Now that cows are dried off for the spring calving herds and calving is only around the corner, the milking machine and bulk tank will need to be serviced.
Most farmers will get their tractor serviced after 500 hours or their car serviced after 10,000km of driving, but the priority right now should be getting the milking machine serviced.
The milking machine is an integral part of the business, as it is the only part that comes in direct contact with your cows and will still get neglected by many.
The milking machine should be serviced twice a year and getting one done during the dry period when the machine is out of action is always ideal.
Milking machines have been designed to harvest milk efficiently and maintain healthy teats and on average cows spend 50-100 hours each lactation attached to the cluster.
The milking machine can contribute to new mastitis infections according to Teagasc, as follows:
- Acting as a bacterial carrier via the liners;
- Damaging teats and teat ends and reducing the natural defense mechanisms of the teat canal;
- Causing impacts of bacterial-laden droplets of milk into the teat canal.
The most common reason for milking machine problems is inadequate routine maintenance of mechanical components and rubber ware.
Milking machine
Farmers should complete an inspection on all the piping and rubber tubes in the milking machine/parlour over the coming days.
The following parts of the machine should be checked:
- The vacuum – should be a maximum of 48 kilopascal (kPa);
- The liners, which should be changed every 2,000 milkings;
- The short pulse tubes and long milk tubes for cracks and wear and tear;
- The claw bowl seals and shut-off valve seals – and replace as necessary;
- The claw bowls for cracks or chips.
You should regularly check the inside of the liners as they should be soft and smooth without any cracks or roughness.
Liners are the only part of the milking parlour in direct contact with the cow, which has the potential to affect teat health and milking efficiency.
When your liners are worn, they will reduce milking performance, damage the teat and will give rise to the risk of mastitis and cross-contamination.
After a while, liners will lose their tension which means they will absorb fat, hold bacteria, and deteriorate due to the cleaning products going through them twice-a-day.
Liners should be replaced every 2,000 milkings or every six months, whichever comes first and for herds that have expanded in recent years and still using the same parlour, the frequency of liner changes needs to increase.
Farmers should make sure they have a number of spare parts for the year ahead which may include claw bowls, pulsation tubes, milk line tubes, automatic cluster remover (ACRs) cord or line, liners and vacuum pump oil and belts.
Bulk tank
When your milking machine is getting serviced, it is a good idea to also service the bulk tank and replace any necessary parts before the milking season kicks off again.
When servicing your bulk tank, all chemical pipes and detergent pump tubes should be replaced for the new year and the dosing calibration should be checked.
Any flexible pipes on the tank or rubber pipes/hoses or seals on the the tank outlet should be examined and replaced.
Where there is a permanent fixed bottom fill system on the tank, they should be dismantled for examination and cleaning.
The wash pump should be check and serviced, water filters checked and cleaned and the condensing unit serviced.
A hot caustic wash should be done directly after service is completed and a calibration of detergents carried out.