Wheat Harvester?

[Phantomizer]

So i have my Wheat Farms up and running, now i was wondering what methods people use to harvest the wheat? Or any other crops for that matter? For one thing, i know there's a Tree Harvester, but unless i missed it, i didn't find any Harvester for crops (i'm using Ultimate).

I'm looking at possibly setting up an automatic Wheat Farm that feeds seeds to my Squeezer to make Seed Oil in large quantities so i can making the Frames for the Bee Hives more easily, but i see two problems with this idea. 1) The lack of a crop Harvester as mentioned above and 2), i don't see how i could route half the seeds back to the Wheat Farm (so it can keep operating automatically) and the other half to my Squeezer to make Seed Oil?

Ideas welcome

 

[ex13]

Try golems, one straw golem (with intelligence core) that harvests and replants the wheat, one wood golem that picks the seeds and wheat up and puts it into a chest. This is one of the easiest, and by far the most awesome way to automate a farm
As for the seeds, since the golem automatically replants right after harvesting, all seeds in the chest can be used for the squeezer, no need to distribute it.

Edit: One more suggestion: For seed oil, I would eventually go the tree breeding route. Try to breed chestnut and walnut trees and (depending on your needs) just plant one of these every now and then, let it ripen and harvest, or built an orchard (multifarm). They give so incredibly much more seed oil in the squeezer, i'd never want to go back to normal seeds.

 

[Bibble]

For farming, There are a few options. When you have the research in place, golems are by FAR the easiest to set up and expand. Otherwise, you can look at forestry farms, which have a resaonable yield, but do need a constant input of power/water/fertilliser. I also recall there being a MFR block that can do farming (this was a while ago, and may now be inaccurate.

Alternatively, you can go the Steve's Cart route, which is high on initial materials, but then pretty much infallible. Technically, I think that you can use a BUD switch and RP2 block-breakers/deployers. Possibly even a Buildcraft filler. There's IC2 crop-breeding which is usually quite interesting, with additional benefits (iron farm, anyone?).

Off the top of my head, that might be the lot. Probably.

 

[Peppe]

Golems are pretty awesome at the task. No power cost and fun to watch.

If you haven't done the TC research yet though. There is a block called 'harvester' that is very cheap and efficient. Runs on EU or MJ. Typically it is paired with a planter, which has the same characteristics. Planter goes underneath a plot of land centered. Harvester goes off to any side centered.

Size with no upgrades is 3x3. Search NEI for upgrade and there are a bunch with 'radius increase:' which work with these machines. I personally like the radius 3 upgrade -- makes the total radius 9x9, which is the same as one block of water irrigates.

Some examples in my current world:

Spoiler

Under the cobblestone at the center is a water block to keep the land around the planter irrigated. Harvesters off to each side for each plot.

Harvester and Planter are from Minefactory Reloaded.

Harvester uses a lot of power on trees and hardly any on all the other farm types. You don't need planters for pumpkins, melons, cactus, reeds. Just manually plant them in a pattern and then the harvester will harvest the correct parts and leave the base/stems.

 

[Phantomizer]

Thanks for the replies, i'm going to try working towards making the Golems and see how that goes. I still haven't figured out how to do the whole tree breeding though :\

 

[Silent_007]

Thanks for the replies, i'm going to try working towards making the Golems and see how that goes. I still haven't figured out how to do the whole tree breeding though :\

Tree breeding is as simple as having some bees running (in an apiary or alveary) and planting more than one type of tree nearby. Then use a grafter to harvest any leaves that change their appearance.

If you want to know what kind of trees are needed to get certain types of mutations, I can point you to a guide. But that can be considered a spoiler depending on how you like to play (much like bee breeding or TC3 research).

 

[Phantomizer]

Thanks, i'll probably experiment more with Bees as soon as i have the farm setup going.

I just made a Straw and Wooden Golem, i'm using the Forestry Farm machine and i guess i won't need that with Golems...can anyone recommend an optimum setup for the automatic golem farm? i notice the golems have a set radius within which they'll work in...can't find anywhere that'll say exactly how many blocks that is.

 

[Peppe]

10 base
16 with perception core
+2 to either one with glasses

Edit:
Saice's findings on these might be more accurate.
Seem to be +- 1 of the numbers i recall from a wiki a while ago.


It is sphere shaped.

Straw have no home, so can drift a bit in a large field.

Nothing really to optimize on them. Need intelligence core on straw. Really they just work...

 

[MouseyPounds]

Based on Saice's golem testing, golem radius is 9 blocks (15 if they have perceptive core) plus another 3 if you give them the glasses upgrade.

 

[biomirth]

No setup needed on the golems...just let them rip. You have to be sure to keep the field isolated from other fields or the straw golem will wander off harvesting everything it can...everywhere. Note...if you have to pick them up and move them pick the wood golem up first or he'll snag the straw golem...I lost my first one this way to a void pipe .

intelligence core on the straw golem is a must.