Rake up for peas?

[macdon02]

This is gonna sound real honky but 2 -12ft side delivery rakes do a bang up job. Raking to the middle you get 25-26ft. Lose a little where tractor drives but would be amazed how little is lost. Did three quarters that way in 96. No dirt, No shelling other then tracks and just fly with combine. Oh yeah never seemed to roll away either. Don't know why.

[blackpowder]

Now that made a degree of sense based on speed etc. And those swaths are like a rope. And those rakes are cheap.

[farmaholic]

Macdon2. That does sound bizarre. Did you have to rake them tough? Or wouldn't they come loose if they were tough. How fast Did you travel?

[blueversi]

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-farming-equipment/saskatoon/coulters-for-pick-up/1018266308?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

[macdon02]

It was so wet that fall couldn't cut peas just a huge ball of mud and straw. Neighbor said try my rakes.I was thinking he was bat shit crazy, don't knock it till you try it. Not sure how it would work in dry conditions but in mud its the answer. They are way cheaper then Sund or flex. And you have "some" rock and metal protection with pickup being off the ground. Would run it same as canola.

[macdon02]

Forgot to mention the green growing weeds stay in the ground and are not an issue.

[Ronski]

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-farming-equipment/calgary/sund-pickup-22ft-c-w-pea-coulters/1018455218

Good luck, let us know what works

[boarderbloke]

Ronski, is that a pickup mounted on a 4400 swather? WOW, if it is! Must have lots of rear weight.

[hedgehog]

I have a lot of experience direct cutting peas on wet land.
I dont do it any more. The peas tend to bring dirt into the combine which wrecks the grain elevator.

[boarderbloke]

hedgehog, what are your wheat prices doing over there? Are you starting to see big spreads between high quality wheat vs. weathered poorer quality? What about high protein vs. lower? Don't mean to hijack this thread, but would really like to hear what hedge has to say on the matter of wheat.

[hedgehog]

Boarderbloke, Wheat yields here are high generally, and protein low.
13% PROTEIN WHEAT IS £30 over feed. Feed is £120.
Nobody seems to have good protein, although hagberg falling numbers are high in uk, low in europe.
I am holding my milling wheat in the hope that a market for 10% protein high hag wheat will develop. It must i think as everyones is the same.
sheds are groaning here with record yield of low N barley and low protein wheat.

[hedgehog]

HAS anyone got a drum mower?
that will cut peas.

[pgluca]

Have done a lot of very flat peas with regular lifters, they roll up like a rug and you loose very little. IMO better than a flex header when they are very flat. I have used both, just tilt your table forward so you are running at least 6" off the ground and run the lifters 1" off. The only problems is you may get too much green matter and your may have too much material for your header to handle. The too much material you can maybe handle by only cutting partial width. The first pass is a killer though.
Good Luck

[Hopperbin]

Agree with last post. If very flat the swather is a good option. We got going today after only two tenths yesterday. Doing a quarter section a day with honeybee 36foot. 3 to 4, 5 mph. But steady. Honeybee lifters keep knife off the ground and after 450 acres like new knife yet. Swather can go slightly earlier and later than straight cutting. Rolls up like a rug and flips over on canvass still making lovely swath rolling fluff off. Susseptible to blowing but with todays forcast should only lay 3 days 3 days on account of too many mushy seeds. Combine picks up at up to 8 mph depending on if operator can handle.

[Hopperbin]

Straw chopped and spread. Another plus. Possibly dealer could rent you a mcdon. My honeybee lifters hug the ground so hard they can get hot to touch when mid day ground is dryer. But never wrecked one yet. Dont turn sharp.