"Air-Powered" Milking Stool

"Air-Powered" Milking Stool DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 23-4-26 After milking cows for several years in tie stall barns or flat parlors, many dairymen develop "milker's knee" or back problems caused by repeatedly sitting down and standing up. Robert Bartels says his new air-powered milking stool solves the problem by using compressed air to lift the milker back to a standing position. Made from stainless steel and heavy duty plastic, the one-legged Cimmaron Air Stool has an 11 by 7-in. padded seat mounted atop a stainless steel cylinder with an enclosed 4-in. long steel spring. A harness is used to strap the seat to your waist. A valve and switch attach to the harness. A self-coiling hose simply plugs into a series of air valves mounted along the ceiling. The operator flips a switch to let the seat down slowly. When he's done milking he flips the switch the other way to bring the seat back up. As he moves down the barn, he takes the hose with him. "The seat can be raised or lowered anywhere from 6 to 9 in. depending on the height of the operator. It helps because you don't have to use your legs or back muscles nearly as much, which makes milking a much easier job," says Bartels. "The Easter Seal Agribility project for disabled farmers has shown interest in the stool. It has a capacity of more than 300 lbs. The self-coiling hose is long enough that you can milk 20 to 24 cows at a time in a stanchion barn before you have to move it. "The installed price depends on the size of the barn and how many rows of cows you have." Bartels says he's looking for distributors. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert J. Bartels, Cimmaron Inc., 10129 Co. F, Darlington, Wis. 53530 (ph 608 776-2995).

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