Leyland Daf 45

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flirty filly

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Hi Guys,

Just entered the slightly scary world of owning my first 7.5t horsebox. I'm very eager for the sake of my own horses and my own peace of mind (!) to get to grips with the basics/General daily walk around - whatever you want to call it! Got underneath the lorry today as wanted to drain the air brakes of any water/sludge... Just wanted to check I'm looking at the right thing?? However just realised I can't attach pictures on this post! I guess this is my next question... Can anyone assist so I can show a picture please?

Warm regards!
 
If I didn't know what the air brakes looked like, I wouldn't start pulling them about! You could get yourself into a whole world of trouble - get a mechanic to look at the brakes if you are worried.
 
Draining air brakes is straight forward and I'd consider it common sense for any lorry owner to know how to do it. I consider this part of routine maintenance.

OP- we check all fluids once a week or before each trip. Also check tyres and make sure there's nothing stuck between the double wheels at the back (previously had a large stone stuck between them that did a lot of damage). We check the brakes and when they start to take a little longer to reach pressure we drain them.

We keep door and partition catches lubricated, especially external ramp catches to stop it rubbing on the paintwork.

On our 7.5 we fitted some mud guards in the rear wheel arches, learnt over the years that spray from the rear wheels significantly speeds up rust!
All our boxes have had the underside painted to protect it, two we've done ourselves. Easy to do just time consuming.

If your regularly looking under and around it then you'll spot weak and worn areas before they become an issue.
 
Thanks for your reply catroo!
I understand that without proper maintenance a horsebox can effectively be turned into a deathtrap for both passengers and horses! Which is why I want to become familiar with everything. I did notice that the air brakes take a couple of minutes to pressurise (still under 3 mins!) with the primary brakes JUST touching the upper red limit which kind of prompted my original question. I guess sludge accumulation could cause the brakes to slightly over-pressurise? Although this is total girl logic and I could be talking utter b***ocks!

Thanks again!
 
Never had them over pressurise but moisture can cause them to stick and not pressurise at all and then you're going no where!
 
The brake tanks are two round cylinders behind the cab... they should have little rings which allow you to drain the air off, makes a hell of a hiss. Any lorry driver will show you where they are. Can't remember if the 45 has an air dryer cartridge, that helps a lot. If it has, suggest you get it changed.

I actually never bothered to drain and it did me no harm!

Just touching the upper limit is good. 3 minutes from empty is OK, bit slow.

Daily walk-round very virtuous but I bet you'll start being lazy after a while. Tyre checks very important though - read this article https://horsemobile.co.uk/blog/tyre-checks-not-a-waste-of-time/

Sounds as though you're loving being a TRUCKER! It is fun. A good mechanic will be worth their weight in gold. Whereabouts are you based?
 
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