drafting vs dumpline

Greengrass1

At the IGA open day neither farm had dumplines in there parlours. And both farms calving a lot if cows quickly.
I'm just wondering would I be as well do the same as them. Put in a good drafting system and draft out fresh cows and milk at end?
I need a system any way. Its a balls holding all the cows at breeding and trying to separate cows on your own. .
I don't think a dumpline is worth the price

dar31

Both are a great saving on time with the drafting being the most important
We run all the antiobitic cows as a seperate batch in shed/field and milk last even though we have dump line as well
At the iga the hylands milked all the antibiotic cows on the home farm separate to the main herd

Greengrass1

dar31 wrote: »

Both are a great saving on time with the drafting being the most important
We run all the antiobitic cows as a seperate batch in shed/field and milk last even though we have dump line as well
At the iga the hylands milked all the antibiotic cows on the home farm separate to the main herd

I think the dumpline is 3k can't remember off the top of my head. 3k would put in a good drafting system. Which would be a big time saver I think

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

At the IGA open day neither farm had dumplines in there parlours. And both farms calving a lot if cows quickly.
I'm just wondering would I be as well do the same as them. Put in a good drafting system and draft out fresh cows and milk at end?
I need a system any way. Its a balls holding all the cows at breeding and trying to separate cows on your own. .
I don't think a dumpline is worth the price

It is for a few weeks in spring ,save a lot of time and lugging around tubs of milk from pit and trying to seperate cows and hold them back till last,
Drafting is very handy also for simillar reasons but lies idle for a lot of year too.could u recycle the old lines jar and pump from old parlour and use them.thatcwould save a lot.
Investing in both for a simple one man spring operation would be mobey well spent.both would be very beneficial at different times of the year and save time in parlour.dont get too hung up on what u see or hear at open days.take bits and pieces away and apply to your own place.usually those big operators can afford to have hired help full time in spring etc whereas your typical 100 cow man should be able to run it on his own and in your and mine case with help of father.parlour gadgets have a very valid place in farms like ur and mine

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

It is for a few weeks in spring ,save a lot of time and lugging around tubs of milk from pit and trying to seperate cows and hold them back till last,
Drafting is very handy also for simillar reasons but lies idle for a lot of year too.could u recycle the old lines jar and pump from old parlour and use them.thatcwould save a lot.
Investing in both for a simple one man spring operation would be mobey well spent.both would be very beneficial at different times of the year and save time in parlour.dont get too hung up on what u see or hear at open days.take bits and pieces away and apply to your own place.usually those big operators can afford to have hired help full time in spring etc whereas your typical 100 cow man should be able to run it on his own and in your and mine case with help of father.parlour gadgets have a very valid place in farms like ur and mine

I'm looking at the Kerr operation. 140 cow one man operation with a student in spring going to 160..22unit parlour. 9minutes per row.
I I can reuse old parlour alright.
I want to keep this as cheap as possible.
The one thing I hate here is trying to seoerate cows out in both breeding seasons. Cows slip get agitated and nervous ones really hate it. Would same a lot of stress on them and save time ..
I must get onto rep again and see what his prices were.
Things were quickly escalating price wise with the parlour I might be just as well put on 2 extra units for 2 yrs and install drafting .
I was thinking of milking cows at end and either keep seoerate herd or draft them and put them in second time and milk

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I'm looking at the Kerr operation. 140 cow one man operation with a student in spring going to 160..22unit parlour. 9minutes per row.
I I can reuse old parlour alright.
I want to keep this as cheap as possible.
The one thing I hate here is trying to seoerate cows out in both breeding seasons. Cows slip get agitated and nervous ones really hate it. Would same a lot of stress on them and save time ..
I must get onto rep again and see what his prices were.
Things were quickly escalating price wise with the parlour I might be just as well put on 2 extra units for 2 yrs and install drafting .
I was thinking of milking cows at end and either keep seoerate herd or draft them and put them in second time and milk

For 120/140 cows 14 units with more spec to save u trips in and out of pit,extra units and no drafting/dump line won't really help

visatorro

My drafting system if fairly simple / silly, which ever way you want to look at it. When cows leave parlour they walk back out past collecting yard. It's easy to stop one at the top of the row. I walk out put wire up to gate of collecting yard, open gate then let her back in. Unfortunately I might have to draft her a couple of times if she's in early! I don't really have room for separate drafting pen outside parlour as yard is tight enough. Probably won't suit many lads but it's low cost and works. Also I wouldn't be doing as much ai on cows as most lads. So wouldn't be as hectic in spring

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

For 120/140 cows 14 units with more spec to save u trips in and out of pit,extra units and no drafting/dump line won't really help

The original idea was 12units with swing over dumpline and lowline wash but we still have the drafting which is only a minor cost I know.
When I said to uncle about no swing over s he said it wouldn't work. What do I do with cluster if I want to drop the cluster was his comment.
Eventually there will be 135/140 going trough parlour I hope.
The tank will be bought first that's for sure and then something done with parlour.
I'm wondering now would I be as well to get the uncle to put on 2 more units but then I have the problem of more froth building in the jar

Timmaay

I've this very same decision also at the minute. I've been hearing good and bad on both systems, dumplines lying idle for most the year as they use more water/detergent than its worth to use it. Then auto drafting systems which are too close to the parlour exit, and the cows back up, meaning you have to leave the pit to drive them out. Auto drafting isn't cheap either, about 8k, so I guess 3k for the dumpline offers better value, if you have to choose one or the other. You can definitely put in a cheap enough manual drafting system however, what would would well would be one which is quite close to the exit of the pit, but only impedes the cows when you need to draft a cow, the rest of the time leave it open. However any system which requires the milker to be leaving the pit will probably mean ACRs are a necessity. At the minute this is what I'm considering, ACRs, 2 dump buckets, and as easy to use a manual drafting system as I can get.

I assume adding in a dumpline afterwards if needs be would be a very simple job, just run any old milkline out and throw back up your old milk pump /jar.

trixi2011

Have you any scope to set up cheap drafting at the front of the parlour. You can set up a really good drafting system with ropes and gates which wont break the bank. Know of a farm with a delaval parlour with dumpline which work with snap clips it failed twice in the one year and full tanks were lost each time . I always prefer running a separate group but might be a hassle with smaller numbers

Lofty0990

Dumpline essential (mental stress alone) - even for spring only - during summer dumping any treated milk - selective high cell count -beats the hell out of slobbering around pulling pipes off claws to reroute to churns - as for drafting anyone one with compressed air one ram and one control box to gate in the right place just outside exit ,rolls royce job for a couple of hundred sqeuro.

Greengrass1

trixi2011 wrote: »

Have you any scope to set up cheap drafting at the front of the parlour. You can set up a really good drafting system with ropes and gates which wont break the bank. Know of a farm with a delaval parlour with dumpline which work with snap clips it failed twice in the one year and full tanks were lost each time . I always prefer running a separate group but might be a hassle with smaller numbers

Our cows exit the parlour on the right into a ten ft wide race. I'd be leaving the pit a good bit if I set up a rope system..its an option alright

awaywithyou

We're doing something a bit different for our new machine...:D going putting in a drafting gate before the cows come into the parlour.... To draft out cows whose milk is to be kept...

stanflt

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I'm looking at the Kerr operation. 140 cow one man operation with a student in spring going to 160..22unit parlour. 9minutes per row.
I I can reuse old parlour alright.
I want to keep this as cheap as possible.
The one thing I hate here is trying to seoerate cows out in both breeding seasons. Cows slip get agitated and nervous ones really hate it. Would same a lot of stress on them and save time ..
I must get onto rep again and see what his prices were.
Things were quickly escalating price wise with the parlour I might be just as well put on 2 extra units for 2 yrs and install drafting .
I was thinking of milking cows at end and either keep seoerate herd or draft them and put them in second time and milk

Gg spend as much as you can on the parlour at day one to make your life easier

I'd have no problem spending 8-10 k per unit
A modern plant should last 30 years with proper up keep

Compare it to your new tractor which cost you 50k and won't last more then 10years

You will spend more time in the pit and it will make you money where as a tractor will only break your heart with diesel bills repair bills

Timmaay

Stan your probably right, although the money doesn't need to be huge, I'm looking at a 14unit with acrs, basic milk meters and a dumpline for 45k installed or 3200 a unit, then the grant back on it. Feeders are extra but I'll probably wait and see what way the new grants go.

Greengrass1

stanflt wrote: »

Gg spend as much as you can on the parlour at day one to make your life easier

I'd have no problem spending 8-10 k per unit
A modern plant should last 30 years with proper up keep

Compare it to your new tractor which cost you 50k and won't last more then 10years

You will spend more time in the pit and it will make you money where as a tractor will only break your heart with diesel bills repair bills

What would that 10k include? Shed and all?

frazzledhome

Gg, to answer your question, I'd go drafting before dump though both would be nice.

Keep colostrum and pen cows separate but if you can't mark clearly don't milk and draft. Milk at end when you have more time to deal with them. It's the pricking around with these that leads people to believe they need toys

On the parlour question I'd suggest whatever you can afford. Basic 16 unit with manual drafting and batch feedrrs would shift 200 cows with one man. Forget the toys as not required unless you're a salesmanship wet dream. When your comfortably well off buy them

Greengrass1

This is what the parlour was coming in at

Swing over
1500l/m vacuum pump
3kw electric motor
Silicone milk and pulse tubes
100mm milk line
50mm wash line
Low line wash with fold up betters
Plate collet 800g/he
Air injector for washing
2x200 Ltd wash troughs
26k +vat for 12units

Milk recorders and act were
13k + vat

Feeders
12 feeders
I controller
Can feed individualy
8,300+ vat

quader

Greengrass1 wrote: »

This is what the parlour was coming in at

Swing over
1500l/m vacuum pump
3kw electric motor
Silicone milk and pulse tubes
100mm milk line
50mm wash line
Low line wash with fold up betters
Plate collet 800g/he
Air injector for washing
2x200 Ltd wash troughs
26k +vat for 12units

Milk recorders and act were
13k + vat

Feeders
12 feeders
I controller
Can feed individualy
8,300+ vat

What sort of feeders were you getting

frazzledhome

Greengrass1 wrote: »

This is what the parlour was coming in at

Swing over
1500l/m vacuum pump
3kw electric motor
Silicone milk and pulse tubes
100mm milk line
50mm wash line
Low line wash with fold up betters
Plate collet 800g/he
Air injector for washing
2x200 Ltd wash troughs
26k +vat for 12units

Milk recorders and act were
13k + vat

Feeders
12 feeders
I controller
Can feed individualy
8,300+ vat

Swing arm, unnecessary
2*200 litre barrels for wash troughs
You forgot meal bin and drafting

Brown Podzol

Greengrass1 wrote: »

At the IGA open day neither farm had dumplines in there parlours. And both farms calving a lot if cows quickly.
I'm just wondering would I be as well do the same as them. Put in a good drafting system and draft out fresh cows and milk at end?
I need a system any way. Its a balls holding all the cows at breeding and trying to separate cows on your own. .
I don't think a dumpline is worth the price

I'd do for drafting. I put in a dump line , made up of the previous milking machine and parked it after one year. Now I use ten gallon churns/cans , you can get a top for them to sideline the milk into them. When milking is finished I just pull the milk tube from the cluster and let the milk through the milking machine and pumped into barrels for transporting to the calf house. Fresh milk and antibiotic milk can be kept in separate churns if you don't want to feed it to heifer calves.

mahoney_j

I'm with stan on this,gg u need to keep a tight efficient ship with help from ur dad as he moves on in years.14 units,swing overs,acrs,simple efficient drafting and recycle old lines from old parlour with that jar and pump or second hand one.no running in and out of parlour or lugging buckets up out of pit.do it once and do it right,u won't regret it.ur parlour and cows is where ull make ur money

trixi2011

One thing I have noticed with a few new parlours around home is very little thought is put into cow flow. When putting in a new parlour I think it is one of the most important thing to take in to consecration. Cow flow is the one thing that can massively affect the length you spend in the milking parlour

Greengrass1

frazzledhome wrote: »

Swing arm, unnecessary
2*200 litre barrels for wash troughs
You forgot meal bin and drafting

I said to uncle about swing overs and he said it couldn't be done with out them
There only small fish any way. 150/unit
Meal bin is some thing I need alright. I might pick up a second hand one if I keep my eyes open

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

I'm with stan on this,gg u need to keep a tight efficient ship with help from ur dad as he moves on in years.14 units,swing overs,acrs,simple efficient drafting and recycle old lines from old parlour with that jar and pump or second hand one.no running in and out of parlour or lugging buckets up out of pit.do it once and do it right,u won't regret it.ur parlour and cows is where ull make ur money

Parlour built for 12 already
Don't need acrs with that many units
I could use that 13k better on drafting or something else. Need to keep this to minimum spend.
Nothing wrong with a tight budget. Milked in a few parlours that were built in a low budget and found nothing wrong with them.
The way modern parlours are now there built to add in extras. Not like parlours built 30yrs ago with bits added on and are awkward then. Its very easy to put on acrs and meters in 5/10 yrs when I have the big tax bill

Timmaay

Greengrass1 wrote: »

This is what the parlour was coming in at

Swing over
1500l/m vacuum pump
3kw electric motor
Silicone milk and pulse tubes
100mm milk line
50mm wash line
Low line wash with fold up betters
Plate collet 800g/he
Air injector for washing
2x200 Ltd wash troughs
26k +vat for 12units

Milk recorders and act were
13k + vat

Feeders
12 feeders
I controller
Can feed individualy
8,300+ vat

GG I'd defo price that all up again and specifically ask the fullwood sales lad about the parlour for 1600/unit, would be 19k for 12units at that price. If you can get Joe to do any sort of cheap enough job to throw in the 2 extra units and a bigger milk line then do that for now instead!

keep going

trixi2011 wrote: »

One thing I have noticed with a few new parlours around home is very little thought is put into cow flow. When putting in a new parlour I think it is one of the most important thing to take in to consecration. Cow flow is the one thing that can massively affect the length you spend in the milking parlour

Its alot more important than must add ons to parlours.for me its drafting all the way, you can use for lots of stuff , drafting for ai or milk withholding and you are milking mastitis cows last lower risk of cross infection, more time to mess around with them.in the spring when milking heifers I put in 12 or thirteen into row to squeeze the heifers and then I can recycle the unmilked ones

jaymla627

trixi2011 wrote: »

One thing I have noticed with a few new parlours around home is very little thought is put into cow flow. When putting in a new parlour I think it is one of the most important thing to take in to consecration. Cow flow is the one thing that can massively affect the length you spend in the milking parlour

Really is baffling the length some lads go to when upgrading parlours to fit them into existing building the worst case i have seen was a 16 unit dairymaster with everything on it that could be got, that has 12 feet from the end of the pit to barrier gate with cows coming in at a 90 degree angle up onto a 2 foot ledge:rolleyes:.... ledges are probably my biggest pet hate should be banned

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Parlour built for 12 already
Don't need acrs with that many units
I could use that 13k better on drafting or something else. Need to keep this to minimum spend.
Nothing wrong with a tight budget. Milked in a few parlours that were built in a low budget and found nothing wrong with them.
The way modern parlours are now there built to add in extras. Not like parlours built 30yrs ago with bits added on and are awkward then. Its very easy to put on acrs and meters in 5/10 yrs when I have the big tax bill

I'd argue you do need acrs currently as with no drafting or dump line ur in and out of pit like a yo yo and lugging buckets of milk around your also in winter milk so the argument is there for the feeders .dont be afraid of technology it's there for your benefit to make things more efficient.14 units is perfectly adequate for 140/150 cows with a bit of spec.your young and building a parlour,do it once and do it right .adding on stuff after will in a lot of cases cost more as you will have to buy full wood,meters ,acrs etc to tie in with parlour.youve more scope to bargain at day 1.as stan said its a 30 year job and tax efficient and also the fact your milking year round with winter calvers you'll be getting a return every time u start the machine up.u won't get that with a tractor or machinery.
It's good to see other guys set up ,but keep it relevant to yours and not guys milking a couple of hundered cows.

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

I'd argue you do need acrs currently as with no drafting or dump line ur in and out of pit like a yo yo and lugging buckets of milk around your also in winter milk so the argument is there for the feeders .dont be afraid of technology it's there for your benefit to make things more efficient.14 units is perfectly adequate for 140/150 cows with a bit of spec.your young and building a parlour,do it once and do it right .adding on stuff after will in a lot of cases cost more as you will have to buy full wood,meters ,acrs etc to tie in with parlour.youve more scope to bargain at day 1.as stan said its a 30 year job and tax efficient and also the fact your milking year round with winter calvers you'll be getting a return every time u start the machine up.u won't get that with a tractor or machinery.
It's good to see other guys set up ,but keep it relevant to yours and not guys milking a couple of hundered cows.

I get what what your saying Mj and I fully aggre but you said yourself if you had other jobs to do around your place at the time you wouldn't have put as much into your parlour.
Fullwood have a new parlour out now, haven't talked to uncle about it yet but I plan to. Might get quote of delaval and dairy master to beat him with.
I might be able to get 14 units in I'll have to go measuring there is a bit of space at back where the troughs end but I don't think I will be extending the pit and taking out a tank for 2 extra units. If I was to do that I'd go to 18/20

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I get what what your saying Mj and I fully aggre but you said yourself if you had other jobs to do around your place at the time you wouldn't have put as much into your parlour.
Fullwood have a new parlour out now, haven't talked to uncle about it yet but I plan to. Might get quote of delaval and dairy master to beat him with.
I might be able to get 14 units in I'll have to go measuring there is a bit of space at back where the troughs end but I don't think I will be extending the pit and taking out a tank for 2 extra units. If I was to do that I'd go to 18/20

Yep had other jobs to do ,still have and still will next year a farm is constantly developing and needs constant revenue pumped in.dont regret for one minute any expense put into my parlour and when u do you won't either,just don't be afraid of going the extra yard to be more efficient and save I time.extra units with less spec to milk 150 cows don't make sense to me.14 units is loads for that no with a bit of spec,especially if staying I. Winter milk.stick with ur uncles full wood,it's a good a parlour as there is but bargain hard with him.my parlour is paid for for in 7 years and will be good to go for another 20 as well as been tax efficient.dobt be afraid of debt especially on your own business where u have a lot of control over what goes on.

Timmaay

Ok looking at drafting again. Heres a list of the ones I know about:

1)Full autodrafting with each cow having a permanent tag

Expensive, usually combined with heat detection/FTY system.

2) Autodrafting with tail transponders

Put a transponder on the tail when you spot the cow to draft in the pit. Remove it when you have her in the crush afterwards. Approx €8k for a system.

3) Manual drafting at end of the parlour, operated from the pit

Either a pneumatic ram or a rope and pully system which the operator opens from the pit. He needs to be careful that the cows are not too close together exiting or the cow to be drafted might escape. Cost €200-€2k

4) Basic gate opened by the milker

Milker leaves the pit to open and close the gate. Takes time but less risk of the cow slipping by, or having to draft off an extra cow. Closer to the parlour exit the better? Milker doesnt spend as long out of the pit.

5) Draft before the cow enters the parlour at all

awaywithyous suggestion. I've never seen an automated drafting before the pit. My main hesitation with this would be cows tend to be in more of a rush, well mine anyways as they want to enter the parlour for nuts.





Whatever system I go with in the future, I will definitely be having two different pens to draft the cows into. At the minute I only have one pen to draft into, awkward say if you have afew cows for AI and after to go back into the parlour, they'll need to be separated before the unmilked cows come back into the parlour.

Finally the biggest disadvantage of any of the autodrafting systems are if they are installed too close to the parlour exit, cows can backup. As well as this I've heard of cows who are in the holding pin turning around and forcing the drafting gate open, and totally clogging up the system, esp with the likes of a cow in heat.

Timmaay

mahoney_j wrote: »

Yep had other jobs to do ,still have and still will next year a farm is constantly developing and needs constant revenue pumped in.dont regret for one minute any expense put into my parlour and when u do you won't either,just don't be afraid of going the extra yard to be more efficient and save I time.extra units with less spec to milk 150 cows don't make sense to me.14 units is loads for that no with a bit of spec,especially if staying I. Winter milk.stick with ur uncles full wood,it's a good a parlour as there is but bargain hard with him.my parlour is paid for for in 7 years and will be good to go for another 20 as well as been tax efficient.dobt be afraid of debt especially on your own business where u have a lot of control over what goes on.

Agreed that the fullwood probably is the best value when it comes to a high spec parlour. Actually one thing their salesman was pushing over some of the cheaper parlours were the use of all silicone hoses instead of rubber, which supposedly last much longer. Anyone any experience with using silicone, is it actually that much better? How many years can you get away with not changing it? The salesman wouldn't give me a straight answer on this ha!

frazzledhome

€1500

Greengrass1

frazzledhome wrote: »

€1500

I forgot you had that. Looks the job after the galvanise.
Ill definitely do very similar.
Works well?

Greengrass1

....

Greengrass1

That's the parlour ready for new machine.
Sorry not the cleanist wasn't expecting visitors

billie holiday

i put in a home made dumpline.
i milk the colostrum/antibiotics into old fashioned withholding buckets.
i pour this milk into a seperate recieving jar from where it can be pumped up to calf feeding containers. after the milk is pumped i simply rince it with cold water and occasionally give her a good blast of caustic or some form of detergent.
it has a seperate 1 inch pipe so contamination of bulk tank impossible.
it has saved me lifting up to 100 litres a milking up 6 awkward steps.
i got local engineering company to hook up pump and pipe etc so it will last decades but it could be done with a pump from Lidl and an empty drum.
i love it. Now i need to think about drafting.... ah jaysus it never finishes

Greengrass1

The exit out of my parlour

Mulumpy

Timmaay wrote:

Agreed that the fullwood probably is the best value when it comes to a high spec parlour. Actually one thing their salesman was pushing over some of the cheaper parlours were the use of all silicone hoses instead of rubber, which supposedly last much longer. Anyone any experience with using silicone, is it actually that much better? How many years can you get away with not changing it? The salesman wouldn't give me a straight answer on this ha!

I put in silicone milk tubes this year. not mad about them they kink very easily. probably get about 3 to 4 years out of them other than that.

frazzledhome

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I forgot you had that. Looks the job after the galvanise.
Ill definitely do very similar.
Works well?

Yea, works really well. We made it up and used for a while to spot any problems. Egan happy sent to Galco for dipping. You'll notice in pic 3 a hook on wall holding gate. We found cows could open gate real easy. This is released with a foot pedal in the pit. Also pictured is the arm coming from the parlour. This works better than a counter weight for closing gate.

In all a successful job and never need to leave pit

Greengrass1

frazzledhome wrote: »

Yea, works really well. We made it up and used for a while to spot any problems. Egan happy sent to Galco for dipping. You'll notice in pic 3 a hook on wall holding gate. We found cows could open gate real easy. This is released with a foot pedal in the pit. Also pictured is the arm coming from the parlour. This works better than a counter weight for closing gate.

In all a successful job and never need to leave pit

My dairy will be coming out where you have your holding pen there so I'll have to make a gate like yours then the cow being drafted and rest of cows will have to turn right. The cow being drafted will be held in a pen then is my idea in the race and rest of cows walk off down the firld

Greengrass1

At dg meeting today made a decission onIit no dumpline going Iin here. Two lads said they were taking them out amd it was just as easy to have two separate herds in spring

Timmaay

If I go with a dairymaster a dumpline would be 6k of an extra!! Gascoigne can reuse a decent bit from my old parlour tho.

Greengrass1

Timmaay wrote: »

If I go with a dairymaster a dumpline would be 6k of an extra!! Gascoigne can reuse a decent bit from my old parlour tho.

The lads today recond it was completely unnecessary ye can make a mistake easily with a cow not supposed to go intoo the tank

stop thelights

Greengrass1 wrote: »

The lads today recond it was completely unnecessary ye can make a mistake easily with a cow not supposed to go intoo the tank

I was going to post this when I just started reading this thread a few minutes ago!

At an open recently and talking to a lad that put in a new 20 unit gascoisge. With them you get four separate buckets with claws pieces and you just clip into the vacuum line. Very easy to do and no messing with pipes. Think there 500 per bucket.

Dump line is expensive, risk of transfer of milk into tank both accidentally or if a switch failed to divert milk. Also during summer when only used the odd time you'd imagine it would be hard to keep clean! Just said I'd throw that out there

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

The lads today recond it was completely unnecessary ye can make a mistake easily with a cow not supposed to go intoo the tank

Crazy talk,if it's in why throw it out.fair enough it's only used for 6 to 10 weeks of year but you will appreciate it for that time.i have one and haven't used it since mid April but no way would I throw it out.it has its own line ,reception tank,vacuumed and claw pieces(recycled from old parlour).100% seperate from milk line going to tank and no messing with switches which are an accident waiting to happen.cost roughly 1500 to rig up and wire.some lads are gas they'd have shiny new tractors and new jeeps etc and cut and skimp in the place that makes them there money.

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

Crazy talk,if it's in why throw it out.fair enough it's only used for 6 to 10 weeks of year but you will appreciate it for that time.i have one and haven't used it since mid April but no way would I throw it out.it has its own line ,reception tank,vacuumed and claw pieces(recycled from old parlour).100% seperate from milk line going to tank and no messing with switches which are an accident waiting to happen.cost roughly 1500 to rig up and wire.some lads are gas they'd have shiny new tractors and new jeeps etc and cut and skimp in the place that makes them there money.

Ive made the mistake myself a few times of letting cows off into the tank with my own herd and milking fir lads who had dumolines.
I think have a separate herd is a goid idea they dont join main herd until they are clear from antibiotics and pass the CMT test

Timmaay

stop thelights wrote: »

I was going to post this when I just started reading this thread a few minutes ago!

At an open recently and talking to a lad that put in a new 20 unit gascoisge. With them you get four separate buckets with claws pieces and you just clip into the vacuum line. Very easy to do and no messing with pipes. Think there 500 per bucket.

Dump line is expensive, risk of transfer of milk into tank both accidentally or if a switch failed to divert milk. Also during summer when only used the odd time you'd imagine it would be hard to keep clean! Just said I'd throw that out there

Fulwood quoted me 360e per dump bucket, that was theirs and dairymasters preferred method. Gascoigne said there would be no diff in price between 2 or 3 dump buckets/fittings and just a full separate dumpline, so I'll prb just go with that. For anyone with a full dumpline, I assume if you don't use it you don't need to clean it?

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

Fulwood quoted me 360e per dump bucket, that was theirs and dairymasters preferred method. Gascoigne said there would be no diff in price between 2 or 3 dump buckets/fittings and just a full separate dumpline, so I'll prb just go with that. For anyone with a full dumpline, I assume if you don't use it you don't need to clean it?

Yep correct just wash it once per week to keep pump ticking over and lines clear,hot wash with de scaler usually

Viewtodiefor

Just one or two points on this lads

1) what is easiest way of transferring infection from cow to cow? Ans. milking machine!

2) does a dump line increase this risk? Ans . Yes because you have high cell cows and low cell cows milking at same time.

3) how can this risk be eliminated? Ans. cluster flush system

4) where is data to back all this up? More park trial of contamination in liners after coming off a high cell cow, there was still high risk after six uses of that cluster!!!

5) Lugging milk from pit in buckets is a pain! Yes buckets with their own claw piece reduce risk of cross contamination.

6) throwing out dump lines is rediculas talk. Why throw them out?? Dip clusters after use on high cell cow this helps.

7) consider drafting set up so cows can be drafted as they come in and exit a parlour, this means drafted cows milked last when milking again eliminating cross contamination

8) For above reason a bucket may b a safer option if the budget is tight. But dumplines if used correctly eliminate a lot of hardship, but they can be done without and drafting set up properly (if possible) may b a better option