Daf lf 45 eev euro 5

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HAPPY DAZE

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Hello all first post here, we are thinking of buying a DAF 45 LF EEV 160 Euro5 7.5T to have converted for 3 horse ( mainly take 2 ) with living. I would be grateful if anyone has experience of this lorry are they a good buy etc, thank's in advance.
 
We bought a 58 plate DAF 45 LF EEV 160 Euro5 7.5T with 400 000km on the clock from Tristar who converted it for us into a stick sided horsebox, stalled for 4 horses and living. We took delivery in the first week of July and we absolutely love it. We live in West Wales and it copes with all the hills round us like a dream, it never seems to run out of puff. For most of the time we carry two Welsh cobs but it has also carried 3 with no discernible difference. On long runs (Bristol , Solihull twice and Malvern) it eats up the miles and with cruise control driving is a breeze. We kept the trailer but since getting the lorry it has only had a horse in once (a very short run for a lesson), the only time the trailer comes out is to pick up feed (we buy it in half ton sacks). We were only saying the other day how much we love the lorry and how we can't believe how good it is. Apart from the standard conversion the only extras we added were an extractor fan for the horse area and a leisure battery system. Daniel at Tristar also fits an isolator for the normal battery as standard so it does not discharge if left. We are delighted with our lorry, no regrets.
 
They are pretty good wagons, will do the job fine.

There is an argument that maintenance quality in it's previous life is key, but honestly you can be lucky or unlucky.

Two things:

Worth going for one with air suspension, a much better ride for the horses, and

They have got lots of sensors which can be a pain, unlike the older wagons which just chugged along and got you home if they weren't feeling very well! Make sure your mechanic is happy working on a sensor-laden beast :)
 
Thank you for the replies just as i thought good base lorry, had good reviews in the HGV press but only for the day to day delivery stuff. Good to know about the suspension too, Air does make good sense. The mechanics are no problem as we have 2 nephews who are HGV Technicians and work for Scania strangely enough they have no experience of the small DAF. i will be doing all the work myself with the help of my daughters boyfriend who is an electrician. I do however feel i need a professional to fit the under slung ramp springs and ramp as i think this is a little beyond my DIY Skills. Does anyone know a good engineer who can build me a ramp in the North Notts / South Yorkshire area??. Just one more question ( at the moment lol) manual or Auto Gearbox DAF do both on the lorry - and 20 - 22 -or 24 ft box - figuring the 20ft would be best for weight distribution but we do like a good living space as we will use it for Holidays as our other passion is motorcycling,( put the bikes in the horse area ) we do the Isle Of Man every year and follow the British Superbikes all over the country.
 
19ft container on mine is stalled for 4 but only carries 3, still if it had living it would be VERY cramped. So longer perhaps better. But staying under weight becomes an issue....perhaps look at replacing side panels with lighter higher tech ones? And will the floor be strong enough? It's never straightforward!

Are you going to cut through? If you are brave enough to do that, don't see fitting ramp springs would be that hard....they bolt to the chassis rails, so nice and solid! Any decent agri engineer or fab shop should be able to build a ramp.

Things to think about if converting include insulated roof and whether walls are strong enough to be horse proof.

There is a very fine thread by Farmer Chalk on here about a build like the one you are planning. Goes on for ever but is full of excellent info, suggest you read it!
 
Hi TB the actual building of the lorry will not be an issue i have converted 2 Day vans and fully insulated - sound deadening - swivel seats - bulkhead removal - lighting etc etc. I will be doing the cut through and luton pod, but TBH the ramp scares me, get it wrong and it could cost more to fix than the original cost not to mention the Horrors should it break / collapse when a horse is on it. The inner walls and floor will be sprayed with fibre glass chopped mat to a thickness of appx 5mm ( on top of 12mm ply ) to half way and then Gel coated, the floor will also have an anti slip coating so the whole horse area to half way up will be absolutely waterproof so we can Jet Wash out. I have read Farmer Chalk's thread,quite inspiring that's how i want our unit to look especially in White ( motorhome influence)
 
Sounds cool, although I would still worry about the weight. Now if you are going to be really flash, what about bonding in a layer of Kevlar? Ballistic-horse-proof! :)
 
If i was that flash and could afford it all the box would be Carbon Fibre i would need 3 Horses in there to stop it floating away lol. I do see your point though ref weight issues.
 
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