Done Manual detect not working

I cannot manual detect the harvester, planter and sludge boiler for the quest Cultivating the Harvest.
Any help

 

I had some trouble with using ones that I had used before, like that had power stored in them, or sludge. I had to craft new ones. Check yours.

 

It is most propably because you have power or items in the machines, this is a quite normal problem, which means that you should always manual detect before you start using the machine

 

Are you not overlooking the fact that the second part of the quest means you have to have a bucket of sludge in your inventory?

 

All you need to do is pick it up with a pickaxe, that will reset these machines and empty them.