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A clean barn floor results in less manure in the cubicles and cleaner hooves, tails and udders. This prevents hygiene-related claw and udder infections and promotes the healthy natural behavior of the cows, which in turn lets you determine their fertility more efficiently. Today, there still isn't a good solution for clearing solid barn floors. That is why Lely developed the Discovery 120 Collector: a revolutionary robot designed for solid floors that take the manure away rather than scraping it. This not only results in a cleaner floor, but also prevents the cows from standing in manure up to their dew claws, as is the case when a manure scraper is used.

Collecting manure instead of scraping
Lely has been manufacturing robots for cleaning slatted floors for a long time now. With the introduction of this collector for solid floors Lely has a new addition for its range of scrapers for open floors. Rather than pushing the manure forward, it gets collected and subsequently released above a dumping location. The Discovery 120 Collector uses water to thin the manure and a vacuum pump to collect the slurry in a manure tank.

Water for a cleaner result and additional grip
The Discovery collector sprays water from the front and back of the machine. Spraying from the front results in better manure intake and from the back to leave behind a wet floor for additional grip. This water is tanked independently and is stored in two water bags in the manure tank. As the manure tank gets filled the volume of the water bags decreases, freeing up more space for manure. This makes it a compact machine. Cows can easily move past it and the Discovery Collector can drive below the sorting gates.

No obstacles and maximum flexibility
The Discovery Collector navigates independently using built-in sensors. Furthermore, cables, corner pulleys and heightened side corridors are not necessary, as opposed to when working with a manure scraper for instance. Fewer obstacles decrease the incidence of white line defects and ensures the cows can move through the barn more safely. Rest assured that the routes of the cleaning program can be easily tuned to the daily rhythm of the farm.

Lely has tested the new manure robots in accordance with clients on several floor types and in various barn conditions. The first machines will be available from January 2017 in Benelux, France, Germany and Switzerland The device will be released in additional countries later that year.

More information can be obtained on www.lely.com/collector or at your Lely Center.

About the Lely Group
Lely, founded in 1948, directs all its efforts towards creating a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future in farming for its customers. Lely is the only company worldwide to supply the agricultural sector with a complete portfolio of products and services ranging from forage harvesting to automated feeding systems, barn cleaners and milking robots. Lely also works on business concepts to ensure energy-neutral operations in the dairy sector. Every day we inspire people to bring innovative solutions to our customers, from advice to support executing the choices they make.

For many years Lely has been leading in automated milking systems. The company has a strong position in forage harvesting products, with over 65 years of acquired knowledge of the agricultural cycle. The Lely Group is active in more than 60 countries and employs around 2,000 people. More information: www.lely.com.

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9.16.2016