[The correlation between milk flow, vacuum fluctuations and decrease in vacuum in the long milk tube at the claw in...

Four different milking machines have been examined for vacuum fluctuations and vacuum decrease in the long milk tube at the claw. Measurements were performed in 3 cows milked with Alfa-Laval high line HP 100, 11 cows in 3 herds milked with Alfa-Laval high line Duovac 300, 5 cows milked with Erland low line milking equipment, and in 3 cows milked with Strangko high line milking equipment. The recordings were done in the cowhouse during the daily dairy management. The milk flow for each cow was measured 24 hrs after the vacuum recordings using Milko-Scope. Compared to the other 3 milking machines, Duovac 300 had a significant higher increase in vacuum fluctuations and vacuum decrease with the increase in milk flow. Just small differences existed between Alfa-Laval HP 100 and Strangko milk pipe line equipments. Smaller vacuum fluctuations and vacuum decrease were recorded in the low line milking equipments compared to the other types. The difference was significant (P = less than 0.001). Significant correlations between milk flow and decrease in vacuum, and between milk flow and vacuum fluctuations were not found for the low line milking machine examined.