Tractor paint

[milesaweigh]

Why do all manufacturers use such crappy paint? Doesn't seem to matter what colour, they all fade and not in a good way. Automobile paint would be a better option, no fading and tough.












or am I missing something?

 

[Shaneard]

People are tight and don't want to pay more money than they have to thus the manufacturers use cheaper paint to keep cost down, one of the reasons a lot of them have plastic fenders and hoods now as well. So, in conclusion people are tight.

 

[milesaweigh]

Even a $10000 car has better paint than a $40000 tractor. That is a pretty competitive business.

 

[TMGT]

There's still 10k dollar cars?

I think it also has to do with application and maintenance.

Tractors usually don't get regular wash/wax and work in pretty nasty condition, plus the single stage paint used on most equipment works a little better rough treatment rather then a clearcoat.

Honestly I have some 15-30 year old tractors and the paint is not terrible, oxidized yes but will clean up.

Compared to a lot of 90s-early 2000 vehicles that have paint pealing off, sometimes in sheets.

 

[fried1765]

Even a $10000 car has better paint than a $40000 tractor. That is a pretty competitive business.

You are referring to new tractor manufacturer paint, about which I know nothing.
The good news is that there are several very good one part paint choices when repainting is necessary.
Valspar machinery enamel (Amazon) is very good, and comes in a wide range of colors.
I have committed a mortal sin though.
I had my 1970 yellow Ford 3400TLB (1850 hrs.) painted CAT yellow!
The CAT paint (Sherwin Williams?) is excellent.
My industrial Ford now wears the clothes of a new Cat TLB.
Last summer I took it up (on the Cat) to my cottage in Nova Scotia, and had it painted there.
Thought I might have trouble with US customs bringing it back, because it looked SO good (new?).
The CAT paint is hard now, and seems very durable.

 

[CADplans]

If the paint looks bad in 5 years,,, two years later, you want to buy a new tractor!! :thumbsup:

20 years ago, I painted my new to me 15 year old (at that time) tractor with a $29 gallon of NAPA paint.

It looks the same today as the day I painted it.
(I did not paint the loader)

If I were to buy a new tractor today, I would pay a friend that does autobody to clear-coat it.

 

[ray66v]

While it's true, a cheap car has better paint than a good tractor, tractors are not exposed to the kind of road salt a car has to be built for.

The base paint needs to have a molecular bond with the clear coat, to have good chip resistance, and durability. To form a molecular bond, all the paint needs to be applied within a short time frame. That can't happen if you clear over the cured factory finish. So, yes, you can have your tractor clear coated. No it's not really a good idea. There is a fair chance there will be adhesion issues, because proper prep, would be difficult to impossible in some areas.

A high end base/clear system can have a very high level of durability. But, I doubt any manufacturer is going spend the money to use high end automotive paint, or a fleet finish, on a tractor. The increased cost would certainly put them at a disadvantage in the market.

If they wanted to spend more on paint, they should start with increasing the corrosion protection first. (That would be the undercoats, i.e. primers). Most of the time, they seem to be using direct to metal finishes, that offer limited protection against corrosion. You can live with a certain degree of fading, a lot more than corrosion.

 

[milesaweigh]

If the paint looks bad in 5 years,,, two years later, you want to buy a new tractor!! :thumbsup:

20 years ago, I painted my new to me 15 year old (at that time) tractor with a $29 gallon of NAPA paint.

It looks the same today as the day I painted it.
(I did not paint the loader)

If I were to buy a new tractor today, I would pay a friend that does autobody to clear-coat it.

Nice tractor. Does it live outside?


I would think the tractor dealers themselves would want a more fade resistant paint. Their older stock wouldn't look as old.

 

[fried1765]

While it's true, a cheap car has better paint than a good tractor, tractors are not exposed to the kind of road salt a car has to be built for.

The base paint needs to have a molecular bond with the clear coat, to have good chip resistance, and durability. To form a molecular bond, all the paint needs to be applied within a short time frame. That can't happen if you clear over the cured factory finish. So, yes, you can have your tractor clear coated. No it's not really a good idea. There is a fair chance there will be adhesion issues, because proper prep, would be difficult to impossible in some areas.

A high end base/clear system can have a very high level of durability. But, I doubt any manufacturer is going spend the money to use high end automotive paint, or a fleet finish, on a tractor. The increased cost would certainly put them at a disadvantage in the market.

If they wanted to spend more on paint, they should start with increasing the corrosion protection first. (That would be the undercoats, i.e. primers). Most of the time, they seem to be using direct to metal finishes, that offer limited protection against corrosion. You can live with a certain degree of fading, a lot more than corrosion.

You are SO RIGHT!
Implements are even worse!
I have three King Kutter implements. Their paint is absolutely HORRIBLE!
No metal prep (etch)! No primer! Just cheap grade enamel!
I swear that the King Kutter paint chips/falls off from just looking at it.
Other King Kutter users have the same paint complaint.

 

[Garandman]

Ariens orange ($15 a can) is identical to Chevrolet engine orange ($5 a can).

Ditto Ariens.