- Made in North Devon since 1973
- BSI Kitemark ready-mixed concrete
- Manufactured to BS EN 14992
- UK-wide & European delivery
Agricultural · dairy · robotic
Parlour Bases.
±2mm. Every time. Or we re-cast.
Precast bases and pits for robotic and conventional milking systems. DeLaval VMS and Lely Astronaut box-style; herringbone parlours up to 32/64 and external rotaries up to 80-point. Cast to the manufacturer's schedule, level to ±2mm, ready to bolt the robot down.
A milking robot is a precision instrument bolted to a slab. Get the slab wrong and the dealer cannot commission. We cast the slab right — to the robot manufacturer's tolerance — so commissioning happens on the day it should.
We have shop drawings on file for DeLaval and Lely, and can work to most conventional parlour pit schedules. Send us the dealer drawing and the install date and we will hold a casting slot.
- · ±2mm tolerance
- · C40/50 concrete
- · Robot + conventional
- · All cast-ins coordinated
- · 2-3 week robot lead
- · BS 5502-22
Photo needed
Hero — installed robot base with VMS or Astronaut bolted down, finished concrete and cast-in conduits visible
Specification
Robot, herringbone and rotary bases.
Sizes shown are robot-manufacturer standard. Pit lengths and rotary ring diameters are cast to the parlour-installer schedule with all cable, vacuum and wash penetrations coordinated before the mould is cut.
| Variant | Size | Tolerance | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeLaval VMS V300 base | 3.6m × 2.4m × 250mm (11'10" × 7'10" × 10in) | ±2mm level across base | Single-box VMS V300 robotic milking installation |
| Lely Astronaut A5 base | 3.5m × 2.4m × 250mm (11'6" × 7'10" × 10in) | ±2mm level across base | Lely A5 robotic milking installation |
| Herringbone parlour base | To pit length — typically 12-24m (39'4"-78'9") | ±3mm level along pit | Conventional 8/16 to 24/48 herringbone parlours |
| Rotary parlour ring base | 12m to 28m (39'4" to 91'10") external diameter | ±3mm level around ring | External rotary platforms |
| Collecting yard slab | To shed dimensions | Falls 1:60 to channel | Pre-milking holding yard with grooved finish |
| Parlour pit precast | 900mm (2'11") wide × pit length | ±2mm to operator floor | Operator pit with cable / vacuum / wash channels cast in |
We confirm robot model, pit dimensions and cable / vacuum / wash penetrations on a shop drawing before mould cut. Late changes after mould cut are chargeable.
All bases supplied with mix design, cube-test data and a level survey to confirm the ±2mm tolerance has been achieved before despatch.
Parlour & robot bases
Recent dairy installations.
Photo plates being commissioned — placeholder shot briefs below.
Photo needed
VMS V300 robot bolted down on precast base, conduits coming up through cast-in penetrations
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Lely A5 on precast base, all services connected, parlour ready for first milk
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Long herringbone parlour pit cast as single segment, operator side, cable channels
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External rotary platform precast ring base on site, multiple segments joined
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Robot base in mould at Holsworthy with steel-trowelled finish, mid-cure
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Operator with rotating laser level checking finished base before despatch
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WCCP HIAB lorry offloading robot base onto prepared sub-base on dairy farm
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Close-up of cast-in penetrations on base — sleeves grouped to manufacturer schedule
Where they go
Common applications.
From a single-robot conversion of a 60-cow Devon dairy to a four-robot 240-cow new build in Wales, we cast the base to the dealer's drawing and to the manufacturer's tolerance.
- · New-build robot dairies — DeLaval and Lely installations
- · Conventional herringbone parlour replacements (8/16 to 32/64)
- · External rotary parlours up to 80-point platforms
- · Retro-fits where a robot replaces an old herringbone
- · Conversion of straw-yard barns to robotic milking
- · Calf-rearing automatic feeders on precast bases
- · Mixed installations — robot-led with herringbone backup
Standards & references
Cast to current code.
- BS 5502-22:2003
- Buildings and structures for agriculture — cattle housing and milking parlours.
- BS 8500-1:2023
- Concrete specification — C40/50, exposure XC4 / XF1 for the dairy environment.
- BS EN 13369
- Common rules for precast concrete products — Factory Production Control.
- Robot-manufacturer schedules
- DeLaval VMS V300/V310, Lely Astronaut A5 — drawings on file.
- Red Tractor Dairy Standards
- Hygiene and surface-finish requirements for milking-area concrete.
Configure your parlour base
Tell us robot make, pit length and install date — we will quote and hold a slot inside 24 hours.
Related products
Often ordered alongside.
Common questions
What dairy farmers ask.
Five questions we answer most weeks. If yours is not here, ring the yard.
How tight is the level tolerance for a robot? +
Robot manufacturers specify ±2mm level across the base — Lely and DeLaval both give the same number. We cast our parlour bases to a steel-trowelled finish on a benched mould and check level with a rotating laser before lifting. Slabs out of tolerance are remade at our cost.
Which manufacturer schedules do you cast to? +
We have shop drawings on file for DeLaval VMS V300 / V310 and Lely Astronaut A5 and A4. For conventional parlours, send us your installer's pit and platform schedule and we will return a confirmed drawing.
Do you cast the pit and the rotary ring as one piece or in segments? +
Pits up to 6m (19'8") we cast as a single piece. Longer pits and rotary rings we cast in segments with grout-injected dowel joints — six segments around an 18m (59'1") diameter rotary is typical. Joints are detailed below the operator floor and finished flush.
What about cable, vacuum and wash penetrations? +
All cast in to the parlour-installer schedule before the slab leaves our yard. Late penetrations on site mean diamond drilling — we strongly prefer to do them at the yard where we can keep them out of reinforcement. Send us the parlour drawings before we cut the mould.
What is the lead time? +
Robot bases ship in 2-3 weeks if the manufacturer drawing is signed off. Bespoke herringbone pits and rotary rings run 4-6 weeks. Spring and autumn book up early — drop us the parlour install date as soon as you have it from the dealer and we will hold a casting slot.
How would you like it?
Supply-only or fitted — Parlour Bases
Supply only
Per-unit / per-metre supply
Lead time: 2–3 weeks robot · 4–6 weeks bespoke
- Cast base to robot / parlour-installer schedule
- All cast-in penetrations coordinated
- Level survey to ±2mm at despatch
- Delivery on flatbed or HIAB
- On-site lifting beyond 12 t (mobile crane separate)
- Sub-base and grout-bedding
Fitted (supply + install)
Supply + install crew
Lead time: 4–6 weeks (incl. site slot)
- Everything in supply only
- WCCP HIAB offload and set on prepared sub-base
- Survey, setting-out, levelling, grout-bedding
- Robot or parlour commissioning (dealer scope)
- M&E first-fix (electrical, water, vacuum)
. We coordinate timing with the robot dealer so the slab is cured and signed off in time for commissioning day.
Ready to spec it?
Send the dealer drawing and the install date — we will quote and hold a slot.