Milking palour

[it's not over]

Which is quicker. 24/24 or 16/32. Only one man. I have a 20/20

 

[Blue.]

Which is quicker. 24/24 or 16/32. Only one man. I have a 20/20

I built a 15/30 infront of my old 24/24,it was far faster,I never really got great throughput in my 24/24.

 

[it's not over]

I built a 15/30 infront of my old 24/24,it was far faster,I never really got great throughput in my 24/24.

Where do you think it was quicker. My bet was 24/24

 

[Blue.]

Where do you think it was quicker. My bet was 24/24

To many machines hung up in the 24/24,to be fair my old 12 a side was 30 degree standing so 40' pit,newer 15/30 is 45degree so 15 in 40'

I doubled up from a 12/24 and was never happy,seemed like a 1 and a half man parlour,15/30 is a true 1 man parlour,you attach your machines then get the other side ready,it just flowed better.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Swing over every time, I went from a 14/14 to a 16/32 and halved time actually milking a allthough washing out takes slightly longer.

With a double up one side has to finish milking, be sprayed and walk out before another side can enter. That's some units hanging up for several minutes from the first unit coming off to the last going on.

Whereas with a swing over the unit that has just come off can be back on a cow in a relatively short time.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Swing over every time, I went from a 14/14 to a 16/32 and halved time actually milking a allthough washing out takes slightly longer.

With a double up one side has to finish milking, be sprayed and walk out before another side can enter. That's some units hanging up for several minutes from the first unit coming off to the last going on.

Whereas with a swing over the unit that has just come off can be back on a cow in a relatively short time.

Has anyone done the numbers on cost of double up v swingover? Not just the fact that you have double the plant as capital cost but double the plant in runnning costs electricity,rubberware , R & M and cleaning.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Has anyone done the numbers on cost of double up v swingover? Not just the fact that you have double the plant as capital cost but double the plant in runnning costs electricity,rubberware , R & M and cleaning.

A bit of a how long is a piece of string type question.

Swing overs will tend to be longer so there's more money spent on building work initially. But spec of parlour can make a big difference too. For example in the OP's example of 24/24 versus 16/32 if in parlour feeding it will mean buying 24 troughs and feeders versus 32 troughs and feeders. It's probably for that reason that you're more likely to see lower spec swing overs and higher spec double ups, in fact I can't think that I've ever seen a double up without feeding but it's quite common in swing overs.

 

[yin ewe]

Which is quicker. 24/24 or 16/32. Only one man.

Robots.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Robots.

Robots take far longer to milk a herd of cows..............unless your name is Michael Eavis!

 

[it's not over]

Robots.

Nope. I spent 12 years at school. 24 years working for the bank.last 10 years working for the local meal company. I'm not spending any more of my years working for lely
I haven't the buildings for a robot for a start. Set up for summer grazing. Maybe too old fashioned

 

[FonterraFarmer]

A bit of a how long is a piece of string type question.

Swing overs will tend to be longer so there's more money spent on building work initially. But spec of parlour can make a big difference too. For example in the OP's example of 24/24 versus 16/32 if in parlour feeding it will mean buying 24 troughs and feeders versus 32 troughs and feeders. It's probably for that reason that you're more likely to see lower spec swing overs and higher spec double ups, in fact I can't think that I've ever seen a double up without feeding but it's quite common in swing overs.

Was meant as a comparision between sheds/plants, ie like 24/24 vs 24/48, not just capital cost but day to day operational cost including labour and time.

 

[Headless chicken]

When we put one in 3 years ago 24/24 and 16:32 same spec came within a few thousand of each other.

 

[it's not over]

When we put one in 3 years ago 24/24 and 16:32 same spec came within a few thousand of each other.

Which one did you go for

 

[Headless chicken]

Which one did you go for

16:32 much faster.

 

[yin ewe]

Nope. I spent 12 years at school. 24 years working for the bank.last 10 years working for the local meal company. I'm not spending any more of my years working for lely
I haven't the buildings for a robot for a start. Set up for summer grazing. Maybe too old fashioned

I suppose they'll give you a 24/24 or 16/32 parlour and a building to put it in for free? Don't need a big flashy set up for robots, ours was basically set into the end of our existing shed that was built in 1976. Grazing not a problem either unless you have to cross a road, our cows graze during the day and I would have them out day and night if we had enough ground around the yard.
If I was to go back to a parlour I'd want it big enough to be milked and washed up inside an hour especially if you're a one man band.

 

[Agri Design]

The key to any parlour is the cow flow into and out of it back to the feed area. If this isn't good parlour size doesn't help speed.

David

 

[Ballygreenan]

Have you any particular make of parlour in mind Z?

 

[Bogeyman]

Z, your life story seems interesting , what would possess some one of your age (similar to mine) start to milk cows ? Though as my wife often reminds me when i complain that i don't know how fortunate i am to be my own boss. Just being nosey.

 

[it's not over]

Z, your life story seems interesting , what would possess some one of your age (similar to mine) start to milk cows ? Though as my wife often reminds me when i complain that i don't know how fortunate i am to be my own boss. Just being nosey.

I'm an old hand . Been in the milking palour since I was 9. 41years under my belt. Still in the same building although it's a state of the art palour 1993. Fancy a change . As for milking cows I don't do it for money. I'm institutionalised it's a drug. I need to milk cows

 

[it's not over]

Z, your life story seems interesting , what would possess some one of your age (similar to mine) start to milk cows ? Though as my wife often reminds me when i complain that i don't know how fortunate i am to be my own boss. Just being nosey.

LOL Sorry it's was tounge in cheek. I didn't really work for bank. Indirectly I did. Nor the meal firm but indirectly I did
And if I was 50 and had no cows nothing on earth would make me start. Biggest beef us the poor weather