Buying a new Milking Machine

[Haggis]

Buying a milking machine and the value of things, some personal thoughts.

Bought: 20 odd firearms and shoot 1 or 2 of them a year during hunting season..
Investment: about $8,000 - $12,000

Bought: ½ dozen guitars, amplifiers, speakers, microphones, and bagpipes to play once in a blue moon.
Investment: about $12,000

Bought: 1 Harley-Davidson Wideglide to ride a couple hours a year.
Investment: $17,000; not counting the $1,000 for saddlebags still in the box after 3 years.

Bought: 1 travel trailer; used 2 days and 2 nights in 3 years.
Investment: $14,500 or there about; plus a never installed towing package for another several hundred dollars.

Want to buy a milking machine for $1299 delivered. I’m milking one short teated cow with another cow due soon. My current milker is due to re-freshen in April, another heifer due to freshen in May or early June, and the prospects of a couple of Milking Shorthorns coming home in June; not to mention frozen hands while milking at 40 below zero.

I got to thinking that the insurance on the stuff I don’t even use costs me more each year than a new ¾ horse milker and bucket from the Parts Department and that I would use twice everyday.

Herself has been trying to get me to buy one for some time, and as she is the one who is going to clean it, I think today is the day to call in the order.

Tomorrow will be the day for buyer’s remorse.

[twstanley]

Originally Posted by Haggis

Buying a milking machine and the value of things, some personal thoughts.

Bought: 20 odd firearms and shoot 1 or 2 of them a year during hunting season..
Investment: about $8,000 - $12,000

Bought: ½ dozen guitars, amplifiers, speakers, microphones, and bagpipes to play once in a blue moon.
Investment: about $12,000

Bought: 1 Harley-Davidson Wideglide to ride a couple hours a year.
Investment: $17,000; not counting the $1,000 for saddlebags still in the box after 3 years.

Bought: 1 travel trailer; used 2 days and 2 nights in 3 years.
Investment: $14,500 or there about; plus a never installed towing package for another several hundred dollars.

Want to buy a milking machine for $1299 delivered. I’m milking one short teated cow with another cow due soon. My current milker is due to re-freshen in April, another heifer due to freshen in May or early June, and the prospects of a couple of Milking Shorthorns coming home in June; not to mention frozen hands while milking at 40 below zero.

I got to thinking that the insurance on the stuff I don’t even use costs me more each year than a new ¾ horse milker and bucket from the Parts Department and that I would use twice everyday.

Herself has been trying to get me to buy one for some time, and as she is the one who is going to clean it, I think today is the day to call in the order.

Tomorrow will be the day for buyer’s remorse.

I know exactly what you mean about having lots of expensive, never used toys.

I have been having some success with avoiding that syndrome these days, we have a baby due any day now and her mom is very level headed when it comes to money, which helps me quite a bit.

But with regards to your milker, I think you will get your moneys worth out of that easily since you will use it twice a day.

And if you don't have milking to do at some point in the future I am sure you can sell it for close to what you paid.

Best wishes!

[myersfarm]

and may i ask were you are going to order your milking machine from and the cost please my hands are cold also thanks.......ps anybody need a ski boat not used in last three years

[Haggis]

Herself ordered mine from the "Parts Department" for $1299 delivered. She also ordered a "plugit" for my three teated cow, and some specialty cleaning brushes. All tolled, about $1319 and it should be here the first of next week.

Another up side to the machine is that I may get a day or two off once in a while. None of my kids know how to hand milk, but they say they will try the machine.

[JeffNY]

Originally Posted by Haggis

Herself ordered mine from the "Parts Department" for $1299 delivered. She also ordered a "plugit" for my three teated cow, and some specialty cleaning brushes. All tolled, about $1319 and it should be here the first of next week.

Another up side to the machine is that I may get a day or two off once in a while. None of my kids know how to hand milk, but they say they will try the machine.

Exactly where I was going to reccomend. Is this it?

http://partsdeptonline.com/



Same price..


Jeff

[Haggis]

Yup! That's the varmint. In the book it says $899 for the pump and motor, then another $449 for the bucket, but it's $1299 complete.

The fellow on-line gave Herself some really good tips on how to clean the gizmo a lot easier. They seem like nice folks.

I feel like a wimp buying machine and all, but my hands freeze while milking the one late lactation cow giving a gallon and a quarter to a gallon and a half to the milking. I don't know how I could deal with a second heavy milker freshening; if she ever does.

I mentioned getting some time away from the udders; my son works at North West Airlines and he can get Herself and me coach tickets to anywhere for $50 or first class tickets to anywhere for $80. Some of our family members have slipped away in the last few months and we couldn't go to the funerals because of milking. I think the machine would give others the confidence to milk for us and we could catch up on our visiting; before too many more of them are gone.

[Patt]

We keep the calf on our cow and only seperate her at night so we can take a break whenever we want.
Good luck with your new milker, we have one but it's too much work for one cow and she didn't like it at all.
Patt

[Valmai]

"plugit"??? If that is what I think it is, you dont really need one. With the spare cup just twist it around to cut the suction off through the hose, and just 'hang' it up between the other cups.

[cloverfarm]

I think you'll be pleased Especially if you can train some of the family as "relief milkers."

Ann

[Ken in Minn]

Originally Posted by cloverfarm

I think you'll be pleased Especially if you can train some of the family as "relief milkers."

Ann

Hello Haggis
How are doing with the new machine?
Has your cow calfed yet?
Is it cold enough for you?
Hope this finds you and yours well.
Ken in Minn

[Haggis]

Originally Posted by Ken in Minn

Hello Haggis
How are doing with the new machine?
Herself ordered it on Monday last, the pump shipped on Wednesday, and teh bucket shiped on Friday. We are looking for the parts to arrive the first of the week.

Has your cow calfed yet?
No calf yet, but her business is looking powerful "slobbery" this morning.

Is it cold enough for you?
I has actually warmed a bit the last couple of days. It's supposed to get up to 21 today; a virtual heat wave.

Hope this finds you and yours well.
Ken in Minn

We're all doing well and are fiddle fit. I hope you and yours are in a similar fashion.

Haggis

[Haggis]

My bucket came in for my milking machine yesterday evening so I used it, and again this morning. With my much bebutchered thumb the cups are still hard to fiddle with but the machine pulls the milk out so fast that I'm done with two cows before I would normally be done with one! And with -30 something temps and wind chills to die for, time outside is a relevent factor.

The contraption does a prety good job of stripping out the cow, no as good as by hand, but pretty good. I didn't get another cup total out of two cows in two milkings.

Herself is cleaning the bucket and parts for me while my boned out thumb mends, but I figure the thing is saving me time and effort on one end that I will eventually be investing on the other. With these temperatures I had rather be cleaning a bucket in the house than hand milking outside.

By-the-by, the cows both love it.

[Reformed_Farmer]

This thread reminded me of a story..........


A couple of years ago the kid from up the road was in the barn watching me milk. They have some pigs and beefers. I knew they had a cow they were gonna milk, but heard they sold her. Anyway, he says to me "Boy, that works alot better than the one me and Dad made." I asked him what they made. He said " A milker". As he explained to me what they had done, I got laughing so hard I had to lay down in an empty stall to recover. Seems they found a old inflation and duct taped it to the wet/dry shop vac. They would hook it up and then squeeze the inflation by hand! Well the cow kicked the crap out of them, she ended up with mastitis and they sold her for $50. :haha:


Scott