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Swathing and Combining
It is best to swath just before combining, and to do so when peas are at 16 to 20% moisture. Pea should be swathed in the early morning or late afternoon when the pods are tough to reduce shattering losses.
Modifications on the swather make the job easier. Modifications like vine-lifters enable growers to get under the pea vines and lift them over the cutting knife. Many growers use a pickup reel as well. The pitch or angle of the swather table can be changed to a steep angle to get peas to roll toward the throat better and help get rid of dirt.
Pea can be both straight combined, or swather and combined, depending on preference. Headers with a floating cutterbar make direct harvesting easier. Attachments such as lifter guards and pickup reels also reduce losses and improve harvest rate dramatically. These modifications will allow you to cut the crop closer to the ground surface, lifting the vines, which lie flat, onto the table.
Semi-leafless pea varieties have a more open canopy, remain erect longer, and dry down more rapidly after a rain or heavy dew. These characteristics facilitate harvesting of semi-leafless pea relative to pea varieties with normal leaves.
Pea crop residue is rich in nutrients. It is best chopped and spread since unchopped pea vines readily plug cultivators. Pea straw can be baled and used as livestock feed.
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