“Wouldn’t be farming if it wasn’t a struggle…”. That is a quote for the ages! We had a barn cleaner on the home place in the ‘60’s and I always wondered what would happen if the chain failed. Now I know thanks to you. Ours was a hobby farms but you guys continue to amaze me with knowledge and work ethic. Your channel should be mandatory viewing for every kid in America. Thanks for what you do.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

We try our best! Thank you so much for watching!

Kinda goes along with the thinking my granddad had. “A manure spreader never breaks when it’s empty”. Same deal with a barn cleaner.

Your lucky. We farmed 10 miles from Canada in Vermont. We shoveled manure into the spreader. I drove the tractor. My right to passage was backing 200 feet in the barn. I started at 6 years old. As good as the old days were im damn glad they are over with. Thanks for your time. Pete in South Carolina

I like how you all keep on top of all the stuff that could give you grief.

Just a suggestion..... Call Mike Rowe. Seeing what it takes to maintain a Dairy Farm is quite an education for city folk! Enjoy being showed the in's and out's of farming. Would of been a valuable experience to be part of in my younger days. Enjoy your videos, I'm hooked, keep them coming..

Love your KZread videos. Life on the dairy farm, exactly how it is. My cow barn has a Berg , split chute cleaner , with a hook and eye chain. There is no reverse corner with a split chute and only two corner wheels. Without a reverse turn the cleaner doesn’t pull as hard, and it doesn’t matter if the wear shoes are worn off the bottom of the flights, unlike with a reverse turn were the chain will come out of the reverse turn. My cleaner has 280 feet of chain. And the chain I am currently using is now 23 years old. Getting close to wore out. I quit milking September 2022, but still have cattle last winter and this winter on the stable cleaner. Probably the last year for my stable to have tie stalls. Keep up the good work. You’re doing dairy much the same way as I did, but I milked Jerseys.

I enjoyed the video a lot my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin didn't have a gutter chain barn cleaner in their gutter in the barn. I took delight in watching the video. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin were dairy farmers in North Central Illinois in Bureau County. My Grandfather was also a dairy farmer.

Good plan to get this done while the weather is good. I think so many folks do not realize how rough a winter can be in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Having all of the gear you need to use every day in top shape is the way to go. Wnter weather can be dealt with, but, you have to be prepared.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

Our barn has the Hook-Link chain, no bolts, easy to install and to be honest I did not even know they made a Pintle chain for a barn cleaner. Its a long chain as its for a 67 stall barn and if I remember we changed it once. I do like the auger at the end as ours has a hard time climbing the grade if the manure is loose.

It wouldn't be farming if we weren't struggling. I felt that in my soul. Your dad is a wise man. I'd much rather be messing with cow 💩 then other types of 💩 I love working with my dad we can pretty much read each other's mind. Hard working with new people

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you love his sayings

Just found your videos, after over 40 years of dairying we sold our herd 3 years ago. The last time we replaced our chain we hired a couple of young bucks to put the sections together before hand. Always enjoyed hitting the switch when we were all done. Watching your videos bring back memories and l realize now how hard us dairymen work!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome Charles I am glad you found them! It sure can be hard work. We are glad we could bring back good memories, Thank You for watching!

@LedgemereHeritageFarm

2 жыл бұрын

Same here. My family sold their herd in 2011. It was a sad time, ending a continuous dairy from 1866. I don’t need to explain why they had to sell out, I’m sure you already know.

We used Patz cleaners on our farm. First cleaners in had a wooden chute, which had to have plywood put on the floor after years of rubbing the wood down. Dealer showed us a trick in replacing the chain. Disconnect on return side and feed new chain while taking old chain out, using the motor to do most of the work.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Getting the chain to run through while pulling out the old chain sounds like a good idea!

We used to have a patz gutter cleaner here in Maine before the free stall barn and parlor came. The stanchions, silos, everything reminds me of being a kid on the dairy. Thank You 😊

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Well we are glad we could bring back memories for you. Thank you for watching!

Nice looking old dairy barn.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Will!

Again, enjoyed your video, you and your Dad work great together! There are very few "old school" dairy farms still operating. My grandparents had a dairy farm, hard work and a struggle every day.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Scott!

Deffenantly a job to be done during good weather 👌

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

agreed!

True American Farmers , God Bless all of you 👍🏾😀🇺🇸

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

God Bless Thank You!

That’s a crappy job for sure. Thanks for taking me along on that repair!

I hate to say it but this video brought back all kinds of miserable memories of dealing with the barn cleaner and the chain. But that was nearly fifty years ago.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Regardless Thanks for watching!

I worked on my Uncle's farm back in 1961, and he had the same manure setup with the incline. It was trouble free but a bitch in the winter when the paddles would freeze up because of the northern Ohio cold. Your working together reminded me when my father and I worked as a team with me holding the wrench or holding the light so he could do the work. Now he is gone and those days will never be repeated again.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

The cold weather can be terrible to work in, I'm glad we could bring back memories for you!

@lyndenhovell7997

2 жыл бұрын

Last time I milked cows was in high school, 1976-77 for my sister's father in law. He was a very wise old farmer and he had us always stop the barn cleaner in the same spot....with the dry links that were outside in the chute, back outside again. Smart thinking. Also had to put a good soaking of waste oil on the chain regularly. Not long after I retired from milking (graduated high school) he put in a pump inside the barn and pumped it underground out to a pile on a slab. That also put an end to hauling manure in the freezing cold!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

@@lyndenhovell7997 Under ground pit sounds nice, Thanks again for watching Lynden!

@lyndenhovell7997

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms It was just out on to a slab with a small dirt berm around three sides.

Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to to make this. Great content, keep it up.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

Thank you was always wondering how the cleaners were put together. Your Dad is a wise man. Must be a farming standard world wide. If it's gonna break it will be a Sunday morning when it's most in use. All the best.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

All the best to you as well, Thanks for watching!

Yep, lots of memories there. The auger seems like a good idea rather then the incline. Although harder to work on the head. You all sure have good knees!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Ya the auger is pretty nice! Thanks Benjamin!

My grandparents started out with less than a dozen cows and hand milked for years. Then came the Surge milk machines. The milk was poured into a milk can and the can put in the milk house. Which had a well water tank in it and the milk was put in the tank and later picked up by the milk truck and hauled away. Early on they had a gutter but the manure was shoveled into a wheel barrow and rolled out the door. And then up a plank and dumped on the manure pile. Later came a Patz barn cleaner. They raised 6 kids on that sand country farm.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like one heck of a place!

That chain system is pretty cool.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ben

cool video your father has so much knowledge great to see you two working together

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

Nice Maine shirt George!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Cody!

Nice job! Back in the early 90s I talked my Dad into lining the gutter floor with plastic. He said it would have to nearly double chain life. It did. About 10 years ago I replaced the chain and corners. Some of the plastic had to be replaced or simply flipped over as needed. Just found your channel for the corn pickin' vids. Interesting to watch the picker mount up. Picked my last crib about 20 years ago,just for old times sake(fun)with my Dad.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Plastic, I have not seen that but it sounds like a good idea!

I miss doing jobs around the farm with my dad. We got along pretty good. Starting to get my 12 year old son helping out some. He's good company too.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

It's a beautiful thing!

So much respect for all you do. Thank you! 🙏🏼

Teamwork on display, better to be prepared than the "ole Jack Armstrong" method of manure handling especially with cows being confined more because of weather. 👍💪🙏

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Heck Yeah!

Always liked Patz chains easy to work on.

We used to milk between 50 to 100 head and I and one hired hand was the cleaning crew. We had one garden hose, a stiff bristled broom, 2 barn scrapers and 2 scoop shovels a Gehl manure spreader and a 175 Allis Chalmers. I would have loved to had your set up. Love the videos!!!

We always ran used motor oil over the chain even time we cleaned barns and the barn cleaner was always parked in the same place every time

It only breaks when it's nasty out. Never were truer words ever spoken

Preventive maintenance is always best. If it’s gonna break it’ll be on the coldest day of year seems like. Enjoying the videos.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I'm from Maine also grew up on dairy farm in Greene maine

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Oh Nice what part of Maine is that?

I love seeing an old tie stall barn getting some love!!!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Just discovered your channel. I grew up on a dairy farm and can remember having to change gutter change. Dirty job indeed! We also had a heifer barn with no cleaner. Yep, pitch on by hand. Eventually we put in a barn cleaner in that barn. I was happy to wheelbarrow in concrete if it meant no more pitching by hand! Great channel BTW. I'll keep watching. -Ed.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome to the channel!

Great video you have a cool dad. You guys look like twins.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Tom!

Keep making and posting videos. I much prefer your method of farming than 10 Generation’s. Your farm is much like my neighbor’s. I help my neighbor milk four nights a week.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

We will Thank You for watching!

Interesting contraption. So many parts!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

It is! Thanks for watching!

I suppose you'd have to call this a crappy job. 😺 Y'all do a good job on it. Thanks for the video. 🇺🇸

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Lol Thanks again for watching Tony!

Great job looking great keep up the great work thank you love your videos

I have just recently discovered your channel and have watched and enjoyed every one of your videos. The barn cleaner one brought back some really bad memories but I will continue to watch and enjoy your videos. Keep em comin and thanks for takin the time to put them together.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome and thanks for watching we will keep the videos coming!

Like your Dad's sweatshirt I'm from Eastern maine

Reminds me of the chains that ran in the tanks handling sewage at the wastewater plant that I put 30 yrs in at. Same principle, big, heavy drag chain, 6 in links. people don't realize how much stretch those chains get in them after use. Pulling links was a job and a half.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah gotta keep taking out links!

I remember my dad just welding the links in the gutter chain to build them back up

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Sometime you got to just keep it working

I remember changing my chain on christmas eve one year. Always better to plan ahead!

Hi i have been watching your videos for a few months now and watching your videos brings back a lot of memoiers my wife was raised on dairy farm i started working on a dairy farm when i was in the 6 th grade and fall in love with we both milked for years we sold out in 1996 we miss it your farm is so nice and clean yes iit is old school as you say but its all payed for i have never milked in a barn like yours i have milked 2 at a time 3 at a time 8 at a time and 12 at a time i always like a bypass or 3 in a row best we always feed our cows in the barn we felt like each cow got what she needed that way we watch other vdeos on here showing all these fancy dairiers we dont like all that fancy stuff we milked as high as 100 at one time and run a 76 pound average we thought that was pretty good for small farm that got by with what we had we didnt have a 100,000 tractor and all that high dollar stuff but we got by with the old school tractors and if the broke down we could fix pretty reasoable not like the new stuff a arm and and a leg for a sencor keep the great videos you have a couple new viewiers

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Small farms made America Thank You for commenting and watching the videos!

Great job guys like the videos

great job and video

Awesome video, best channel on KZread!!!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Noah!

Great video

Yeah good job getting that done on a nice day. We had 3 of those gutter barn cleaners on our farm. Always breaking down or freezing on the coldest days. Lol. Don't remember having to replace the whole thing but my dad probably did at some point.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Break downs in the cold are the worst!

Very interesting video. Great team work father and son.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Glen!

you guys have it rough up north in tho's barns, we had it made in herringbone milk barns down in Arkansas. you all should get more for your milk i hope you do now with high cost good luck!

it was fun watching. did a couple when I was younger i

Great video! Thanks!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Interesting , very hard work , stay safe

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert Will do!

Nice job guys!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

I always think about how the prep work should be priority #1, 15 to 30 minutes with a pressure washer. And then before you start reassembly blast everything down clean again. I grew up on a dairy so I'm no stranger to dirty jobs but why make it unnecessarily worse than it needs to be? I really enjoy your videos!!! 👌👍👍

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for watching!

Great video.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

Your dad is showing how it is done, so in 5 to 10 years time and it needs to be done again it will be your job 😂

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

lol

That's a real error set now...good job guy's

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You Will!

I use the J&D hook an eye chain in my barn, 16" clockwise also!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Nice!

I don't know what you paid those guys but whatever it was it wasn't enough! love the videos keep them coming.

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dave Lol!

You guys should get a m18 impact. Way easier than dragging a hose around

Chain broken o n us when it was below 0 or holiday or Sunday and it would have been 1/4 or 1/2 done dumping shit out but it was part of farming how is that auger when it's below 0 out side than old way chain in the Shoot I enjoy watching you and your working together keep these good videos coming 👍👍👍

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

You really got to keep it clean when it gets really cold! but otherwise it works very well!

Patz is so much simpler

Very interesting, I had never seen the gutter chain set up, but then my dad sold out before I was very old. One thing, Who gets to clean your clothes? Wouldn't want to do that jobeither! Thanks for the video.

Great video again love the father and son teamwork. I love that barn of yours. Do you still use the silo next to it? Also are your cows still grazing?

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Yes to both! thanks for watching Andy!

That must be your dad who was interviewed in a video about the cow bells a few years back? That one popped up on my you tube a couple weeks ago, finally put it together!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Yup that was him!

Wonder how much longer those parts will be available. We only had 20 stanchions that we pushed out with a 10 tine silage fork.

🤠🌾🚜🇺🇸🤝

Great videos guys, where's your farm located.

Like your dads Maine sweat shirt I am from Maine so a bit of Maine in Wisconsin

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Oh Nice!

great video I like how your Dad really explains things in great detail helps me to really understand it all also can you explain how the reverse curve really works? rhanks

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

It runs in a channel made of angle Iron to keep it up against the curve!

@russjordan3996

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms thanks

The semiconductor company I worked for always tried to hire kids off the farm, obvious why .

Good job how many does the barn hold and how many cows do you milk

Wow that looked like a heck of a job. I’ve never seen a system like that before so that was pretty cool. The dairy I work at has a flume and a big pit. Great video. I have to ask I see you’ve only made videos for a little less than a year, how did you grow your channel so much?

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You! I've been making videos since 2017, but I started this channel last winter! But by no means do I know what I'm doing but I think consistency is key!

@countrysidecowboy4464

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms 👍

Do you guys run used motor oil on the chain before the inverse curve? Always thought the chain wore the hardest there, had a 20 gal drum we put up on the wall and ran a line down through a ball valve in easy reach and then on down right above the chain going into the curve using a piece of copper tube with the end smashed some to make the oil flow out wider. Open that valve right before turning on the barn cleaner and it seemed like it would not only help chain wear, but if you started out with a new chain, the oil seemed to help keep the manure from sticking. Wish more channels were out there like yours, there is some, but it is so nice seeing people not affraid to get dirty and take pride in what they are doing.

@jeremysimon4439

2 жыл бұрын

Other good farming channels out there similar to this one are Acres of Clay, Kip Siegler farms, Peterson Family Farms, and Iowa County Girl

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

No it doesn't ware that bad! We appreciate that you enjoy the channel!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeremysimon4439 Those are all good channels!

I have never seen a chain like that one. I am familiar with Patz chains and chutes. What is the price per foot on yours compared yo patz chain do you know? I like that chain. Nice video!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

The price is crazy with current steel prices I'm sure it is all over the place right now! Thanks for watching!

Is it really necessary to have the cow bells on your cattle

we cut this white plastic stuff and put it under the guter chain and it works so well my chain ist now 25 years old and i only put new plastic in about 6 to 8 years and its a lot cheaper to do it that way the plastic is uhmw great stuff just offering option is all

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

good to know that!

I would rather farm but the family sold the property years before I came along. So I have to work in a machine shop but I do a few acres of hay for enjoyment

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

The Farm is a great place to work that's for sure!

What do you guys use for 🐀 ?

Do you all milk together or separate places

how many head do you milk? brings back memories of working on neighbors farm early 60's

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

40 to 50! Glad we could bring back good memories!

Does that style last longer than the hook style

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

We think so

Talk about a sh-tty job. And just one of those jobs we have to do. Well done!

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Subtitular en castellano para que podadamos entender la explicaciones del caso. Atentamente.

Lets go Brandon!!!!!!!!!

My brother just recently replaced his barn cleaner chain last month. His is a badger, but it takes the exact chain yours does. He also has the same setup with an auger that you do except it's also a Badger. Good to see that he isn't the only one out there still milking cows in a barn. What brand is your barn cleaner??

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

J & D

Are you knowledgeable on 1970sh pto driven manure spreader ? I have a spreader , dont know what brand it may be . Trying to replace a broken , I believe it's called a ratchet arm . Just raeching out .

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Not entirely sure!

@larrywheaton7037

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms if possible I could send you a good pic of the spreader and maybe you might know the make or brand, that would help . Its looks like a smaller harvester , but its not . Thanks for any help you can provide .

How many can you milking in your barn

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

40 stalls!

That chain must have cost a pretty penny

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Sure did!

Hello where are you from? Nice Video

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

Hello and welcome, we are from WI Thank you so much for watching!

@Jerseyhunger

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms West Irland is this correct?

@Jerseyhunger

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms Ah Wisconsin usa . I Have founded. Its a Nice Farm! How many acres do you have!? I am from Germany , i Have here a Small Farm

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jerseyhunger about 300. What part of Germany are you from!

@Jerseyhunger

2 жыл бұрын

@@GierokFarms Saxony ore mountains, (Sachsen Mittleres Erzgebirge), e Have approx 50 hectares

RAF raf fairford😊

Can you scrap out the old chain ?? Scrap the crap ??🤣😅😆

@GierokFarms

2 жыл бұрын

We will!