Tractor paint

[G Archer]

What is a good paint for a tractor that will last and wont break the bank?I plan on getting to bare metal the using an epoxy primer.

Thanks Glenn

 

[showcrop]

I'm not a painter or body man by any means, but since I am finishing up a full strip down and repaint, I have been on here a lot to ask questions and read answers to others'. What is virtually always recommended is that if you are expending the time and effort to get down to bare metal, that you should use epoxy primer as you are. Then if you are expending that much for prep and primer you should at least use urethane paint which is more or less middle of the road. I will add as I always do to use an acid wash due to the rust that is almost certainly under the paint on your tractor. Specks that you can't even see will grow enough to make the paint bubble in as little as two years.

 

[CNKS]

PPG Omni or DuPont Nason urethanes, also NAPA or Sherwin Williams, etc, you need supplied air for the hardeners required for the paint. A charcoal mask is not enough, If you don't have supplied air you can use acrylic enamel, or an "acrylic modified" alkyd enamel which does not require hardener. Acrylic enamel is almost as good as the economy urethanes, but harder to repair sags and runs. Acrylic modified alkyd is one step below. With unhardened paint, basically what you see at first is what you get. Hardened paint cures faster and is easier to repair. Howver, expect to pay close to $150-$200/gallon by the time you add the hardener and reducer. Surfacer needed for the sheet metal is close to $100/gallon also. Epoxy may be as low as $80/gallon. You probably won't need a whole gallon of the epoxy and surfacer. Stay away from tractor store paints, which are generally straight alkyd enamels and fade rapidly. The "acid wash" mentioned by Showcrop is ok, but not needed if you have removed all the rust, which can be done. If I do use it, I use products that do not need to be washed off, such as Picklex 20 or Must For Rust. I live in a dry climate, and as long as I remove the rust it does not come back. High Humidity can cause other results.

 

[Cletrac68]

I like to spray old style enamels. This high tech auto paint (although very nice finish) is big $$$. Most tractors at the shows are way to shiny and perfect as compared to the factory paint. I've been using PPG ALK-200. It comes ready to spray right out of the can. They will mix quarts or gallons. PPG makes a hardner for more gloss and durability. I use spray can primers. Ran out wax and grease remover - so I used 'Windex" insted. Sounds low tech ..... but it works for me. Sprayed door and fender of my old work truck two weeks ago.

 

[charles todd]

Good looking work truck. I'd take that for a farm truck any day. And I don't even like Dodge's! :shock:

CT

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Most tractors at the shows are way to shiny and perfect as compared to the factory paint.

You do have a point...I recently painted a pedal tractor with some PPG Shopline Urethane (JAU) and no joke, its got a nicer/shinyer finish then my 2009 Vintage JD which has never slept outside. Always garaged.

That being said, I refuse to use not catalyzed paint anymore...fades and you gotta be careful washing or cleaning em. I used some DuPont Acrylic Enamel on a Power Rake I built and a couple months after I painted it she was ready to be put away for the winter...almost cried when I saw the green paint rubbing off where I put some Purple Power Degreaser....quickly rinsed it off and the paint still is there, but I wasnt happy.
Next time I spray some JD Green in JAU I was going to ask the guys at the paint shop if they have a hardener which isnt a wet look type...

 

[charles todd]

It is not the hardener that you change to tone down the gloss. The paint jobber should be able to point to the right de-glosser. This will tone it from a touch under full gloss down to flat.

CT