Our DIY Surge Bucket Milk Machine

[@josephfehr3206]

How has this set up been in the cold this winter so far? We are looking for a set up as well. Being just west of you this is pretty helpful and would appreciate any insights you have as well. If you have seen any Surge belly milkers locally we would be interested as well....

[@BurntRiverRanching]

@@josephfehr3206 Hey Joseph, unfortunately this pump has not been working for us in the cold. We started bringing it inside and only taking it out at milking time when it got to be about +5 and cooler, but the irreplaceable fuse in it shorted out and we re-wired it but it still couldn’t handle the cooler temps. We ended up finding a Surge SP11 pump that works much better but we still have to leave a heat lamp over it to heat the oil a little prior to use. I have some extra Surge milkers but haven’t went through them yet to fix them up.

[@josephfehr3206]

​@@BurntRiverRanchingwould you be interested in selling one and I would rebuild it? If you know of any pumps for sale I'd be interested in that as well. I can rebuild most stuff if I can find the parts.

[@josephfehr3206]

​@@BurntRiverRanchingI followed you on Facebook as well, probably easier to message on there if you want to.

[@iamtheshaker]

Did you add the abs tank out of necessity or precautionary? I'd think 12cfm pump wouldn't need a tank

[@BurntRiverRanching]

As I said in the video, it is precautionary for moisture. It also helps keep the vacuum at a more constant level when putting on/removing inflations.

[@cyndismith4939]

I have a couple of surge belly milkers from when my grandfather had a dairy. Hasn't been used in my lifetime (50 years). I don't ever plan on using them but can't decide whether to sale them or just hang on to them "just because ". Is there much of a market for them?

[@BurntRiverRanching]

@@cyndismith4939 I’d say so! There are some with seams in the middle of the bucket and some without. The ones without seams are definitely in demand especially if you can rebuild the pulsator and put new inflations, vacuum lines, gasket and a check valve put on. You can get parts for them online. Hamby sells their rebuilt surge buckets for $700 USD People, like myself, really like them because you can take them in the house and physically clean every part of it. No need to have running water at the barn to run through the hoses or a claw, and no need for harsh chemicals.

[@cyndismith4939]

@BurntRiverRanching thank you for letting me know. Now I guess I'll be doing a bit of research now.

[@lauriesmith4049]

Thank you very much for this video! Will you be adding a detailed materials list for the build? That would be awesome for those of us unfamiliar with pumps, valves, regulators, the type of filter, etc.

[@BurntRiverRanching]

@@lauriesmith4049 I haven’t made up an actual list, as we mostly tried to use whatever salvage materials we had laying around first and then we had a small selection of other things at our local stores. Everyone might have something different to work with or access to more parts than what we had. But I can try to make a detailed list of what we used and put it in the video description!

[@lauriesmith4049]

@@BurntRiverRanching Thank you! That would be very helpful.

[@BurntRiverRanching]

@@lauriesmith4049 Hello, I edited the description to include a list of the supplies we used. Hope that helps!

[@lauriesmith4049]

@@BurntRiverRanching. Wonderful! I really appreciate your help! Thank you!

[@BurntRiverRanching]

@@lauriesmith4049 you’re welcome!