Why the huge debate?

Seems to be a lot of debating over painting a tractor or not. To each their own. They own it, they do as they please. If one doesn't like or care for ones opinion on what makes a tractor look good then there are bigger problems out there. Personally, I love the look of a tractor that has been "fully" refurbished. I also like the $20 rattle can jobs because someone actually cares enough about the old stuff to put time into it. All these things need to be considered when purchasing a piece of equipment but otherwise, who cares if the grass is greener or redder on the other side. Sure am glad so many people still share an interest in these old relics that we can complain and comment about it.

I like original paint. Rattle can jobs exist only to cover evil.

Yeah, it's funny on here sometimes. The blue is New York State Highway Dept, 1971. the rest is what got splashed on since then. Should I leave it this way? Since it is stripped to the bone, cleaned and degreased-and- rustoleum navy blue is exactly the same, for 4 buck a can. Or is it more macho to leave it... suburban camoflage? Let the talers decide.... (too late, already painted the engine, tin and front end. And it looks AWESOME) pics later this week-

I didn't mean to start a debate, I just didn't understand the survey question. I still don't. No one has explained it to me.


But, now that I see all the talk about it, I get what people are saying, but still don't understand the question.

My take on things is that a good paint job adds value to a tractor, but a bad paint job can seriously devalue a tractor. When I see any tractor that has been repainted poorly, I just shake my head...

I am not a Thoracic Surgeon. If you started having chest pains, I am not going to crack your sternum and have a look around. I also wouldn't hack a lobe off your lung if you told me it was cancerous. Now, I might have a general idea of where to cut, I know what a lung looks like, and I am pretty good at darning socks, so I could close you back up. Chances are, the person who's lung I hacked off would probably die during or shortly there-after.

So, what do most people do with paint? They say, "hey, who's gonna die if I mess it up?"

The answer to that question is me. I die a little bit inside each time I see a poorly painted tractor. The other problem with painting is that everybody is an expert. Everybody knows what they are doing, and they give advice like champs. awesome.

But I didn't mean to cause a big fuss. That's my opinion. I simply didn't understand the survey question because, in my opinion, it is a loaded question.

John,

I too don't care to see a "bad" paint job..

I don't care to see guys using that garbage they call paint down at Tractor Supply either.. (However, I have used it to paint a disc and some other implements.. Just fine for that)

I bought my first tractor nearly 15 years ago.. at 16 years old. I got it unstuck, I got it going (with a little help) and I decided to paint it.. I used that cheap paint and went to it.. It looked ok to me.. but I painted over a lot of grease, dirt, rust, and dents..

I used the tractor that way in a small farming operation for a little while..

A few years ago, I started over.. Tore the tractor down, stripped, brushed, sandblasted, and started to fix the "amateur nonsense" I did when i was young..

I have it about 1/3 painted now.. I used a higher quality paint, and it looks better.. BUT, I know it's not perfect.. BUT I'm doing it myself with a few pointers on what to do.. I'm proud of it, even if there is a run or 2.

What bothers me also is the guys that get up in arms about painted hoses, plugs, wires, etc... I don't like how the stuff looks painted myself, BUT.. it was originally painted in most cases I'm willing to bet. A very good collector friend of mine has a old film put to video from a Massey Harris assembly line in the late 40's/early 50's (if I recall correctly, it's the 44's on the line). When they get to the paint area, the tractor is 90% assembled or better, and they are just HOSING the red paint to it.. Starter, generator, plugs, wires, and all..

He also has a original tractor that shows this to be pretty true (shy of the cap and such.. as them have been replaced). I have a 1967 D-17 Allis in it's original skin (always been in my family, and grandpa NEVER painted anything.. if it was taken care of there was no need to have to paint it.) and it had/has a painted distributor cap, wires, solenoid, battery cables, rad. core, generator, starter and fan belts.. Most of those items are no longer orange however, since I have replaced most of them.

Brad

not necessarily hiding anything,maybe that is all they can afford or they do not have the spray equipment.

(quoted from post at 21:12:52 09/27/11) not necessarily hiding anything,maybe that is all they can afford or they do not have the spray equipment.

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a lot of folks paint their old stuff with brush and foam rollers around here and do some pretty nice jobs.....

Joe Blow can grab 50 bucks worth of paint and supplies and do a job that looks much better than cousin bubba can do with that spray gun that's been on the shelf for 10 years or so....And much tuffer.

If all you do with your tractor is haul it on a trailer or use them for garage decorations then a $2-3000 paint job is great....if you can afford it. Every one of my tractors has to earn it's keep and I can't afford a show room paint job only to get it covered in manure or scraped with a tree limb. I envy those good paint jobs but they aren't practical for me.

I dont paint up my USERS, but I enjoy painting up the old ones. I strip them down to bare bones and fix what needs to be fixed, sandblast, then use a high quality paint on them, The cost of the paint and primer usually cost about 1500 bucks for the little tractors, but a vey nice end result.

The reason there is a huge debate is because almost everybody has an OPINION. And we know what opinions are like!

Not only does everyone have an opinion, it is human nature to cling to that opinion like a religion and try to impose that opinion on others: They're right; everyone else that is not like-minded is WRONG and needs to change.

It's one thing to present a logical argument supporting your opinion, and allow others to make their own choice, but too many people can't do that. Instead, they try to impose their opinion on others by yelling louder, spouting insults, physically intimidating... basically, acting like a small child.

Paint your tractor, or don't. You are not hurting anyone or destroying others' property either way. There are plenty of old tractors out there despite what people claim about scrappers and China.

To paint or not, I don't know. I do know that last year I took a loader off my Ford 5000 and dropped it off at a fall consignment auction. It came off the tractor rust red. I gave it a abundant dose of 'emerald green' for about $30. I didn't try to conceal any faults with the paint, just to match the loader to the bucket I had on it. I got about $950 for it after the sales commission. I don't know if it was the paint, but I didn't really expect that much for that old thing. People are funny that way.

Christopher

I steam cleaned primed and painted a Farmall M years ago.Bot a gallon of Eastern States red enamel for 10 bucks, used the whole gallon.About the same time I painted the fenders of my 36 Ford with a quart of Eastern States black enamel that cost 3 bucks.The Ford has been kept under cover so the fenders still look good.1965 was the year I did the paint jobs.Moved away so never got to see the tractors and farm trucks I painted again.1500 bucks is a bit rich for a tractor paint job.

Certainly to use youself, or restoring a tactor to show a bit, paint makes good sense.

If you are a treactor flipper, and just spruce it up with a can of paint & put it on the consignment sale, I am kinda put off buying a machine that is spruced up that way. think it might be hiding some faults, and donno if anything mechanical was done to it. As I use tractors, don't parade them or collect them to sit, I'm much more concerned about their funtion than to see a lot of overspray on the hoses & belts. The overspray makes me skittish to bid on something that needs to be working & useful to me.

But it all depends on the point of it all, doesn't mean painting is wrong.

Best deal is to fix up the tractor, paint it, and use it a year or 2, then sell it. Will look good, and will look like it will work with a little 'use' on the new paint.

--->Paul

paint doesnt impress me much,but it does a lot of folks.i dont paint much anymore but its not that i like one to look original,"have character" or anything.its simply i'm a lunger and try to stay away from it.ive painted a lot of them in my day and i know it doesnt fix much of anything.i nearly always walk away when i see new paint on one,and it always surprises me when folks go crazy at an auction or something over one thats obviously been freshly painted over the grease and everything else.maybe they believe like my old horse trading dad used to say,"put enough paint on it and it will stop any leak,or fix any problem"

Well.......depends on how rough they are in the first place I guess. Like Dennis Polk says,anybody can restore a tractor,but nobody can make one original.

Yes ,nobody can make one original. For me an unrestored tractor,car , motorcycle with original equipment and even poor paint is very interesting because its a view as to how it actually came out of the factory. I can spend a good deal of time looking over this type machine.I do enjoy a good restoration and like the over-restored [more glossy than original paint ,polished parts]. Nothing wrong with overestored. But most fascinating is original paint no matter how well worn.As you say each guy owns it and can do as he pleases. [not too sure about the spay can paint job]lol.