Paint quality

[Boss 302]

How does the paint hold up on the Massey's? I have seen a lot of fairly new red tractors (different brand) that don't do well in the sun, hoping the Massey doesn't skimp on the paint.

 

[irvingj]

The paint on mine has held up well, but I noticed that the plastic parts (around the sides, below hood) showed a fair bit of fade after only 2 years. I don't park it in the sun any more.

The paint on my backhoe, on the relatively sharp edges of the steel parts, was not great. I made the mistake of driving it on the road -- which had been salted-- to plow/blow a friend's driveway and the edges of the steel started rusting, then began to lift the paint, working its way inward further & further. I eventually removed the "control panel" and had it sand-blasted and powder-coated. Rust also appeared on the edges of the steel rear fenders.

Moral: DON"T drive it on salted roads.

 

[GeneV]

Mine's doing alright in most places. My boots have wore off the paint by the floor board, but I'm planning on hitting that spot with MF red spray can I got from TSC, should be fine.

 

[ray66v]

I have decades of experience in this field, so I know what I'm talking about. It's cheap paint just like all the others.

I can live with the color fading, but I can't live with the paint not protecting the metal from corrosion. The undercoats, (the metal prep, and primers), is where they all skimp the most. Irving's photo is a classic example of this.

Manufacturers are using a lot of direct to metal paints to save money, and that isn't going to protect anything that is outdoors very well.

The competition in the subcompact market is pretty strong, more reason to keep costs down. And, reds are the most expensive to make. Quality paint in red, is shockingly expensive. In automotve paint, I've bought 1/2 pints of red that were almost $200. And, that's just the color. you still need chemicals to add to it to spray it. And clear to top it. There are aerospace level coatings that exceed that price point by a lot.

 

[Boss 302]

I was just under the assumption that a lot of the manufacturers didn't add the catalyst and hardener like automotive paint has.

 

[tradosaurus]

I never understood people who park their tractor and implements out in the weather all year long. I see this frequently in the rural area where I live.

 

[ammoaddict]

I have a 2001 MF231S that bought used in 2010. The previous owner let it sit out all the time, it was faded to almost orange color. The paint on the loader frame is still red.

 

[irvingj]

I suspect you're right, Ray. When I started to sand mine off (prior to deciding it was worth it to have it blasted instead), there wasn't much evidence of primer. I'll put a photo below that shows how extensive the rust "creep" had become -- look at the metal discoloration; I was getting more & more large flakes peeling off as time went on, very annoying to an OCD person like me!

The other thing I felt was that the relatively sharp edges of the original piece of steel made it so paint on the 90 degree edges was extremely thin-- that's where the problems started. The nice thing about the media blasting was that all the edges became rounded a bit, an improvement, I think.

I thought I'd be able to re-use the old stickers, but it wasn't worth it -- for less than $30 I got a new set from AGCO. The red powder-coat paint isn't a perfect match, but it's close enough for me. Result was I'm happy, and it shouldn't have any paint peeling & rust issues again... at least that one part!

BTW -- you can see this was done in 2017; I got the tractor in Feb of 2008.

 

[ray66v]

I was just under the assumption that a lot of the manufacturers didn't add the catalyst and hardener like automotive paint has.

An activator/hardener, isn't optional in modern paint systems, it's required. The paint will never set without it.

Factories use different paint systems all together. They need to assemble stuff right after it's painted, so they use high temperature, baked on finishes. They commonly do this at temperatures as high as 450F. Which is almost three times hotter than the temperatures we force dry, in body shops. (If we tried to use the coatings the factory does, the temperatures required would melt most of the car).

Factory automotive finishes can achieve a higher level of hardness than even the high end aerospace, air dry coatings we use, can achieve.

 

[ray66v]

I suspect you're right, Ray. When I started to sand mine off (prior to deciding it was worth it to have it blasted instead), there wasn't much evidence of primer. I'll put a photo below that shows how extensive the rust "creep" had become -- look at the metal discoloration; I was getting more & more large flakes peeling off as time went on, very annoying to an OCD person like me!

The other thing I felt was that the relatively sharp edges of the original piece of steel made it so paint on the 90 degree edges was extremely thin-- that's where the problems started. The nice thing about the media blasting was that all the edges became rounded a bit, an improvement, I think.

I thought I'd be able to re-use the old stickers, but it wasn't worth it -- for less than $30 I got a new set from AGCO. The red powder-coat paint isn't a perfect match, but it's close enough for me. Result was I'm happy, and it shouldn't have any paint peeling & rust issues again... at least that one part!

BTW -- you can see this was done in 2017; I got the tractor in Feb of 2008.

View attachment 719943 View attachment 719944 View attachment 719945

The undercoats, (primer), should bond to the topcoats. So you won't commonly see primer if you scrape the paint off. If you do, they didn't bond, and that's bad.

To find evidence of any undercoat, you need to look at the back side of the paint chips that came off. If they used primer, you'll see it there. If it's the same color as the top coats, they used a "direct to metal" finish, which is fine, if your painting your metal building.

It's about more than just spraying a coat of primer on something before you paint it. It's about how you prep the steel, (cleaning and sanding), how you chemically prepare the metal, to begin with. And, what you use to create a barrier, (primers, sealers), before the paint is applied.