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Anyone ever paint a tractor?


Coytee

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Last fall, I bought a used (ha) International 1066.  (I say used as it was manufactured in 1973)

 

Anyway, it's actually pretty darn straight with something like 3,800 hours on the meter!

 

Not interested in painting entire machine....rather, just to pull the tin off the top/sides of the engine the "fenders" by the wheel and the ROPS frame.  (I don't think it's really ROPS but more likely just a canopy frame)

 

The fenders were primed when I got it.  The hood & sides are dull.  What I'm wondering is how to take it down to smooth.  The paint I bought (PPG) is supposed to be able to go over naked metal or primer.  It needs "Zylene" or something like that as a solvent instead of mineral spirits.  He said normal paint thinner isn't "hot enough" to clean it up.

 

Most of the panels are flat or slightly rounded, I'm thinking I could:

 

1.  Take a palm sandeer (random Oribital) put some ??? grit on it and have at it

2.  Take a wire brush to it and wear my noodle-arms out!

3.  Take a wire-wheel and put it on my 4 1/2" grinder and have at it (but I fear this could also do the most damage)

 

I have done this.....  NEVER before so am open & interested in any tips/guidance anyone might have.

 

PS:  Not interested in painting engine or anything other than the sheet metal.  I'm not trying to restore the tractor, I'm looking to put a fresh coat on it to help protect it.......sort of like adding sunscreen to yourself prior to going out into the sun!

 

Given that, for whatever I happen to do, I'd like to do it in a better verses lessor way.

 

 

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I have painted various utility trailers, outdoor equipment. I use a cup brush mounted on a grinder like you mention to remove any rust/loose paint. It can certainly cause damage to those surfaces also, so be careful. I then try to sand all the surfaces to be painted to a dull version of the previous color. The palm sander idea is fine for this. In my experience if I do not at least sand the old paint finish down some, it will peel eventually! The more time you spend sanding and prepping the project, the better it will look when done. Sand blasting is a great way to strip those body panels, but this is best done off the machine of course. After blasting or sanding, prime, lightly sand again, paint, etc.

 

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Having been a spray painter in industrial plants and aircraft plants and also having restored cars body off frame as a hobby for decades.  Take the parts down to a media blasting company.  Some of the methods you propose can damage the metal.   Do not forget to use a tack rag before spraying and spray in a near sterile environment (paint booth) to avoid little specs of dirt landing in the paint.  With a little care you should be able to shave your face in the resulting shine of the paint. 

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I guess I could get them sand blasted....I hadn't really thought of that (I was presuming a light hand sand job would suffice)

 

Though I again, am not looking to "restore" the tractor....  if I paint parts of it, I figure it only takes a little more effort to do it RIGHT so for what parts I do, I'd like to do them justice.

 

I've not looked at the videos (slow download speeds here) but that 1066 is a spitting twin of mine other than mine has the vertical frame for a canopy.

 

I'm here to tell you, when you are running this thing at PTO speeds, that engine just flat our roars!!  (straight pipe on mine which to be honest, I'm NOT a fan of)

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Coytee said:

I guess I could get them sand blasted....I hadn't really thought of that (I was presuming a light hand sand job would suffice)

 

Though I again, am not looking to "restore" the tractor....  if I paint parts of it, I figure it only takes a little more effort to do it RIGHT so for what parts I do, I'd like to do them justice.

 

I've not looked at the videos (slow download speeds here) but that 1066 is a spitting twin of mine other than mine has the vertical frame for a canopy.

 

I'm here to tell you, when you are running this thing at PTO speeds, that engine just flat our roars!!  (straight pipe on mine which to be honest, I'm NOT a fan of)

 

 

 

I would sand it down to the metal then hit it with some Epoxy Primer then paint over that and you should be good.

 

Here a a decent quality one from Eastwood:

 

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-black-epoxy-primers.html

 

You need an HVLP gun but you could probably roll it then sand it smooth if you really need to.

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I helped a neighbor paint one, we just sanded it and painted. We used about a 100grit sandpaper on the rough spots to get off rough peeling paint then 220 to finish. He was just looking for just what you said a new coat of paint to protect it a little, not a restoration finish but it did turn out really nice.

It was Kubota and he got the Kubota orange, most tractor companies have their official color in any good paint stores. His tractor never needed any bodywork so we didn't have to strip it completely. He just did the hood and fenders, dash and rims, nothing else.

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I already have compressor, HVLP sprayer, sanding supplies, required paint (PPG)...  well....  I need the white paint for the stripe, I haven't bought that yet.  I don't know why I didn't think about it when I was getting the red.

 

I don't like those restorations where they paint the entire thing (in my case) red....  All hoses, wires, nuts/bolts, virtually everything is one color.  Those strike me as someone likely trying to hide something.  Maybe they aren't but it just feels negative to me.

 

 

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On 4/27/2019 at 1:20 PM, windashine said:

There is a particular green that I’d suggest,

it begin’s with a light application of sand and mud for long lasting preservation !

0944FFA7-EDCC-4A2B-9439-3A262AAB4203.jpeg

It's organic and Earth friendly too! MPG not so good though.

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1 hour ago, Dave A said:

It's organic and Earth friendly too! MPG not so good though.

Looks like it just needs a good buffing.:lol: But as a monument it's fine, been watching over the years it's slowly disappearing, it will just be a lump one day. 

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I also recommend media blasting and a rust inhibiting primer and it will look like new. I would also recommend you paint your 402 horns I.H. red that way everything will match. I don't know about the white stripe on the 402s though?:lol:

 

Cheers

Rich

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I agree with @dtel, if you are just looking to for it to hold paint. I would expect a tractor that is near 50 to have some primer gray. If it's pristine, it was never used

On 4/27/2019 at 11:20 AM, windashine said:

There is a particular green that I’d suggest,

it begin’s with a light application of sand and mud for long lasting preservation !

0944FFA7-EDCC-4A2B-9439-3A262AAB4203.jpeg

 

I let the dust/dirt accumulate on my car... "Arivaca sunscreen" The sun with take your paint to bare metal.  Won't be long before my Olds will  look like a messed up DeLorean

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6 hours ago, Coytee said:

I already have compressor, HVLP sprayer, sanding supplies, required paint (PPG)...  well....  I need the white paint for the stripe, I haven't bought that yet.  I don't know why I didn't think about it when I was getting the red.

 

I don't like those restorations where they paint the entire thing (in my case) red....  All hoses, wires, nuts/bolts, virtually everything is one color.  Those strike me as someone likely trying to hide something.  Maybe they aren't but it just feels negative to me.

 

 

take your time and do it right..

 

just start with the problem areas ...

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4 hours ago, dirtmudd said:

take your time and do it right..

 

just start with the problem areas ...

That's the problem I always have, I hate the most important part the prep, but have learned to slow it down and it really pays off in the end.

 

Like everyone, I love to spray but hate to sand clean and tape off.

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7 hours ago, dtel said:

I love to spray but hate to sand clean and tape off.

 

Which is why I'm considering just having it sand blasted for me....might even see if they'll prime.

 

Unfortunately, I won't get to this for while as I'm heading to Denver tomorrow and wife already has this weekend booked with her "flowery" (cough) projects...  ugh.

 

Meanwhile, back at the farm, the back fields are approaching 2-3 feet tall in grass/weeds and need whacked down.

 

Lemme see.....  plant petunias or go mow 40 acres......petunias.....mow.....

 

 

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Mow, it's more fun, I say this because I planted plants every day for 20 years.

 

I like cutting grass, I ride around on the tractor, it has a roof, cupholder and I can wear earbuds under ear protection headphones and listen to music, kind of relaxing really, just don't hit anything or run in the ponds and I'm good.

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27 minutes ago, dtel said:

just don't hit anything

 

I worked at the AFB doing groundskeeping, (trimming and mowing) and once in awhile you would hear a field mower operator hit the top of concrete sewer vault or gigantic rocks.

The decks were 20-25' with the hydraulic wings...they would just grind, slam, and raise hell. One guy managed to pick up about 20 yards of 1/2" steel cable, he wrapped

it right under the blade and the deck. Took a good day to unwrap it.

Another guy decided to drop the deck down in a gravel parking lot full of cars...that cost a few paint jobs.

There was another guy they called the fawn mower for obvious reasons...

 

Now you know why I stuck with z-turns. 

 

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4 hours ago, mike stehr said:

Another guy decided to drop the deck down in a gravel parking lot full of cars...that cost a few paint jobs.

 

Ouch!!!

 

I cut my roadside yesterday....  found (accidently) an area where someone (county?) dropped some small rocks, think 3/4" driveway rocks.  I was turned around watching how close I got to the trees when I got into them.

 

All the metallic shake/rattle/roll noise as they kicked up a storm....  then WHAM something hit me "in the eye" but for, my glasses which were between us.  One of those rocks decided to make a beeline for my face but was deflected by my (about six months old) new glasses.

 

Fortunately, I bought them for this type stuff and keep my 'good' pair for going to work.

 

I'd love to have a 20 or 25 foot flexwing however, I find with my 15', there are still plenty of places that get tight to squeeze through.  It can make up good time in the open fields though.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Coytee said:

I cut my roadside yesterday....  found (accidently) an area where someone (county?) dropped some small rocks, think 3/4" driveway rocks.  I was turned around watching how close I got to the trees when I got into them.

Last summer I was cutting the back yard on flat ground with a 6' finishing mower, it's just grass and it was only maby 6"-8" high. I heard a noise like you described and looked back to see a piece of metal behind the cutter so I stopped to see what had happened. One of the 3 blades broke in half and flew out, I picked up the pieces and drove back to the house to check it out. 

 

I lifted the mower and the blade was broken just as I expected, cracked in half right where the hole is that bolts it on the spindle. The next morning I went to remove the other blades to go get another set and noticed the back tire was flat. I found that a piece of the blade flew through the tire, I just stood there thinking if it would have been a few feet higher it would have hit me.

It's the industrial tire thread type which is very thick so I know it would have hit me like a bullet if it could go through that much rubber. I looked it up later, that cutter has a blade tip speed of a little over 600 mph, so whatever flys out if going to do damage.

 

 

 I was lucky just like you were, glad you didn't get hit worse.

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