Tiller First Choice Tiller and rust

Anonymous Poster · May 28, 2003

I have a few spots on my FC tiller that are rusted. In my case the paint was scraped off during shipment. I purchased mine from Carver and it was shipped on the wrong sized pallet. Part of the pallet broke and the tiller rubbed against other implements in the truck. I notified Carver and they sent me a can of FC touchup paint.

Maybe the tillers are getting banged up during shipment.

John

theboman · May 29, 2003

I'll get some pics soon. Some things to clear up.
My sway bars are as they are supposed to be. The flaking paint is on top of the tiller, on the front next to some stickers that's about 2-3 inches to the outside of where the 3pt sway bars get pinned. The FC Tiller has an opening and you insert pins there's not factory lift pins, so the sway bars don't rub back and forth in that area at all. They'd be all kinds of scratches if you'd hook it up otherwise. It's without question a blem in the painting process.
With power coated paint it's "supposed" to be durable and I believe chip resisitant and a flake is a hugh chip and it happening almost exactly the same place on each side of the tiller makes me think there's something in the process that gets missed.
Now I have Fred Cain rotary cutter and it's tougher than nails.
Bush hogged more in one day than all the tillers had since I bought it new. The rotary cutter has set outside many months, been banged, knocked around, dragged, walked on, used a carry all at times and it's got no paint flaking, some scratches but the paint is in tack.
The tiller will work fine and dandy with the flaking paint, it's a great tiller and they have great prices on their products. But they shouldn't advertise the paint if sucks.
Also, Ken Sweet contacted me immediately to see what he can do to take care of the problem. Outstanding service from Sweet Tractors...thanks!
Again I'll get some pics, hopefully in the next day or so. I keep forgetting my camcorder is capable of being used as a digital camera.

markct · May 29, 2003

wow so this is what happens now that tractors are becoming more of a consumer and homeowner thing, i dont think i have ever heard a single farmer say something like"that new plow i bought iturns the ground over great, but i would never buy another one of them the paint is chipping off". tractors and implements arnt like cars, they are something ya use for working. they get dings,chips,scratches etc. i wouldnt hold anything against first choice for this,if they did do something about your paint problem then i would be amazed and have to say that they are a vary exceptional manufacturer,but i wouldnt expect it. we have dozens of implements that have no paint at all on them, yet they work just as good as a shiny new one. it aint like your gona bring it into town on sunday mornin for church so its not a big deal. i attached a picture of my fathers 1953 ford jubilee,hardly a bit of paint yet it is the most used tractor around our place,it works great,and so does the posthole digger atached to the back, which has no paint either

Gary_in_Indiana · May 29, 2003

wow so this is what happens now that tractors are becoming more of a consumer and homeowner thing

Mark,

You make a great point. I had to adjust my thinking when I first got my tractor. Even though it was used it was still pretty new and shiny except for the actual buckets on the FEL and BH. Well, I've banged it around enough just in normal use that about all the metal that was painted has scrapes and scratches and torn decals.

Just remember guys, these are tools that we use to work. Our shovel and rakes don't have all their paint anymore and our tractors and implements probably shouldn't either.

theboman · May 29, 2003

It's really a missed point. The painted surface just that and does not contact the ground as a plow, PHD, etc. It's part of the frame. Now if the tiller had set in the weather year in and year out, been worked hours and hours, then I could see no problem. The fact is it's got maybe 20 hours of total use and stays in a barn thru the winter and most the summer so it's rarely used. Inside the tiller where the dirt is tossed and turned...ah the paint is still there.
I don't complain on the nicks and stuff on my tractor at all, or the MMM or anything else since it's used a lot.
Wait till you see the pics, but think of the fenders on your tractor and the paint flaking off, or the hood of a car, and the places are where well nothing is happening, it's just painted metal and it's in nearly idenical places on each side of the tiller.

JerryG · May 29, 2003

I’ll probably get blasted for what I’m going to say, but I’ll say it anyway. Is it any wonder that some dealers are grouchy, grumpy and arrogant. If the compact tractor business wasn’t such a growing area of the farm equipment business, they probably wouldn’t stock or even order a single compact tractor or the equipment to go with them.

markct · May 29, 2003

i think your the one who has missed the point, its an implment,does it work any worst now that the paint chipped off those 2 little spots? why is it so important that your paint be perfect on your tiller, so ya can stand around with you friends and brag about your shiny rototiller? if it was your car that ya drive around everyday then i could see you beeing concerned, people make judgements about you based on things like your car (right or wrong they do) but it aint like someone is gona think of ya any different cause your rototillers finish aint up to par. just let it go, 15 or 20 years down the road when more paint is chipped off then ya can repaint it. its an implement,not a piece of fine furniture. if all the paint peeled off within 6 months of buying it then i could see your concern, but we are talking 2 spots here!! i wish all i had to worry about on my equipment was 2 flakes of paint falling off,and like others said, just buy a can of cheap paint and be done with it! even if ya dont paint it, its not like rust is a huge issue if your storing it inside anyhow

Alan L. · May 29, 2003

If I pay good money for an implement, expecially one where the manufacturer brags about the paint process, I expect a good paint job. When paint comes off, I want to be the one to knock it off in the process of work.

Surfaces that don't come into contact with the ground should have paint. It shouldn't just come off for no reason, that soon.

It indicates poor quality control, which leads me to believe there is also poor quality control in other manufacturing processes that could affect the reliability of the tiller in the long run.

I find it hard to believe that if a farmer paid $15,000 for a shiny new John Deere plow, he wouldn't pitch a fit if the paint started pealing off of it in areas that don't touch the ground. I wouldn't put up with it at all.

Paint protects metallic surfaces, and especially in areas near the Gulf Coast (thats not me) it could really accelerate rusting without it.

theboman · May 30, 2003

( i think your the one who has missed the point, its an implment,does it work any worst now that the paint chipped off those 2 little spots? )

I didn't say little spots. I can handle things like that. These are flakes 2-3 inches that the paint is coming off, and bubbled up so even more is coming off in a matter of time.

If you but a piece of furniture you kinda hope the finish stays on. If you but a new stove you hope the paint / finish stays on. It does matter to me. Dealers should be grumpy cause I pay them my money for the products and when it's my money I expect them to stand behind the product and it don't matter if it's a pint of paint that was bad or an engine that won't idle. I paid for the paint on the tiller to last over 2 years especially on non moving parts.

Gary_in_Indiana · May 30, 2003

These are flakes 2-3 inches that the paint is coming off, and bubbled up so even more is coming off in a matter of time 

That is sounding more like either a surface preparation problem or a bad mix of paint.