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.

 

[strum456]

OEM surface prep is pretty much nonexistent. Any place I see paint peeling on new tractors or equipment, I either find shiny metal (no adhesion profile) or slag. OEMs would need to add the extra step of prepping everything, or using good paint would sill lead to peeling paint and unhappy customers.

I'm pretty certain most OEMs are using alcyd enamel, and on certain things, powder coat. Powder coat gets a bullet proof rep. from some, but it is worse than anything with inadequate surface prep. I have seen it peel back in large sections and hold moisture.

If OEMs were interested in doing it right, they'd dip their parts in e coat (a process used by automotive OEMs). I wouldn't expect a base coat clear coat finish for tractors, but I don't think that a quality single stage urethane would be too much to ask. However, I personally base / clear every tractor that I repaint. This is due to preference of processes, not durability.

 

[CADplans]

Nice tractor. Does it live outside?

No,, I doubt it has spent a night out in the last 15 years,,,

 

[GManBart]

Base coat/clear coat isn't durable when it comes to equipment like tractors with lots of vibration and occasional impacts. They tried that on my dump truck (before I bought it) and it looked great for a few years, but by the time I bought it paint was coming off in sheets.

 

[jenkinsph]

I find that the tractor paint is easier to clean up and restore for Do it Yourselfers. After 12 years outside my 110 will need some time and care spent on it this coming year. I will go over the entire tractor and cab to get everything back to new condition or close as I can get. Painting as needed is easy with enamel paint, two or three part with clear coat would be a nightmare with all the cracks and crevices on a tractor.

 

[strum456]

Base coat/clear coat isn't durable when it comes to equipment like tractors with lots of vibration and occasional impacts. They tried that on my dump truck (before I bought it) and it looked great for a few years, but by the time I bought it paint was coming off in sheets.

Is it the best product to use? No. A single stage urethane would be a better option. But base coat / clear coat is very durable, if done right. If it was coming off in sheets, it was not applied properly. I use it on every part of every tractor I do. It wears quite well on running boards, pedals, hitches, etc.. There is so much mythology when it comes to paint, it is often difficult for someone that is new to the subject to sift through all the personal experiences that people share.

Three rules to remember:

1. You get what you pay for with paint.
2. If you skip steps on surface prep, you are doomed to fail, no matter what paint you use.
3. Avoid "merical products" (there is no replacement for surface prep)

 

[ray66v]

I don't think that a quality single stage urethane would be too much to ask. However, I personally base / clear every tractor that I repaint. This is due to preference of processes, not durability.

They don't use the generally use air day finishes in factories, they dry to slowly for assembly lines.

 

[ray66v]

It is technically incorrect to make the blanket statement that a base coat/ clear coat system is not as durable as a single stage system.

There is more to applying a base coat/clear coat system, so there are more possibilities for incorrect application, and errors.

Having painted professionally for over 35 years, I have been through multiple, endless training, and warranty certification classes. And, I have spent time working directly with the chemists who develop automotive finishes, testing new products. So, I have a good understanding of what is involved.

There are lots of painters out there using base/clear systems, who either don't know the proper way to apply them, don't understand the chemistry behind why it's necessary to apply them in a particular fashion, or are not interested in doing things that way.

The nonprofessional, and untrained professionals, are almost always using lower end paint systems, which contributes to their issues.

Yes, there are also lots of vehicles which manufacturers, and their paint suppliers, who have messed up, trying to find the cheapest, lowest VOC way to get products out the door.

However, if applied properly, a base coat/clear coat system is just as durable as a single stage system. That's all vehicle manufacturers use now. And, durability is as high as it has ever been.

As further proof of that, manufacturers of high end jets are all using air dry, base/clear systems now. And, that's as difficult an environment as you can put paint in.

 

[strum456]

It is technically incorrect to make the blanket statement that a base coat/ clear coat system is not as durable as a single stage system.

There is more to applying a base coat/clear coat system, so there are more possibilities for incorrect application, and errors.

Having painted professionally for over 35 years, I have been through multiple, endless training, and warranty certification classes. And, I have spent time working directly with the chemists who develop automotive finishes, testing new products. So, I have a good understanding of what is involved.

There are lots of painters out there using base/clear systems, who either don't know the proper way to apply them, don't understand the chemistry behind why it's necessary to apply them in a particular fashion, or are not interested in doing things that way.

The nonprofessional, and untrained professionals, are almost always using lower end paint systems, which contributes to their issues.

Yes, there are also lots of vehicles which manufacturers, and their paint suppliers, who have messed up, trying to find the cheapest, lowest VOC way to get products out the door.

However, if applied properly, a base coat/clear coat system is just as durable as a single stage system. That's all vehicle manufacturers use now. And, durability is as high as it has ever been.

As further proof of that, manufacturers of high end jets are all using air dry, base/clear systems now. And, that's as difficult an environment as you can put paint in.

Agreed

 

[ovrszd]

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.

Why's it always gotta be our fault!!!!!

 

[ovrszd]

No,, I doubt it has spent a night out in the last 15 years,,,

Mine neither.