|
I'm afraid a belly milker is too heavy to hang from my cow?
Often people are mis-informed that a full belly milker would add 50 plus lbs of weight to hang from her back. The only weight that is added is the weight of the empty bucket (18 to 20 lbs). The weight of the milk filling the bucket is already being carried by the cow, it is just transfering to the bucket.
Won't my cow kick a belly bucket off?
Here is Babsons Bros (Manufacturers of the Surge Belly Milker) viewpoint on this:
Believe it or not, the Surge and other milkers cure "kickers". With machine milking, the very worst kickers soon get over the habit. Care must be exercised at the start, of course, not to excite the cow with strange noises and fleeting glances of the strange shiny buckets. But again, the Surcingle Suspended Surge gets the "breaks" on kicking. If a cow does kick, her natural kicking motion is sideways and not directly under her. It is difficult for a cow to land a square blow on the Surge unit hung under her belly--but quite convenient for her to hook a hoof over a long milk tube extending out to her side as with a floor bucket.
What are the advantages of a Surge style milker compared to a DeLaval style milker?
Babson Bros. address this very explicitely in their literature as I've shown below. However I think the best testimony is from their competition. Surge was the only belly milker for decades. The reason for this is called a PATENT !!
Nearly every milking machine manufacturer still in existence at the time Babsons patent expired on their Suspended Belly Milker design almost immediately rolled out production and sale of suspended milkers. Manufacturers including but not limited to:
De Laval, Farm Master, David Bradley, Conde', Universal, RiteWay, Perfection, Choreboy, etc.
I believe others such as McCormack Deering, Hinman, Empire, Milk Master, etc were out of business by then or had been swallowed up by other manufactures.
Regardless of how many companies a manufacture bought out or swallowed up in an atte mpt to gain larger market shares, the Surge remained "Top Dog" of all milkers, boasting a huge lions share of the market right on into the mid 1970's when stanchion milkers were being replaced with pipelines.
BABSONS BROS. response to: "WHY BUY A SURGE"
1. Teat cups Can't Fall to Floor
Take for instance the way the Surge teat cups hang. There's never a chance of the teat cups falling down to the floor to suck up straw and dirt. They can't possibly fall to the floor because they can't reach the floor. There is never any occasion to gather a mess of dirt covered teat cups off the floor and stop in the middle of a milking to wash and clean them when the Surge is used.
2. Falling Teat Cups Seal Vacuum Off
Should a teat cup come off and drop down, no disturbance occurs. The tube bends over the lid spigot and seals the bucket so the remaining cups star on and keep milking.
3. Milks Three Quartered Cows Handily
It is handy to milk a three-quartered cow with the Surge. You merely let the unused teat cup hang. The front quarters of a cow usually give less milk than the rear quarters and frequently milk out sooner. So, if you wish, you can drop the front teat cups and let them hang while the rear cups stay on and milk a while longer.
4. Bottom of Pail Stays Clean
You do not need to push bedding aside and scrape a spot on the floor to set the Surge pail on as it hangs up above the floor. The bottom of the pail doesn't become soiled with stable litter--something you'll appreciate at bucket cleaning time.
5. Cow's Teats Don't Get Wet
The short, direct route from the teat to the pail (4 inches) provides a quick "get away" for the milk. There is no "damming" or "backing up" of the milk--no "sloshing" back of milk to wet and bathe the teats.
6. Brisk, Snappy Massage Action
The short four-inch distance brings the pulsator close to the teats. The alternate action of air and vacuum between the pulsator and the teats is quick and snappy. The pulsation relief period is quick and positive. The teats receive a brisk active massage--not a slow sluggish one.
7. Absolute Safety
The Surge teat cups can't creep up to swallow or choke the udder. The tugging action tends to pull them off from the teats--then the pulsator clicks and suction is reapplied to draw the teat back in. Very different from the usual machine where the teat is drawn a little farther and farther into the cup with each succeeding suck. Put the Surge on a delicately white-teated heifer and examine each quarter after she is milked out. Never any ring marks around the top of the teats or hard calloused ends on the teats when you use the Surge, even after years of milking. The Surcingle Suspended Surge is the SAFE milker.
|
