How do manufacturers paint tractor attachments?

[mcfarmall]

Krylon "New Kubota Orange" turns pink after 1 year outdoors.

 

[Rebeldad1]

my implements get used and arnt Barbie dolls to look at.

I wire brush and pressure wash. sand out rough spots.
I use equipment enamel and a decent paint brush. Put the paint on wet overcoating each stroke before its tacky. You would be hard pressed to find any brush strokes. Paint holds up very well.
Learned this from a old Streetrodder article.
I also have painted and restored my share of old cars. Same principle here (not with a brush though ). Not to spray over dry areas. Also learned how to sprayout runs by over painting them from another old time hot rodder.

Trick is good prep and to use a high quality paint.

 

[fried1765]

my implements get used and arnt Barbie dolls to look at.

I wire brush and pressure wash. sand out rough spots.
I use equipment enamel and a decent paint brush. Put the paint on wet overcoating each stroke before its tacky. You would be hard pressed to find any brush strokes. Paint holds up very well.
Learned this from a old Streetrodder article.
I also have painted and restored my share of old cars. Same principle here (not with a brush though ). Not to spray over dry areas. Also learned how to sprayout runs by over painting them from another old time hot rodder.

Trick is good prep and to use a high quality paint.

That is often the problem....."use a high quality paint"
TSC "Majic" ain't it!

 

[Inefrnou]

anyone here has tried using epoxy primer before painting? I've read it gives better rust protection than regular primers, especially on raw steel. Curious how that would compare to the baked-on powder coat some manufacturers use. Anyone had luck with that or found it overkill for attachments?

 

[Tinhack]

Back when painting was nearly a daily task for me, epoxies were a time consuming headache. If you didn't get your top-coat on within the specified time, it had to be scuffed or the paint wouldn't stick to it. I found it more important to do the metal prep first, use a good etching primer and not try to seal in rust and slag with epoxy.

 

[CoyPatton]

To qualify what I’m saying—I’m no painter!
Personally, when I need to paint metal that has some rust on it, I do a multi step process.
1st is to get all loose rust removed—I typically start with a wire wheel on a grinder. Then usually a light sanding.

2nd I cover the rusted areas including bare metal that had been rust covered with a rust convertor. Several places make them, the last I picked up I got from NAPA. Allow it to dry—typically steps 1 & 2 as I have labeled are a1 day effort—how much time is based on the size of the project and the amount of rust. Sometimes with a larger project and how much cleaning is involved it may be over more than 1 day (life sometimes gets in way as well)

3rd is a very light sand of the area I’m planning to paint—could be the entire implement. Then usually a good wash. With allowing the project to dry, this could be a days commitment—not that I work on it all day, but next step happens on a different day.

4th I primer the prepped area. This will be in several thin layers with drying time between layers. I usually use a self etching primer, but that may be overkill.

5th is color painting. Again done in several thin layers. Typically once I have no primer showing through the layers I’ll do 2-3 additional layers of paint. Then is cure time for the project-for my setup I usually allow several weeks where the implement stays how it last set for paint—if possible I like it to be hanging, but this is not always practical.

While I described this being a few days of work, often my painting projects happen over several weeks as time allows. Some projects only get an hour or 2’s attention, and then ignored for days or longer. I have had some implements that took most of the winter, as too cold I didn’t want to paint, then got rushed to finish as spring was coming and implement would be needed.
Good luck with your project, hope my process helps you with yours!

 

[jkeys]

Tractor OEMs are typically use an E-coat process that dips parts in a number of baths while the parts carry an electic charge. Normally this is multiple stages of rinse/degreasing followed by a phosphate coating that acts as a primer and then a water based top coat of paint (for EPA reasons). This provides the best adhesion, coverage, and rust prevention.

Implement manufacturers who can't afford a $5M dip line just use powdercoat.