Wednesday, 25 July 2012 14:20

100-teat feeder nice and nimble

Written by 

LARGE-SCALE CALF rearing operations won’t require so many trips to the shed by farmers using a new 100-teat open-trough feeder from Milk Bar.

Managing director Rob McInnes says the feeder’s 1200L capacity and ‘empty’ weight of 400kg makes this the largest commercial trialed milk feeder on the New Zealand market. It measures 7m long x 1.8m wide.

Farmers had asked the company for a 100-teat calf feeder, despite the issues of size, McInnes says. “Normally with our products we take an idea and produce it for the market. But this was something people asked for.”

Milk runs to the troughs from one of three 400L tanks made of UV-resistant polyethylene.

Milk Bar says while the trailer was a little difficult to engineer due to its size, they had some help from previous projects.

“The [galvanised steel] chassis is exactly the same as on the 6m long feed trains,” says McInnes. “But we built the feed trains with this feeder in mind.”

Troughs and tanks used on previous models are fitted to the new model.

McInnes says having three tanks allows farmers to get the correct amount of milk for three individual mobs of calves at one time instead of heading back to the shed between feedings.

“It also gives farmers the option of turning one side off if they’ve only got 40 or 50 calves at the end of a season.”

Many of the feed train’s features can also be found on the 100-teat feeder, says McInnes. These include a brake independent of the drawbar and an all-wheel-steer system. 

This gives the unit a manoeuvrability not seen in trailed calf feeders half the size, McInnes says.  

“A long trailer like that does cut in a lot if it doesn’t have all-wheel-steer. This makes life difficult if you have a narrow raceway or when you’re trying to manoeuvre around yards.”

A towbar at the back of the calf feeder means large-scale farmers with many replacements can attach more than one feeder to their vehicle.

McInnes says the size of the calf feeder is likely to rule out quads for towing; utes or 4WD farm utilities are preferable.

Tel. 0800 104 119 

www.milkbar.co.nz

Featured

$52,500 fine for effluent mismanagement

A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.

Ospri brings Bovine TB testing in-house

The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.

National

Machinery & Products

Fliegl offers effluent solutions

Founded in Germany as recently as 1977, today, the Fliegl Group employs more than 1100 workers, offering an expansive range…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

It's all about economics

OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter