The popularity of agriculture among the population is growing again, and livestock maintenance is considered the norm for many private sector residents. Along with this, it becomes easier to buy homemade fresh milk, due to the content of cows in private farms. For small properties with one or two cows, the best option for maximum profit is manual milking. In case of an increase in the number of livestock, additional assistance will be required. To do this, you can hire workers who for a fee will milk several cows, or purchase a milking machine. Milking systems pay off quickly enough and soon completely become a plus, unlike workers who will always require payment.
Varieties of devices
Today milking installations may differ:
- appearance;
- power;
- design feature and so on.
Given all the distinctive features of each device, you can determine that they are all united by the principle of work. Each individual unit is equipped with a low pressure vacuum pump . Also, they all have the ability to attach to the udder of a cow with rubber suction cups or special clamps. The latter option is easier to operate and does not cause absolutely any problems for any farmer. As a rule, all milking takes several minutes, and does not require any labor from a person. Milk is expressed in a special container, after which it can be used for further processing or sale.
Technical Division
All types of milking machines can be divided according to the following criteria:
- by type of milk container;
- by the number of cows served in parallel;
- by type of pump;
- by the number of measures.
In order to make the right choice in favor of the milking unit, necessary for a particular case, you should analyze each item in more detail.
By type of milk container
In fact, in any case, milk always falls into the container prepared for this. The only difference is how much this capacity is and whether it is part of the milking machine itself. Most often, installations with built-in cans, which are ideal for milking a small livestock, are used. For large farms, there are milking machines that collect milk from several cows at once in pipes into one large tank. The container itself can be located in the next room, and the number of simultaneously serving cows is the next characteristic.
By the number of cows served in parallel
First of all, the previous point should be taken into account, since milking installations for private small stocks are not able to serve several cows at the same time. They are designed to work with only one burenka or, at best, with two. Large machines for farms can simultaneously milk several dozen cows. Of course, the cost of such a device will be appropriate, but when working with large volumes, you will save on other things and much more, so the benefit is obvious.
By type of pump
This classification distributes all milking installations for cows into three types. Pumps can be:
The latter option is the most popular, because its price is the lowest compared to pumps of a different type of action, and at the same time such an apparatus is capable of working simultaneously with only a small number of cows. It turns out that milking machines, the device of which is based on a membrane pump, are the best budget option for individual use.
For simultaneous servicing of a small number of cows, the purchase of a more powerful apparatus on a piston pump will be required. Of course, along with the increased power, it also has one solid drawback - the device is very noisy during operation, which may worry the cows. Also, the minuses include some of its dimensions.
The best option for silence during milking and high productivity of the installation will be a device with a
rotary pump. They are further divided into dry and oily, but in any case will be better compared to other types.
By the number of measures
The power of the unit and its weight depends on their quantity. Three-stroke, of course, more massive, but at the same time more productive, while push-pull - on the contrary.
Separation by the principle of work
All the characteristics of milking machines determine their work on the basis of creating a vacuum into which milk is drawn from the udder. In this case, the vacuum in the installation can be constant or often changeable, due to which separation occurs.
In the first case, milk is milked in a matter of minutes and very high quality, without leaving a drop, while completely safe for the cow. Devices with such a principle of operation are expensive, and the vacuum in them is created using a centrifugal pump or pulsator. In another embodiment, there is essentially no vacuum, and milking is carried out due to the movements of the piston pump. It is he who creates pressure surges that provide expressing milk. Such units are much cheaper, but the quality of their work is not always perfect.
Mobility
Depending on the size, the machine can be classified as a mobile milking unit or stationary. The latter are used very rarely today, since working with them is very inconvenient. Mobile devices are additionally equipped with small castors and can be used for various farm sizes. They are easy to move around the farm and easy to operate.
Real customer reviews
It follows from the foregoing that it simply does not make sense to purchase this installation in the presence of one or two cows on the farm; there are many reasons for this, and first of all, a long payback period.
To service a larger number of livestock, the benefit in acquiring the apparatus is obvious. First of all, the device quickly pays for itself. It also contributes to obtaining more free time for the farmer, which was previously spent on the manual milking of all cows. Given the speed of work, along with simplicity and practicality, it is possible to reduce the working personnel previously engaged in milking. This will further reduce the cost of paying employees.
The positive qualities of milking machines include the high quality of their work, which allows them to receive absolutely all milk from a cow in a short time.
Of course, there are also many dissatisfied with the acquisition of such an aggregate. First of all, many complain about the high cost of milking machines. In addition, negative reviews can be triggered by improper selection of the device for a particular farm. Since there are a lot of varieties, to choose the right one, all their features should be taken into account.
Of course, the purchase of a milking machine should be accompanied by preliminary professional advice or at least an independent study of all the characteristics of this variety of equipment. Therefore, before purchasing the installation, weigh the pros and cons. And most importantly - calculate whether the purchase of the device is financially beneficial for you.