Load the hopper and watch the sack
Feed unpeeled potatoes from your bucket or loaded sack into the Auto Peel Machine's hopper, positioning the load over the machine so the potatoes enter it. A full machine leaves a sack intact; if production stops, check for a story-object prompt, missed loading, or potatoes backing up in the water channel.
Equipment for feeding and processing potatoes
| Equipment | Job | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Bucket | Carries potatoes in bulk. | Empty unpeeled potatoes into the machine hopper and check where they land. |
| Loaded sack | Supplies a load of potatoes to the hopper. | Position it over the hopper. The sack stays whole when the machine is full. |
| Crank Peel Machine | Processes potatoes with a manually operated crank. | Stand at the crank and hold E to operate it. |
| Auto Peel Machine | Provides motorized peeling. | Keep its hopper supplied and check that potatoes are being processed. |
| Sack Gantry | Carries full sacks to the emptiest peeling machine. | Leave filled sacks inside its designated pickup area. |
| Overclock | Makes every peeling drum run twice as fast. | Consider it when delivered sacks accumulate faster than the machines can process them. |
Feed the machine from a bucket or sack
- Bring a bucket or loaded sack of unpeeled potatoes to the machine to supply its hopper.
- Position the container over the hopper so its contents enter the machine instead of landing beside it.
- Unload the potatoes into the hopper, watching the landing point to check that the load reaches the processing system.
- Check whether a sack remains whole after the loading attempt; a full machine leaves it intact.
- Watch the machine's output to verify that the accepted potatoes are being peeled.
- Follow the finished potatoes toward the chute to check that delivery continues beyond the peeling machine.
Recognize a full hopper before adding more
Golden Horn Studios changed sack loading in Hotfix 1.0.2 so potatoes pour toward the middle of the hopper. The developer also explicitly states that a full machine leaves the sack whole. If your sack stays intact, inspect the hopper's existing load before treating the sack as broken.
Watch whether the machine is clearing its existing potatoes before trying to add more. When sacks arrive faster than they can be processed, improve peeling capacity. Faster transport is useful when machines are waiting for potatoes, but it will not clear an already overloaded machine bay.
Keep the Sack Gantry supplied
- Place a filled sack inside the gantry's designated pickup area so the transport system can collect it.
- Watch the gantry carry the sack to the emptiest peeling machine and pour its contents into the hopper.
- Prepare the next load while the gantry is operating to reduce time spent waiting beside it.
An idle gantry with a sack nearby can be a placement problem. Check that the sack is inside the marked pickup area, because leaving it elsewhere in the room does not establish a working route. Once pickup works, watch the receiving machine before buying another transport upgrade.
Handle a story blockage at the machine
A machine-blocked message can accompany a potato containing a story object. Steam players describe approaching the affected machine and holding the interaction control when that message appears. Inspect the potato and recover its contents before returning to ordinary loading.
Use the message and interaction prompt to identify this situation. Potatoes visibly dropping beside the hopper point you toward loading position, while a pileup farther along the water channel calls for an output check. Inspect where movement stops before choosing a fix.
Clear loading spills and water-channel problems
If potatoes fall beside the hopper, adjust your loading position and watch the next attempt. Players have reported spills from buckets and sacks, so inspect the floor as well as the machine. Collect loose potatoes before continuing to build a backlog around the equipment.
If peeled potatoes leave the machine but accumulate at the channel bend, inspect that corner and remove the buildup. Players have used the bucket or vacuum to clear it and have reported jams even with upgraded water speed. Water upgrades can help movement, but check the obstruction itself instead of assuming an upgrade has removed it.
The developer addressed water-channel slowdowns and crashes in Hotfix 1.0.2. That update also improves potato movement through the water. Install the fix if you are on an earlier build, then check the channel again before resuming heavy loading.
Restart the line and verify delivery
- Resolve any story-object interaction at the blocked machine so the interruption is dealt with before further loading.
- Open Pause → Troubleshooting for a physical jam to find the relevant recovery option.
- Correct the container's loading position so the next supply reaches the hopper.
- Clear potatoes obstructing the waterway so finished output can continue toward delivery.
- Watch the delivery counter while clean potatoes reach the chute to verify that the line is contributing progress again.
Keep save behavior in mind if you reload while troubleshooting. The developer's update preserves potatoes in machine hoppers and the vacuum tank. Potatoes carried in a bucket or wheelbarrow return to the pile on load, so check there before treating an empty container as lost stock.
Sack tearing and automatic-peeler unlocks
- Why does my sack tear before its potatoes reach the automatic peeler?
- Players reported early sack tearing and potatoes missing the hopper. Hotfix 1.0.2 changes pouring toward the hopper's center and keeps sacks whole when the machine is full. Update first, then adjust the loading position if potatoes still miss; facing the output side is a player-suggested workaround to try.
- Why did upgrading the Crank Peel Machine suddenly unlock an automatic peeler?
- Players have reported the automatic peeler appearing after a crank-machine upgrade, and community replies describe it as intended progression. Check what became available at your terminal and follow the active equipment objective. When you purchase the Auto Peel Machine, verify that it processes a supplied load before planning further upgrades.