How to paint a tractor...

[Spiveyman]

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread, but it's as close as I could find. I just bought my first tractor, Ford 6610. I bought it on the internet, so I don't really have any local contacts tractor-wise. It's generally in pretty good condition for a 1991 with 4,000 hrs, but there are some spots that I'd love to have touched up, or just have the whole thing painted. Problem is, NO ONE seems to paint tractors around here any more.

First: Aany locals (central KY) have a clue who might be willing to do this for me?

Second: If not, anyone have any advice if I decide to do it myself? I don't know much about painting, or have the equipment. I've heard one "tip" so far, cut the paint with gasoline when you spray because it will leave a really good shiny finish, but keep a flame burning on the ground and fan going to control and disipate fumes.

Or, should I just accept the tractor as is with some character because it's going to look like that again in a few years even if I do paint it.

Here's the photo's from the internet ad, I haven't taken any of it yet.

 

[Soundguy]

I paint my tractors... costs a fraction of the price to pay someone to do it.

Here's a tip.. -Forget- the tip about thinning with gasolene..

I like to remove all sheet metal that is feasable to remove. Sometimes you just get stuff that's easier to leave on the tractor.

I then sand with a variety of papers.. usually starting with a 350 or 400 and finishing down to 800 or perhaps 1000 if I'm feeling real energetic and the tractor might make it to a show.

Previous to this I wash and degrease the tractor. I wire wheel the cast to remove loose paint.

If possible I put the tractor on cribbing and remove wheels and tires.

Shoot primer on the tractor.. follow cure and re-coat instructions onthe primer / paint. Get a paint system and stick to that manufacture's products.. don't mix. get the primer that is recomended for that paint.. and use their thinners and addatives.. etc.

After priming.. you may want to finish sand.. if so.. do it with 1000, if needed.

Then shoot your finish coat.

Any small parts you have can be hung from a pole and wire and painted hanging all at the same time.

If you buy multi gallons to do this.. intermix part of each gallon to ensure same color.

I paint outside inthe open air, so i can use a little hardner. Hardner can be harmfull to you if you are alergic to it.. or if you are in an area where you are breathing fumes.. like painting indoors without a fresh air hood. The hardner gives the paint a great look and modifies cure time. ( i use the cheaper farm grade alkyd enamils.. like TSC's BPS paints.. along with their primer.. and valspar hardner, and i use naptha as a spray thinner, or mineral spirits as a brush / roller thinner.

Finish product for painting is 80% prep work, and only 10% chemicals.

IE.. you can use 500$ car paint and do a bad sanding job and it will look bad.

OR you can do a perfect sand and prep and paint it with spray cans and take it to a tractor show... etc.

Same with tools. I use a 9$ cheap chinese paint gun.. and a disposable 4$ filter. I used to use a chinese 2hp/4gallon 89$ pancake compressor and an extra 15 gallon walmart air tank to get some more air capacity.. plus a chinese 25$ air regulator.

I finally upgraded to a better 27gallon 5 hp air compressor with built in regulator...

Get an old car hood and test your paint skills on it. I keep an old flat piece of metal and test my mix prior to spraying my tractor.

Don't paint when too hot or too cold.. or when humid or when expecting rain in the next 24 hrs.

I'll post a few pics of some of my tractors i've painted.. again.. all with 24$/gallon paint and hardner, and 8$/pint hardner.. and cheap gun and small compressor.. and lotsa sanding and wire wheeling.

By the way.. that's a real nice 6610II you have there... I wouldn't paint it.. it don't need it yet..

I added a pic of my 7610s.. a close realitive of your 6610II They are real workhorses.. you should love yours..

Forgot to mention.. get the blue easy-remove masking tape.. and either newspaper.. or the brown paper from lowes that comes in rolls.. and DO mask off any parts that you don't want overspray on. Sometimes it is easier to do alot of masking vs completely disassembling the sheet metal.. or other large heavy parts.. like those big rear rims.. etc..

Soundguy

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread, but it's as close as I could find. I just bought my first tractor, Ford 6610. I bought it on the internet, so I don't really have any local contacts tractor-wise. It's generally in pretty good condition for a 1991 with 4,000 hrs, but there are some spots that I'd love to have touched up, or just have the whole thing painted. Problem is, NO ONE seems to paint tractors around here any more.

First: Aany locals (central KY) have a clue who might be willing to do this for me?

Second: If not, anyone have any advice if I decide to do it myself? I don't know much about painting, or have the equipment. I've heard one "tip" so far, cut the paint with gasoline when you spray because it will leave a really good shiny finish, but keep a flame burning on the ground and fan going to control and disipate fumes.

Or, should I just accept the tractor as is with some character because it's going to look like that again in a few years even if I do paint it.

Here's the photo's from the internet ad, I haven't taken any of it yet.

 

[weldingisfun]

Unless you plan on restoring that tractor for show, leave it alone. It looks good!
Get some touch-up paint and cover the bad spots.
That tractor looks like a workhorse not a poodle.

 

[MichMan]

If you just want to touch it up, like on the step boards and other wear spots, just go down to Tractor Supply on get yourself a couple cans of Ford Blue, some 220 and 400 grit sandpaper and have at it. At least you will have the bare metal covered. Keep up on the touch ups til you feel like doing it right like SoundGuy suggests.

 

[john_bud]

Spiveyman,

You need to show your tipster the back of your hand - Bogart style!

Next - if you repaint that beautiful tractor you must be either nuts or very very particular about how your tractors look. It looks good to me.


Professional tractor painting can take $3-600 in paint, couple hundred in sand paper, chemicals and other supplies. That's the cheap part. Labor can eat you up, especially if you are doing it "right". It can cost as much as the tractor. Then it's too pretty to use!

 

[Spiveyman]

Thanks for the replies so far. First of all, perhaps I was a bit too subtle with my sarcasm on the "tip" to use gasoline and an open flame. I wasn't making that up, someone actually told me that. However, I am a chemical engineer and am smart enough not to get myself blown up. That's why I used the quotation marks around the word "tip."

Second, this is my first tractor. I'm just getting in to farming. Yes, I am rather meticulous about my stuff and would like for it to look as good as possible, but I'm not psycho about it. That's why I was open to you all telling me that I'm nuts for wanting to paint this thing. As much as I would love to do this job myself for the cost of it and the joy of doing it myself, I can already tell that this isn't something that I want to mess with. An example of my nature, I bought a carry all frame, bale spear, and boom pole from TSC. They came in that standard construction yellow color and that just killed me, so I bought the TSC Ford Blue paint and painted each of them. They are blue now, but I can't say that they look all that great. They don't look horrible for what they are, but I'm glad I didn't try that on my tractor. Here's pics of the carry all fram and bale spear. Even though I'm meticulous about how my stuff looks, that doesn't mean I have the skill or patience to do it myself and be satisfied with how it turns out.

For the time it would take, the health risks, and the potential that I would mess it up, I think I will try to find someone to paint the thing. So, thanks again for the advice and I'll steer the thread towards the "know anyone who would do this for me?" direction. I'll follow up with the Shelby Supply place.

Thanks.

 

[sandman2234]

One more person who would appreciate you ignoring that tipster's tip. That is just too cruel to even consider a joke. It would have fallen into what is known as a SERIOUS ACCIDENT!!!

David from jax

 

[Spiveyman]

Just looking at your sig there, sandman2234, how appropriate.

 

[slowrev]

Spivyman, I live east of Winchester, KY a bit, will ask around about someone who paints tractors. I do my own, but have no time to paint others.
And I do not do show grade, just like them to look decent and have no rust.
Soundguy gave good advice.

But if you are going to use it just touch it up, it will get dirty and scratched up pretty fast anyway.

 

[mjncad]

Thanks for the replies so far. First of all, perhaps I was a bit too subtle with my sarcasm on the "tip" to use gasoline and an open flame. I wasn't making that up, someone actually told me that. However, I am a chemical engineer and am smart enough not to get myself blown up. That's why I used the quotation marks around the word "tip."...

The "Tipster" is still alive?! That guy is a Darwin Award candidate waiting to happen. Let's hope he hasn't bred.

Your Ford looks like it's been well cared for, so I don't think it needs painting yet. What you've done on the Carryall and bale spear looks pretty good to me paint wise.

 

[mjncad]

Nice collection of old iron you have Soundguy.

 

[Spiveyman]

Spivyman, I live east of Winchester, KY a bit, will ask around about someone who paints tractors. I do my own, but have no time to paint others.
And I do not do show grade, just like them to look decent and have no rust.
Soundguy gave good advice.

But if you are going to use it just touch it up, it will get dirty and scratched up pretty fast anyway.

Hey I appreciate it. I grew up east of Winchester, right out side of a place called Clintonville, near Paris, but on the Clark Co. line. I'm not looking for show grade paint, afterall it's still a farm tractor and will be used for farming, just want it to look decent and the paint to last a while.

 

[Spiveyman]

The "Tipster" is still alive?! That guy is a Darwin Award candidate waiting to happen. Let's hope he hasn't bred.

Your Ford looks like it's been well cared for, so I don't think it needs painting yet. What you've done on the Carryall and bale spear looks pretty good to me paint wise.

Good point on the Darwin awards, I'll be watching the local paper and let you know when he nominates himself. Actually, the guy said he used to paint tractors, but his insurance company shut him down. What's that old line about God watching over fools and little children? Looks like his insurance company probably saved his life.

The tractor is in decent shape, there's a place where the fiberglass front hood is busted, and a crease in the top cover over the engine, and normal wear spots in the tractor like where you put your hand behind the gas cap to get off the tractor. I just like to take care of my stuff, I certainly worked hard enough to be able to afford it, so I want it to reflect my "work ethic" and taking care of my stuff. Thanks!

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Tim,
IMO youve got a nice lookin work tractor there ! I do my own painting just like some of the other guys that have posted on your thread, and its really not that difficult to get good results, maybe not perfect, but pretty nice IMO ! I think some of the advice you got from Farm and Chris is very good, but the most important advice you got is be very careful with what your breathing into your system !!! If you dont have a spray booth, your going to need protection ! Good luck !

 

[Spiveyman]

Thanks, Scott. I may try the sanding and spot painting the particularly worn areas. This seems like a good way to try it out and see if I can get it done to my satisfaction. If not, then I haven't ruined the whole thing and can still have someone else paint it (assuming I can find someone). This would also limit the quantity of chemicals I'm exposed to at any one time. I have asthma, not too bad, but it's there and am deathly allergic to September, so I agree - the breathing protection is a must.

It may be a while before I get a chance to try that, but I'll post before/after pics if I don't find someone to do the whole thing before then.

 

[mjncad]

... What's that old line about God watching over fools and little children? ...

I was always told it was, "God protects drunks and fools."

 

[Soundguy]

That 2nd coat of paint you put on will help delay the rust of those 2 implements.

The finish didn't turn out perfect due to the metal surface and old paint imperfections. Same would be true on the tractor.. Like I said.. most of the 'finish' look comes not fromt he paint.. but from the labor involved during surface prep.

As i said at the bottom of my 1st post.. your 6610II work clothes are fine.. My 7610s has very similar ( oem ) paint..

Soundguy

Thanks for the replies so far. First of all, perhaps I was a bit too subtle with my sarcasm on the "tip" to use gasoline and an open flame. I wasn't making that up, someone actually told me that. However, I am a chemical engineer and am smart enough not to get myself blown up. That's why I used the quotation marks around the word "tip."

Second, this is my first tractor. I'm just getting in to farming. Yes, I am rather meticulous about my stuff and would like for it to look as good as possible, but I'm not psycho about it. That's why I was open to you all telling me that I'm nuts for wanting to paint this thing. As much as I would love to do this job myself for the cost of it and the joy of doing it myself, I can already tell that this isn't something that I want to mess with. An example of my nature, I bought a carry all frame, bale spear, and boom pole from TSC. They came in that standard construction yellow color and that just killed me, so I bought the TSC Ford Blue paint and painted each of them. They are blue now, but I can't say that they look all that great. They don't look horrible for what they are, but I'm glad I didn't try that on my tractor. Here's pics of the carry all fram and bale spear. Even though I'm meticulous about how my stuff looks, that doesn't mean I have the skill or patience to do it myself and be satisfied with how it turns out.

For the time it would take, the health risks, and the potential that I would mess it up, I think I will try to find someone to paint the thing. So, thanks again for the advice and I'll steer the thread towards the "know anyone who would do this for me?" direction. I'll follow up with the Shelby Supply place.

Thanks.

 

[schmism]

were do i get one of these?!?!