Abreast parlour

[lazy farmer]

Should have put a couple more units on.

Nah my back wasn’t up to it neither was my brain. The thought of a 20/40 was the only thing that kept me going on those hideous hot summer days

 

[lazy farmer]

Very true, but alot seem to just waste it, I mean can you think of anything worse than sat on a beach being bored s.hitless, would much rather be milking cows.

Quite agree. That’s why I don t sit on beaches with my time off.

 

[betweenthelines]

Don't worry about getting a complete parlour. Just "recycle" a redundant direct to line setup from a cowshed

 

[Slowcow]

I've put 55 through our 6 abreast this morning, have been up to 65 when there not so many dry. Any more than that I'd say was too many.

It won't take long to kango the steps out! Once your milking its a real pain to change anything, and you'll have no time if your putting 100 cows through a 6 abreast!

 

[farmboy]

First herdsman job milked 160 AYR calving so always 130 in milk through an 8/8 abreast with no step. I liked it nice steady milking, clean, didn’t get sh!t on. Took about 3 hours

 

[som farmer]

I've put 55 through our 6 abreast this morning, have been up to 65 when there not so many dry. Any more than that I'd say was too many.

It won't take long to kango the steps out! Once your milking its a real pain to change anything, and you'll have no time if your putting 100 cows through a 6 abreast!

when we created the step up, l ordered the strongest mix + fibres, when the time came to take it out, it was in the old herring bone shed, which we were converting back, we hired a compressor, and 2 jack hammers, 45 minutes, 1 wheel barrow full, it did get a bit easier, and any bigger lumps, we pulled out with a rope, took to long to break into smaller pieces ! The old pit, had been filled in with rubbish, that wasn't a nice job either ! Got there in the end, and fully agree, 60 is a max no, we were 120.

 

[Princess Pooper]

We milked 60 through a 6/6 abreast for years, was taking 9 hours a day (including washout) at peak with 8,000 litre cows. Swapped to a s/h 12/12 herringbone in 2015 and more than halved the time requirement although now milking 85. Couldn't fit the new parlour in the old shed though so had to put a new shed up.

 

[betweenthelines]

Used to put 100 autumn calvers through an 8/8 abreast in about 3 hrs "wellies on to wellies off" which is the best way to rate a parlour.

 

[Jdunn55]

Put a herringbone in, your back will thank you later!

 

[som farmer]

Put a herringbone in, your back will thank you later!

not to sure about that, our h/bone went in in 1965, and the pit depth, was, at the time, 'ideal', based on a step up a/breast height, time proved that less than ideal, and most certainly didn't do my back any good, quite the opposite. When we enlarged it, 2012, had a debate as to whether we dug the pit down, or heightened the 'standing'. Again wrong choice, we decided to lower the pit. The concrete base was 8/10 ins deep, and all jack hammered out, lifted by hand, and wheel barrowed out, to late for me, but better for son. One thing we found doing it, was threaded plastic water pipe, never seen it before, or since.