. The filling process will stop if you hit the button again, drive away from the tank, or when the SKE 18.5 PU is full to the brim. The SKE 18.5 PU will not work in manual mode if it is empty.
If you use a Hired Worker to operate the SKE 18.5 PU, the tank does not absolutely require filling - but the Hired Worker will charge you a money for each liter he uses while the tank is empty. However, whether intentionally or due to a programming mistake, that amount of money is incredibly small: only about $260 per hectare, which is one of the lowest prices per hectare of any fertilizer in the game by far. Remember that each hectare of land can produce over $10,000 worth of Crops when unfertilized, and that fertilization doubles that profit. This makes Slurry incredibly cheap and effective.
Note that unlike Sowing Machines, a Slurry Spreader will start expending Fertilizer as soon as it is activated, even if you are not on the field, or are running it over a part of the field that has already been fertilized.
Finally, note that the SKE 18.5 PU is uniquely designed to operate together with the Zunhammer Zunidisc, a Cultivator trailer that can only be attached to this Slurry Spreader. When attached in tandem, the working width drops to 6.0 meters, but the machine will both fertilize and cultivate simultaneously - an extremely effective combination for speeding up fieldwork, especially when you intend to sow Corn, Sugar Beet or Potato. The Sowing Machines for these crops cannot cultivate the soil, so instead the SKE 18.5 / Zunidisc combo can prepare the land for them in one go. No other fertilization equipment in the base game can cultivate and fertilize at the same time.
When used conventionally (by manually filling it with Slurry each time it runs out), the SKE 18.5 PU is an effective way of fertilizing about a hectare of field in one go - equivalent to a small field. With the Zunhammer Zunidisc, it also makes preparatory field work easier. Of course, it first requires you to make some Slurry to fill it with. However, if you choose to take advantage of the absurdly low cost of Slurry for a Hired Worker using an empty tank, the SK 18.5 PU becomes one of the more cost-effective pieces of fertilization equipment in the game.
Specifications
- Price: $38,000
- Maintenance: $40 / day
- Capacity: 18,500 L
- Working width: 15.0m
- Required power: 110 kW / 150 hp
- Max speed (work mode): 20 km/h / 12 mph
- Selling price: $19,000 ($22,800 at shop)
- Mass: 6,555(empty) 14,450(full) kg / 14,880(empty) 32,805(full) lbs
- Front Hitch: Drawbar (Ball)
- Rear Hitch: Special - Can only be attached to the Zunhammer Zunidisc
Notes
- For the PC version, this trailer requires patch 1.1, which can be downloaded via Steam or the GIANTS website.