has anyone here ever milked using engine vaccume. are there any tricks to doing it?

You have to be careful that the milking bucket doesn't get tipped over or all the milk will end up in the engine. One time is ok but if you do it several times it can be hard on the good prodcers if the vacuum is not steady.

I use a diesel engine and line shaft daily to run a vacuum pump, compressor to cool the milk, and air pump to pump water from the well for both house and barn.
Maybe your talking about the vacuum off the manifold of a tractor? I've done it at times when I milked before and we had a power outage. You can run a couple units.

The "trick" to any milking with vacuum is to have enough storage and a regulator to keep the suction uniform, constant and not too high. I have seen waterheater used, a section of 18" pvc pipe with end caps and numerous other pressure chambers. It might take a bit to build the vacuum in the chamber. KM

would have to have a pulsater in there some place. Never done that any I milked was by hand.

I used that method when electric was out many years ago.Not hard to set up but I wouldn't do it all the time.A alternator or generator to run a vacuum pump would be more efficient.

The old barn had a hole in the wall. Asked my Dad one time what it was for for. It was a vacuum opening that he hooked to an M ihc. I think he said the only time he used it it would only run 1 bucket milker. Never saw it in use, pulsators were on the bucket. KM, the way it was hooked looked like they used the regular vacuum tank for air.

In these parts the cattle were moved around to pasture in the summer. My grandparents had a little corral at the other farm 5 miles away. They milked to an old jeep vacuum and then hauled the milk home in milk cans. It was not at all uncommon to hear the sick running vehicles about 6:00 in the evening all over the area. Typically they use surge buckets that had the pulsators on the buckets. I would like to find 2 or 3 old surge buckets with the puslators on them. I found a little pump with the tank attached I think a little B&S motor and I have a portable unit that I can take to the pasture for my 2 to 4 cows. Been thinking of this as a means of self sufficiency. A family cow is a source of dairy, meat, and fat. Along with a couple of pigs and a flock of hens we would be in pretty decent shape for most disasters. Might get sick of the lack of variety but it beat nothing. Wood to heat with, generators and extra fuel. Not totally independent but we would make out.

Can't remember details at all, but do remember 'emergency' vacuum set up off the old pickup here. Was done somehow and I'll try to dreg up the method from the old mellon on my neck.

have been looking for some easy cheap way to milk. the "by hand method" is out of the question! I have been there done that seen the clowns and not going back. I think that I know where I can get a pump and tank, but would need bucket and pulastor.



Jim

Many of the old IHCs, Cases and Deeres around here have a petcock on the manifold that a rubber vacuum hose fits to. During the Ice Storm of 98 many of those old tractors and the Surge and Universal bucket units got put back into service right quick.

I'm a little lazy, so I go to the neighbors with eggs, and trade them for milk. But if you're looking for bucket milkers and rebuilt pulsators, go to www.backtotheland.com

a compressor from a refrigerator will deaw a pretty good vacuum... just a thought. Once used one of these for a compressor to run a spray gun to paint houses.

well i have a nurse cow on a setperat part of the farm with no vaccume pump, running a line to the main pump seems like to much of pain. i have a small john deere power unit. i was hoping to use engine vaccume to run a single bucket. my big question is what is the level of vaccume on the intake mainfold. is it close to the 13" needed to run the milker or is some kind of regulator needed

If you have a gas engine driven air compressor, just reverse the lines on the pump.
You can buy air compressors as replacement parts and drive them off any suitabale engine. Used to have vacume controled stuff on the old pull combines to replace an operator but you need better lines for vacume than for air pressure.

Either Countryside Magazine, or Back Home magazine had an article about setting up bucket milkers to run off a car's vacuum pump. It was interesting. Would have been printed sometime in 2009. Good luck.

Greg

I have many Surge buckets with pulsators. Could spare some. Have a Surge vacuum pump, but need that in the future.

Have Universal buckets but they are from my 'youth'.

Could spare some Surge buckets for minimal cost and shipping.

jwaller e mail me at Please my girls have seen a milking set up and they want to milk some goats to help a friend that has a 1.5 year old that can only drink goats milk. we have a lady in the area that sells goats milk but gets a big price for it. I just want to help these people out, as they are in hard times. The girls told the mother that if we can get something going that they would give them all the milk that they needed if they could watch the little girl once in a while for them.
I will have to get some shells and inflators for goats but I think that it should work oh yea and a claw.



Jim

Jwaller,

Drop me an email please.

I have a project where I am setting up a neighbor with a heifer and a milking system. Have all the pieces but a surge bucket. I have been supplying them with milk for 3 years. They have a 13 year old boy, 6 acres, and a barn. That boy needs to learn a few things and so does his mother. KM

I am such a computer dumby. I e-mailed both of you but seems to come back as 'undeliverable'.