Liners are one of the hardest working parts of the milking machine, each one stretching and collapsing 5,000 to 10,000 times a day. They are also one of the components most subject to wear and tear.

As soon as they start work, liners begin to lose tension, absorb fat and hold bacteria. After rubber liners have been used to milk more than 2,000 – 2,500 cows, the changes in the elasticity and surface of the rubber are sufficient to reduce the speed and completeness of milking and to increase the risk of mastitis.

As it is not possible in most situations to detect changes in the rubber by just looking at them, the most reliable method is to count the number of milkings for each liner.

Many people are surprised at just how quickly 2,500 cow-milkings pass, and can balk at the cost and work of changing liners more frequently. But cost shouldn’t be a deterrent, as regular replacement can save thousands of dollars.

Putting off spending $450 for a few months on a new set of liners may end up costing you $4,500 (see example below).

• Cost of replacing liners = $450 in an 18 unit swing-over shed

• Cost of milk not being in premium for 3 months = $4,500 for a herd of 250 cows doing 20 litres a day lose one cent per litre

In this herd the liners were fitted 8 months previously. In fact they should be changed every 4 months as the cows are being milked twice a day. The old liners were not adequately massaging the teats and because teat health was compromised, mastitis was spreading from cow to cow at milking.

The Countdown Downunder Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control shows how to calculate when you need to change the liners in your shed. To avoid the costs of using old liners, mark the NEXT replacement date on the calendar every time you change your current liners.

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Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline or Technote
Farm Guideline 6.1

Keywords
liners

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