Arm TakeOffs - reduce infections and improve productivity in the milking parlor

1) Because There is No Residual Vacuum

There's a time delay of about 4 seconds between vacuum shutoff and removal of the cups, just enough time to relieve the residual vacuum in the teat cups, claw and milk house with the air that enters the claw thru the air bleed hole.

The arm catches the claw and ever so smoothly removes it to the rest position.

Rope and chain detachers can't wait for the residual vacuum to decay - or the claw would plunk on the floor. They pull in the rope at the instant of vacuum shut-off - and jerk the teat cups of the udder most of the time under residual vacuum.

Video - No Residual Vacuum

2) Because There are No Squawking Teat Cups and No Fall-Offs

Squawking contributes to new mastitis infections. Any number of factors contribute to squawking.

Squawking occurs when one or the other teat collapses at the end milking, gravity pulls down the cup, air rushes into the claw and propels milk aerosols against the other teats.

Dr. Dave Galton of Cornell has shown conclusively how these aerosols - via a mechanism he called RPGs - enter the other teats. New infections can occur if and when:

Teats are not properly disinfected

The squawking quarter is already infected

The squawking teat cup is contaminated from previous cows

With Arm TakeOffs the arm supports the weight of the claw, teat cups and the bundle of milk and pulsation hoses! There's no weight and therefore no gravity to pull down the teat cups.

The effect of the hoses is the worst. 7 out of 10 squawks occur on the front quarters in a herringbone and the rear quarters in a parallel. It's the extra weight of the hose bundle!

Video - Arm TakeOffs Eliminate Squawking

3) Because the Claw and Teat Cups Stay Cleaner

With rope, chain or cable detachers it's unavoidable, every-so-often the claw cluster drags across the floor, even if you set the retract speed to fast.

They get dirtier yet in a parallel because you pull the claw thru the close-together rear legs of late lactation heifers. On the other hand, the arm keeps the cluster nicely off the floor.

Unfortunately, they don't work in parallel parlors. With only 28" of space there just isn't enough room for the mechanical arm, the claw-cluster, two legs and your hands attaching the teat cups.

Not that we haven't tried....

Studies in Germany, Australia, Israel, Sweden, England and here in the USA have scientifically proven that Arm TakeOffs are not only more efficient, but reduce the incidence of infection.

Bottom Line - teat cups should never be jerked off the udders.

4) In the Rest Position

...teat Cups Hang Straight. When the cow's done there's always a bit of rest milk left in the claw and milk hose. With no-arm detachers the claws and teat cups tip this way and that spilling the rest milk over the floor and the curb.

With Arm TakeOffs the claws hang straight and orderly and the rest milk goes into the pipeline when you attach the machine to the next cow.

5) FallOffs Don't Disturb the Rest of the System

Occasionally the claw falls off. With chains and ropes it plunks to the floor, sucking air (and crud and mud) until the Milker gets back there.

With Arm TakeOffs the arm catches the claw, the teat cups fall over, shutting off the air - no crud, no mud, no air.

6) Good Unit Alignment is Fast and Easy

With the Arm the claw hangs nice and straight, well balanced on the udder. If she moves the claw moves with her.

With no-arm detachers you have a choice:

1) Never mind unit alignment - in which case the hose bundle causes an unreasonable number of Squawks and Fall-offs

2) Support the hose with a hose support arm, an additional task after attaching the teat cups. And you need to pull the arm back out after the machine retracts or the cows stumble over it on the way out.

7) You Attach Much Faster

Push 'Start' and the arm almost floats out there on its own. Once you get good at it, you never touch the claw - attach two teat cups at once and move on to the next cow.

Call us or email for the 'Halbert Tape' on Parlor Productivity and watch Veronica (at 5 ft 2" and six months pregnant) attach machines at the rate of one every 4.8 sec, 24 in the row with Arm TakeOffs.

8) Because you can milk with a single teat cup

Got a hard milking quarter? Take the other three teat cups off, adjust the arm a bit and let her finish, while you keep on going instead of holding on to that claw.

9) Because you'll be way more efficient

Different people have different opinions - but as a rule of thumb one Milker could run a dbl. 6 without TakeOffs, a dbl. 10 with rope or chain detachers and up to a dbl. 20 with Arm TakeOffs.

Why Arm TakeOffs?

It's quite a story. You'll find some of the reasons below. Better yet, watch the video and chances are you'll look at TakeOffs and Detachers in a whole new light.

Site Directory