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Bulk milk Collection Gets
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Off to A FLYING START
difficulties to be fully investigated.
Results in the Midlands and other parts of the •country show that bulkmilk haulage offers outstanding economies if it is backed by an efficient organization. Milk is now supplied to two dairies in the Midlands, and my company operate a fivetanker fleet, to which an addition of at least two vehicles will be made in the near future.
The fleet comprises two Guy Warrior four-wheelers of 14-ton gross capacity, equipped with Leyland power units and Albion gearboxes, an Albion Clydesdale vehicle of the same capacity, and two 'tankers based on a similar chassis with a gross rating of 12 tons. Two Guy Warriors are on order.
The part played by the Board in establishing a scheme takes the form of consultations with the participating dairy company, and negotiations with producers willing to provide the necessary facilities. These enable the Board to assess the gallonage available for bulk collection when the scheme is fully operative. This is followed by the appointment of hauliers to provide the necessary tanker service.
Having accepted the Board's contract, the hauliers are faced with the difficult decision as to what types of vehicle and tank are best suited to the needs. Operating the Midlands scheme has shown that a four-wheeled multicompartment tanker with a total capacity of 1.750 gal. is the most economic type.
B32 Research over the three years since the scheme was started has revealed a number of important technical aspects of bulk collection which should be carefully considered by newcomers to this form of transport.
Compared with milk collection in churns, the vehicle driver has a much greater responsibility, because his job includes loading the tanker from the holding tanks on the farms, and taking samples of the milk. Thorough training by the dairy company is a prerequisite to operating a vehicle in service, a high standard of hygiene being required.
The course of instruction at the dairy also includes technical explanation of the need for sampling, which is also performed at the dairy after delivery of the milk.
Methods to be employed of collecting milk from the farm are specified in the contract, and after the dairy course the driver must be trained to
perform all the remaining jobs in the collection routine.
When a vehicle fleet and trained operators are available, it is necessary to analyse the collection area so that routes can be planned in accordance with the requirements of the dairy and the milking times of individual farmers. In the Midlands the collection period now extends from 8 a.m.3.30 p.m., but methods are being developed which will enable the period to be extended. This will be of general benefit to all concerned.
Holding tanks at the farms are constructed of stainless steel, and have automatic refrigeration' control which ensures that a temperature of 40 degrees F. is maintained indefinitely. The vehicle's time of arrival is not, therefore, critical.
Each vehicle normally makes two trips in an 11-hour day and collects milk from some 22 farms. On average, the daily gallonage is between which are constructed of stainless steel and are encased in a light-alloy shell. Insulation limits the temperature rise of the milk to 2° F. per eight hours in an ambient temperature of 90° F.
Unpainted aluminium panels and bearers are employed in the construction of the pumping compartment at the rear to eliminate corrosion or deterioration as a result of milk spillage, and to obviate frequent vehicle docks for repainting.
Method of Pumping
An important experimental modification to the vehicle equipment relates to the method of pumping. In standard form, the pump is driven from the power take-off of the gearbox through a clutch, and the transmission system incorporates a number of chains and crossdrives which are liable to a high rate of wear.
During collection, engine idling may continue up to 10 minutes, and the accelerated wear rate of the unit during this period is also a serious factor.
In co-operation with a well-known producer of electrical equipment, experiments are being made with a B13
24-v. electric motor, connected to the vehicle battery, for driving the pumps. Results so far give pzOmise that this method Will re.duce engine wear .fl addition to eliminating pump-trans
mission troubles. .
The tank iS" loaded without the engine running and this eliminates the risk of milk contamination by engine fumes. Two vehicles are equipped with electric pump drive (and dynamos of increased capacity) and these have been in service for some five months. • • Minor Troubles Although certain minor troubles have yet to be overcome', it is envisaged that electric drive willbe universally. employed in -due course.
LThing a pump Of ample capacity is obviously an important consideration with regard to filling time but, in practice, the Capacity of the pump is limited by the need to preserVe the properties of the milk. Above a critical flow rate for a pipe of a give. n_ diameter, the• composition of the milk may be adversely affected, the radii of the pipe bends also being critical.
It has been found by experience that a pump output of about 100 g.p.m. is the optimum for a pipe diameter of 24in., which is the largest that can be used without incurring an unacceptable increase in weight. Employing a pump with an output of 100 g.p.m. in place of one of half this capacity reduces the loading time from 60-78 minutes to 30-40 minutes, which may enable a larger number of collections to be made during the day. .
Limited Radius To make general comparisons between bulk and churn collection is not possible • because the location of the farms affects the reviewing of the value of either system. In some areas, it is possible for a churn-collection vehicle daily to deliver two or even three loads of milk to the dairy because of the limited radius of operation.. hi the Midlands, however, the greater average distance between the. farms and dairy normally limits the use of a churn-collection vehicle to a single daily trip.
The records of my company show that a lorry on churn-collection with an operating radius of 20 miles collects milk at the rate of 10-15 gallons per mile. In the case of a bulk-collection vehicle with an operating radius of 35 miles, the normal rate is 20-25 gallons per mile. In a ‘! highly productive" area, the rate may be as high as 40 gallons per mile.
A daily record is made of the mileage covered by each vehicle and of the milk B34 collected. Costs are analysed-monthly, and the overall running cost of the vehicles is 'matched against . total income. These statistics are collated to provide an analysis covering a sixmonth period lo obviate any. discrepancies arising from short-term fluctuations in maintenance costs and income. •
Graphs are prepared covering a 12month period to show monthly variations in the gallon-per-mile factor. It should be re-emphasized that bulk collection must be backed by an efficient maintenance organization, and that stand-by vehicles must be readily available.
Full, or nearly full, payloads are essential to economic operation, and planned rerouteing at regular periods is necessary. At the Miers depot, rerouteing is reviewed fortnightly, and changes to route plans are -made daily to accommodate variations in producers' gallonages to the best advantage. This requires a fairly elaborate office procedure and trained personnel.
• 48-hour Collections Some producers supplying highquality milk allow collections to be made every 48 hours instead of daily, if the farm tank capacity is adequate. Extending the collection interval to 48 hours is of great value to economic operation. For a given gallonage it may enable the full load to be collected in one run instead of two.
Narrow country lanes with soft grass verges and access roads with loose surfaces are found on the majority of routes, and occasional
".wheel subsidence " The immediate availability of an •auxiliary' tanker to off-load an immobilized vehicle is -therefore essential, and it is necessary. to organize a telephone service by which the driver can contact a responsible: member Of the office staff with the least possible delay.
The approximate whereabouts of every tanker during the day should be blotted by. the office Staff so that any last-minute route changes can be arranged expeditiouslY.
Equipment Breakdown . .
. A breakdown of the farm equipment will normally result in an increase. in the milk temperature . above. • the stipulated maximum of 45° F., and in such an event a churn-collection vehicle must be employed to transport the milk in place of the tanker.
Although such breakdowns are uncommon, a stand-by lorry and pumping equipment should be available at short notice, together with a labour force of two men.. The efficiency of a breakdown service is dependent upon easy communication by telephone.
From these brief observations, it may be concluded that bulk-milk collection has been established as is permanent and valuable feature of milk production and marketing. This is substantiated by the known plans of the Board for the development of additional schemes throughout the country.
Farmers who take part in these schemes will do so on favourable terms.