Modern dairy farms ask for tried and tested, practical and flexible milking parlour systems. Herringbone milking parlours have been proving their efficiency for decades now while going through constant development for improvement and optimisation. 

Animal Positioning
Optimum animal positioning is important for easy access and best visibility of the udder during milking. Quick group changes are no problem due to wide and animal friendly aisles and individually adjustable breast rails. The conventional herringbone parlours Europa 1200, EuroClass 1200 feature manual or pneumatic entry and exit gates. This is beneficial for larger parlours as it reduces the workload of the operators giving them more time and allowing them to focus more on the milking process.  The EuroClass 800/850 parlour makes the herringbone principle even more economical: The space saving 50 degree layout of the stalls reduces the distance between the milking places and hence the travel distance between cows for the operator. Cluster attachment is achieved through the cow's rear legs. The result is an increase in number of cows that can be milked per hour. 

Rapid Exit
In Rapid Exit herringbone parlours the breast rail is lifted up after milking and all cows can leave the parlour simultaneously. This reduces group cycle times considerably and consequently increases throughput yet again.

Optimum animal positioning is important for easy access and good visibility of the udder during milking. Wide and animal-friendly cow standings and push-button pneumatic gates help to maximise cow throughput by encouraging fast entry and exit of the cows and reduce operator routine times.

The EuroClass 800/850 parlour, originally designed in the UK to suit the requirements of the British market, offers an extremely robust 50 degree stalling for optimum operator efficiency and maximum parlour performance.  Compared with the more traditional 3'- or metre-centre design, the shorter length between cows helps to reduce the operator's travelling distances, and the cluster position for rear-leg milking is improved.   

For those with small family herds who want to maximise contact with their cows, there is the EuroClass 1200.  This features 1.2 metres between cows and is designed for attaching the cluster from the front (between the front and back legs), thus offering excellent cluster position for optimum milking-out.   

For those wanting faster throughputs while maintaining a high level of contact and visibility of their cows, the EuroClass 800 RE and Global 45 offer a choice of rapid exit herringbone parlours: the breast rail is lifted up after milking so that all cows leave the parlour simultaneously.  The 50-degree angle of the EuroClass 800 RE means that, in common with the EuroClass 800/850, clusters are applied between the rear legs, whilst with the Global 45, as with the EuroClass 1200, the longer distance between units allows space for the milking cluster to be applied from the front.

The modular building block principle of all WestfaliaSurge products make future system upgrades and expansions easy and economical. 

You will find basic information on all of our herringbone milking parlours via the links below. If you need any further details or would like to discuss your particular requirements with your local sales specialist, please complete the information request form.