Milking apparatus, and a milking plant

A milking apparatus (3) comprising:

• a milking cluster (4) having a plurality of teatcups (5) to be attached to an animal to be milked;
• a retraction line (10) having a first end and a second end, the second end connected to the milking cluster (4);
• a cylinder (11) comprising an elongated cylinder chamber (12) and a piston (13) being movable back and forth in the cylinder chamber (12) along a longitudinal axis (x) to a first end position adjacent to a first end (12a) of the cylinder chamber (12), and to a second end position adjacent to a second end (12b) of the cylinder chamber (12),
• wherein the cylinder chamber (12) forms a first chamber part (12′) between the piston (13) and the first end (12a) and a second chamber part (12″) between the piston (13) and the second end (12b), and
• wherein the piston (13) is configured to act on the retraction line (10) to move the milking cluster (4) to a retracted rest position when the piston (13) is moved to the second end position, and to permit the milking cluster (4) to be moved to an active milking position when the piston (13) is in the first end position;
• and
• a switch device (30) comprising a switch (31) and a tilting element (32) having a first portion (33) with an end attached to the first end of the retraction line (10) and a second portion (34) with an end acting on the switch (31), wherein the switch device (30) is configured to alternate between a first state and a second state,
• the second portion (34) being tiltable towards and away from the switch (31) between a first position having a first inclination with respect to the switch (31) and a second position having a second inclination with respect to the switch (31), the second inclination being different from the first inclination,
• wherein the first end of the retraction line (10) is attached to the end of the first portion of the tilting element to cause the switch device (30) to change, by tilting of the tilting element (32) between the first and second positions, from the first state to the second state when a movement of the milking cluster (4) from the retracted rest position is initiated, wherein,
• the first chamber part (12′) is closed and connectable to a device (40) providing a pressurized medium,
• the second chamber part (12″) is closed and connectable to said device (40), the second chamber part (12″) being configured to receive a supply of the pressurized medium from said device (40), and
• the switch device (30) in the second state is configured to initiate the supply of the pressurized medium from said device (40) to the second chamber part (12″), the pressurized medium thereby forcing the piston (13) to move to the first end position.