New Surge Quarter Take-Off Milker Reported
The Surge QTO or Quarter
Take-Off milker, a new concept
in milking, has been developed by
Babson Bros. Co. Research.
Built around the proven Surge
principle of tug and pull and fast
efficient milking, the new unit
automatically removes the test
cup when each quarter is milked
out.
Results from almost one
million milkings to date show
advantages in labor efficiency
while maintaining top milk
production and good overall
udder health.
Babson Bros. Research and
Development Department began
testing their first automatic take
off milker in 1958. Continuing
research on the concept led to the
development of the current
model.
The milking unit is governed by
a solid state electronic control.
Individual electrodes sense the
milk flow from each teat. When
the milk flow ceases, the low
voltage sensing circuit is broken
which signals the removal of the
teat cup.
Actual removal is ac
complished when an air powered
cylinder draws the teat cup
downward. Vacuum is shut off at
the stem of the inflation allowing
the teat cup to drop off. The
With the new Surge QTO milker, each teat cup removes
itself automatically when the milk flow ceases. When the flow
stops, a pneumatic cylinder is activated, pulling down on the
teat cup, shutting off vacuum at the inflation stem, allowing
the teat cup to drop off.
operator can check the status of Dawson, product manager for
the QTO with the help of indicator Babson Bros. Co., “it is not
lights on a control unit. recommended as a substitute for
“While the QTO is an important capable manpower. Rather, we
part of overall parlor see the QTO as a tool enabling the
mechanization,” states Bob competent milker to milk more
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 12,1972
cows without sacrificing good
milking practices.”
“Although our field tests were
designed to gather data on the
new milking concept, we also
gained considerable information
on the basics of better cow
milking,” Dawson continues.
“For example, our test data
shows the average time dif
ference between first and last
piarters milking out to be one
ninute and fifty-seven seconds.
Nt conclude from this that any
automatic take-off device that
doesn’t operate on a quarter
basis will either overmilk die fast
milking quarters or do an in
complete milking job on slower
quarters.”
“Automatic prep-stalls were
present in seven of nine test in
stallations,” notes Dawson. “The
absence of automatic propping
had an effect on operator ef
ficiency and limited the number
of cows milked per hour.”
Experience gained in field test
installations indicates that
certain milking parlor designs
offer higher operator efficiency.
Double row Diagonal stall
parlors with six QTO units and
double row Sawtooth parlors with
eight QTO units per man have
milked the highest number of
cows per operator, per four.
As high as 68 cows milked per
man hour was recorded at one of
the field test locations. This
figure is based on actual cow
2 U.S. Dairy Inspectors Retire
The Eastern Area Office of the The Eastern Area Office, part
U. S. Department of of the Dairy Division, operates
Agriculture’s Dairy Inspection inspection and grading servies
and Grading Branch has lost for butter, cheese, dry milk, and
through retirement its two top other manufactured dairy
staffers, who have behind them a products. It covers an area of 16
combined total of nearly 50 years states from Maine to Florida
of federal service
The location of the office has
rinnoM E» u/Afvip just been transferred from New
They are. Donald P- Weber. York City to Syracuse, NY..
Area Supervisor since 1959, and h * * Actine .
Supervisor since 1958. The distant is Gordon Monson.
milkings and does not include
time consumed in switching
production groups.
In addition to parlor design, it
is apparent that certain support
equipment effects cow flow and,
therefore, overall efficiency.
Some of these are: holding area
design, crowd gates, prep stalls,
power gates and doors, and
design of cow entrances and
exits.
The basic concept of the Surge
QTO milker is to keep emphasis
on both good cow milking and
operator efficiency. In the last
ten years, dairymen have
dramatically increased their
output per man hour. Both
automation and increased
production per cow played a role.
In order to make further
progress, research needs to keep
both aspects in mind. Since the
major cost of milking cows is
labor—ranging from 76 to 82 per
cent the labor saving potential
of the Surge QTO should be of
considerable value and interest
to dairymen, Babson officials
believe.
Babson Bros. Co. points out
that availability of the Surge QTO
to dairymen in 1972 will likely be
of a limited nature. A 20-page
research report covering all
aspects of development and
testing will be available April 1,
1972. Write Babson Bros. Co., 2100
South York Road, Oak Brook,
Illinois 60521.
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