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Caring for your Thoroughbred Float
Congratulations on the purchase of your Thoroughbred Float! They are hand-crafted with love, and made to last – however there are a few things to keep in mind to help extend the life of your float even further.
In order to keep your Thoroughbred Float Warranty valid, you must service your float annually. You can choose to send your float back to us, or you can request a service sheet from us. Using this method, you can use a mechanic of your choice to complete the service, fill the form out, and send back to us for filing. This keeps your Warranty valid – and also keeps your precious bloodstock safe!
MAKING YOUR PAINTWORK LAST
Thoroughbred Floats uses the Defleet PPG paint system that car and truck brands all over the world use – Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, Volvo, Mack, Kenworth, MAN, Isuzu, Hino and Mitsubishi. PPG's director visited the Thoroughbred Floats factory in person to approve our application. Here are a few things below to keep in mind when caring for your paintwork, as provided by PPG.
"Maintaining the Thoroughbred Shine"
written by PPG Paints
"Have you ever noticed how a Thoroughbred Float stands out in a crowd? This has not happened by accident. Indeed, a lot of effort has gone into producing a world class finish. To begin with, we have partnered with PPG – a specialist, 135-year-old global coatings company which is actually the world’s number one producer of transportation coatings.
Thoroughbred Floats has chosen to use one of PPG’s premium products, the Delfleet Evolution paint system, which virtually every leading truck manufacturer in the world (including Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, Volvo, Mack, Kenworth, MAN, Isuzu, Hino and Mitsubishi) has used to paint literally tens of thousands of vehicles. On top of this, our production facility at Tuakau has been specially set up to apply these paints and PPG has provided a detailed application process, as well as expert staff to support our paint team.
Not only does it ensure that each and every Thoroughbred Float comes with a superb appearance, using the Delfleet paint system also means that the finish is very durable. Thanks to PPG, we are even able to offer a warranty on the paint finish. However, just like any other premium quality automotive finish, it still needs to be correctly cared for in order to maintain its appearance and long-term durability. After all, it would be unrealistic to purchase a new car, truck or van and expect the nice shiny finish to continue if you do not look after it!"
Most of the paint care procedures are simply common sense and are similar to caring for any modern vehicle. To avoid ‘issues’ building up, it’s best to get into a routine of washing and cleaning your Thoroughbred Float after each use.
✔️ Remove contamination
Road grime, dirt, mud, salt, etc. should be removed at the earliest practical opportunity. This is particularly important with contaminants, such as bird dropping, tree sap and, of course, horse manure and urine, all of which are corrosive to even the best paintwork. Use a good quality automotive grade soap (many have waxes in them to help further protect the finish) and a microfibre sponge or soft brush, then rinse off with clean water.
✔️✖️ Pressure washers
Hot water pressure cleaners can be used but care should be taken to keep the temperature below 50°C and the lance tip should not be used closer than 45cm (18-inches) from the surface.
✖️ Avoid sunscreen
It may surprise you to know that ingredients in sunscreens can irreparably damage paintwork. By all means, use sunscreen on yourself and your horse but avoid getting it on your float’s paintwork.
✔️ Chips and scratches
Anything which penetrates the paint film, whether it’s a stone chip, horse bite, scratch, etc., has the potential to reach the underlying metal and begin the rusting process. A horse float typically sits just a couple of metres behind the tow vehicles so stone chips are difficult to avoid but, as soon as possible, they should be touched up to seal them off.
✔️ Storage
Whenever not in use, it’s recommended your Thoroughbred Float be stored out of the weather, undercover.
✔️ Annual service
We recommend that clients return their Thoroughbred Float to us for an annual service. This allows our expert team to keep an eye on the mechanical, the electrical and the paintwork, which is a great way to maintain your investment long into the future. We are proud of the finish on your Thoroughbred Floats and we want you to be proud, too!