# Help me build my milker



## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

(Please bear with my typos, I had a little incident with my girlie and I have a finger in a splint now, so typing is a bit of an adventure!)

So I have accumulated a Surge pail with pulsator, inflations, etc. I have to replace the hoses cuz i want them longer, but that part I think I can figure out.

I bought a Robinair 15600 2 stage vacuum pump, and I know I need to build a balance tank.

If I use Sch 40 PVC to make the tank, what size do I need, and how long? Can someone like walk me thru this? I have a vacuum gauge I can take off a hand vacuum pump, but it doesn't have threads, how can I connect it to the PVC? It does have a stem with an o-ring on it, but no threads.

I know someone said get a stall cock from Parts Depot, by any chance will Lowe's have them?

How do I adjust the vacuum? Can I do that with the stall cock or ??? I only see one outlet on my pump, and it does have a knob thing on top but I cant seem to turn it. http://images.myautoproducts.com/images/Product_media/manuals/ROB/ROB-15600_manual.pdf is a link to the manual for my pump.


----------



## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

If there are no threads You could try drilling a hole small enough to accept the stem and hope it seals against the o-ring when the vacuum gets high enough.

Balance tank...I would find some PVC at least 6" in diameter and 2 caps for it. Maybe 2 feet long. In your situation there isn't any critical size, just something to give some reserve when you attach the teat cups.

Some folks have used these to control their vacuum
http://partsdeptonline.com/cgi-bin/...oduct=117&cart_id=283866.26844&exact_match=on
though I would prefer something different like the small servo regulator that partsdept sells.
Small pumps like that have no control built in for that.

Order a stall cock as well. If there are any dairy equipment dealers nearby they might have some used ones cheap.


----------



## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

Do you have any idea how I measure what size line to order? (If I am ordering from PD anyway, I may as well get the silicone lines)

Am I measuring interior diameter or exterior? (Hope this makes sense, right now my inflations attach directly to the Surge can, but I want to extend the lines to maybe 5'? My Dexter heifer and my goats are too small to use it as a belly milker.


----------



## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

you would measure the ID of the hose or the OD of the SS spouts that you're putting the hose on.


----------



## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Use hot glue to seal around the pressure gauge~ drill the hole for it ALMOST big enough, work the stem through, then run a bead around each side with the hot glue, it will drip into and seal and tiny gaps and it when it dries it will hold the gauge in place.

I want to see the belly milker with the longer lines please! Pics when you do it or a link to a pic if you have one your referencing please? I would like to do that to mine but I have some concern about cleaning the longer lines so I would love to see it in action, maybe I'm making it more difficult in my mind than it really is.


----------



## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks Sammy!



Cheryl aka JM said:


> Use hot glue to seal around the pressure gauge~ drill the hole for it ALMOST big enough, work the stem through, then run a bead around each side with the hot glue, it will drip into and seal and tiny gaps and it when it dries it will hold the gauge in place.
> 
> I want to see the belly milker with the longer lines please! Pics when you do it or a link to a pic if you have one your referencing please? I would like to do that to mine but I have some concern about cleaning the longer lines so I would love to see it in action, maybe I'm making it more difficult in my mind than it really is.












This milker belongs to kellyhensing on KAFC, she was kind enough to share photos with me. She uses http://www.partsdeptonline.com/cgi-...oduct=161&cart_id=4655281.1096&exact_match=on (8ft hose cleaning kit) on it.


----------



## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Cool thanks~ she has some kind of adapter there on the milk lines it looks like~ a white ball with nipples for each hose to attach it looks like, maybe there is even a valve there?


----------



## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

You need individual shut offs since the inflations are not on the milk inlets of the lid and will not shut themselves off when flopped over. You will lose all of your vacuum quite quickly unless you can shut off the inflations until just before applying.


It would be easier to find a good used claw and modify the lid on your bucket to accept one 5/8" hose to connect the claw.
You could then run a dual hose from 2 ports on your pulsator to the air fork on the claw and block off 2 ports on the pulsator.
Then just have 1 shut off on the hose before the bucket. Less hoses, less places for the milk to collect and cause cleaning problems, less hassle.
I've modified bucket lids in less than an hour so it probably wouldn't cost too much to get it done.
Course the best bet would be to lose the Surge bucket altogether and get a decent floor bucket. But I know plastic hose is a lot cheaper than SS milking equipment though....


----------



## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

yep~ that's why those valves are in there! I didn't think of that but Sammy's got it right~ one of the cool things about the belly milker is that when the inflation is flopped down it seals the inlet with the weight of the inflation. Well, maybe that's not so cool...unless of course you never thought about that and discovered it on accident while on your hands and knees under the cow wondering how your going to keep the suction when you hang that thing on a cow....THEN discovering that is REALLY COOL! LOL!


----------



## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

it is a built in feature on any claw


----------



## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

LOL! Well you learn something new everyday~ Thanks Sammy! It's nicer learning it here than by trial and error under the cow! LOL!


----------



## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

Since I'll be milking for less than a year, cheap was my motto. When we do settle down for good in 5 or so years, I'll do it right lol. I plan to milk my cow and goats with mine, I didn't want a claw, and I didn't really want to add the expenses of 2 goat claws, the shut offs are about $4 each.


----------



## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

All you need to switch from cows to goats is 2 hoses. Pull off the front 2 inflations and connect a proper sized hose to the 2 inlets. Then run a hose between the two open inlets on the air fork.
Or if you are lucky enough to have a significant other that works in a lab or hospital, there are all sorts of cool rubber things that can be used to block off the open inlets.
We milked for 2 years with this before I bought some used Bou Matic barrel claws and modified a couple for goats.

http://script-host.com/self/drill/SANY0030.JPG


----------

