Decal not seperating from transfer tape

[awb]

I'm just about finished restoring my John Deere M, but I'm having issues with applying the large John Deere decals along the side of the hood and front of the grill. The part number is JD112 and I believe it's vinyl.

The method I am using is to clean with windex (it's off brand, if that means anything), spray some warm soapy water, tape the sticker where I want it, then lift each side and push out the water with a credit card. Then I let it sit for a few minutes and try to peel the transfer tape, but the John Deere decal comes off with it! My surface has been sanded smooth and painted, I saw some people suggesting isopropyl alcohol for cleaning, would that work better than windex?

I'm extremely fusterated! Any advice would be appreciated

 

[awb]

It's been a few hours since I tried to put on the decal. It has been sitting on my grill with the transfer tape since I made the post. I got annoyed with it and pulled it completely off. Get this, it pulled up most of my paint with it! I couldn't see any John Deere letters on one side of the tape, it was all green!

I don't know enough about this to be able to say what went wrong. I'm going to work on repainting the area that was stripped tonight

 

[Scout2008]

How old were the decals?

 

[awb]

(quoted from post at 19:59:59 07/28/18) How old were the decals?

I bought them yesterday. I don't know when they were made

 

[Stephen Newell]

Might not have been so old. Heat could have ruined the decal too. They need to be stored in a somewhat cool and dry place.

 

[showcrop]

The soapy water puts an insulating barrier on the surface. The adhesive is not going to stick to it. If you need to use soapy water in order to get it straight, let the water dry for a few days before attempting to lift the backing paper. Glass cleaner is a very aggressive harsh cleaner. it is to aggressive for new paint.

 

[awb]

Wow a few days! That may have been my issue. I will try doing one dry and report back

 

[awb]

I just tried applying a decal without any windex or soapy water. It was a no go! The decal still peeled away.

Did I get a bad set of decals? Is there some trick that I'm missing? I'm really not sure what to do

 

[awb]

Hi everyone! I messed up. Talking to Pape Machinery, who I bought the stickers from, I discovered that they were in fact not vinyl! I wasn't peeling off transfer tape, I was peeling off the sticker's adhesive! :shock: Whoops! Thats a mistake I'll never make again

Sorry for the confusion, and thanks to everyone who had suggestions. Here is a bonus photo of the tractor (before putting on the side decals)