How to raise, lower and unload the Claw Crane

Start with a visible pickup

Enter the cab and check the control legend in the bottom-left corner. Move the open jaws sideways with the movement keys until an exposed patch of potatoes is underneath. Move the mouse vertically in a short stroke and watch whether the claw rises or lowers. Adjust until the jaws reach the patch, then use the left mouse button to close them. The English screenshot labels close and open with different mouse buttons; moving the mouse changes height, not grip.

Lift straight up before travelling away. Watch the claw meter at the bottom of the screen. One cab capture shows a load of 996/1000; a small positive number is enough for this test. If it reads zero, right-click to open, shift to a more exposed patch and lower the claw again. The English control legend does not identify an equivalent gamepad binding.

Follow the first load all the way to the hopper

From the cab, locate the rectangular receiving bin beside the outdoor cableway. Carry one positive load to it, centre the claw over the opening and right-click to open the jaws. In the English cab view the bottom prompt identifies the hopper release. If the claw meter falls but potatoes land on the snow, the pickup worked: adjust your horizontal position before opening the next load.

Follow the handoff while the crane is stationary. Look for stock entering the bin, then a packed sack leaving on the outdoor cableway. If both happen but the indoor drums stay empty, follow that same sack to the gantry. If you have Autopilot, press E to leave the cab before testing it. The pictured Autopilot dossier specifies that the automatic digging cycle runs while the cab is unoccupied.

If pickup breaks down after a repile

One player reported potatoes appearing near the old pile surface as the claw passed through. Try another exposed edge and watch the pickup itself. If the same behavior repeats, capture the repile and one following crane pass in the same recording; those moments distinguish a pile-position problem from a missed unload. A recurring old save issue with a supply drop landing on the crane was addressed separately in hotfix 1.0.2.

Compare one visible edge and one suspect spot just after repiling. Include the claw meter as each pickup ends. A zero reading at one spot and a normal load nearby narrows the problem to that patch. A positive reading before release points farther down the route. If the post-repile surface is hanging in the air, include its side profile so another player can distinguish an arch from an empty load.

Developer notes • Hotfix 1.0.2 ↗

Related field notes

• When the crane recounts the pile and when the speaker calls it out
• Lost sacks in the pile: recovery and safer bagging