How Often Do You "Touch-Up" With Orange Paint?

[3030PJ]

How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Well my tractor just turned 20 hours and I noticed the FEL and BH-75 were looking a little rugged at the ground contact spots so I hit the areas with a rattle can of Orange #2. Additionally, I noticed that prior to my tractor getting to me the dealer hit quite a few spots with the small brush/bottle of touch-up when it was brand spankin' new. Unfortunatley the color's not a perfect match. They must take a bit of a beating during crate assembly and backhoe subframe installation?
Anyhow, just curious to the paint touch-up habits and frequency of other proud owners.
Myself, I'm a bit on the OCD side with the paint, drives my wife nuts! She keeps saying "It's JUST a tractor"!

 

[Gatorboy]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

<font color="blue">( She keeps saying "It's JUST a tractor"! ) </font>

Your wife is right.

 

[Barnboy]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I have noy touched mine up yet. I too like my tractor to look nice. Why not theres alot of money sitting out there. Chevy orange is a good match. There was a thread somewhere someone found another color that matched well. I will try to repaint the bucket this winter. I cant see painting it now because it will just get rubbed off.

 

[wushaw]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Ace Hardware carries it and it is just called Orange Ace @ 2.79 a can and it matches /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
I can't remember the bar code # but there was nothing else there even close to this orange.
If it said Kubota orange it would probably be 5.79 /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[N80]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

There are a number of nicks and dings on mine that came from the dealer. Some have a tiny bit of rust forming. I can't see painting the bucket but I'd like to touch these other areas up. I want to avoid rust. I like for it to look good and I want to maintain resale value.

I'm surprised you can't get Kubota Orange at the dealership.

 

[oledocward]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I grew up on a peanut farm in south Georgia with lots of tractors and equipment around. I don't remember anyone ever painting anything; maybe the underside of a bush hog was occasionally cleaned. I never saw or knew anyone who even thought about washing a tractor. But everything was greased daily and kept under shed. I'll probably follow in daddy's footsteps.

 

[N80]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Well, my brother-in-law owns the farm next to my property and his tractors rarely even get under a shed. I never knew JD and Case had rust as a color option.

But here's the thing. Those tractors aren't toys and how the look, in general, has little impact on how they function. The CUT market, however, is made up of a lot of people who want and need a tractor but don't necessarily make a living with one. For those of us in that catagory the tractor is a bit of a toy. It isn't just a tool, its part of the fun. But again, it is also, in my case, a $20,000 extravagance that I'm still paying for. And how many used tractor adds have you seen that say "good paint" as a selling point. Well, if appearance is important to buyers then its important to me.

But right now, its mostly the new toy thing. It looks good. I like the way it looks. I want to keep it that way. Not much different from a shiny clean pick-up truck right?

 

[ksmmoto]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I just touched up my Kubota L3430 yesterday! I had a buggy top sunshade from TSC on it and just switched to a TuffTop XL. That left the holes in the fenders where the buggy top was bolted on, they were ugly and rusty.

So I sanding the bad spots and used Krylon Gray Primer, then top coated with Kubota Bright Orange II: # 70000-73713. But it didn't match well! It looked slightly dark. So I tried BPS Allis Chalmers Orange: # 5339-03 from TSC and it matches perfect!

TSC also has BPS Kubota Orange, but I heard it is the older color and doesn't match well. By the way the Kubota Paint from the dealer was $9.00 and the BPS is $4.00 for a 12 once spray can.

Then I noticed the scratches I put on the rear rims when widening out the wheels, so I touched that up. Had the loader off and the hoses had rubbed the hood to primer, so I hit that as well. Then I quit looking before I ended up repainting the whole tractor, it only has 400 hours on it.

Most farmers don't even wash their tractors let alone repaint as they are always working and out in the middle of a field. Not many spectators.

However for a landscaper or builder I think good looking equipment is very important. Depends on the targeted clientele, baby boomers like professionals with brand new tractors and trucks. While older people sometimes think your prices are too high because you can afford nice equipment!

ksmmoto

 

[Volfandt]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Come the dead of winter, when the projects are caught up and the tractor has been PM'ed to death and is just sitting in the shop awaiting spring, I've been known to do a little sanding and touchup. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[theboman]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Some where close to never.

Ah, a man should learn and remember those three little words and from time to time tell his wife. She said, 'It's just a tractor." She is correct.

Those three little words, well you know'm. Say'm.

I WAS WRONG.

 

[HomeBrew2]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I expect to wash and touch mine up if an when I need to sell it. I bought it to work and at 330 hrs in 8 months it seems to be doing that just fine ... would hate to spoil it and have it develop a bad attitude /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BubbaJr]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I've only touched up mine once. I broke off a bucket hook, and had to grind the area to clean it up before welding on a new hook. I bought a can of TSC Kubota orange, but it looked awful, so I got a can of genuine Kubota orange and it blended the new bucket hook right in.

Heck I've only really washed my tractor once. I was working in very muddy conditions moving lots of dirt, and the tractor was so muddy it was hard to tell what brand it was. So I broke out the power washer and washed the mud off in the snow storm that was brewing.

However I am very good about maintenance, so my tractor may look a little dirty, but it functions just fine. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS. My tractor is just a couple of hours away from 750 hours.

 

[r0GuE]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Had my BX 4 years. Haven't even washed it yet. If it isn't slippery, or flammable, the BX doesn't need it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Scrounger]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

I touch up EVERY nick and scratch on the BX. Sorta have to since it has slightly different life than most tractors. I also want to prevent rust and basically keep her looking good.

Dealers still have to learn that most folks buying these smaller tractors are buying them as 'toys' so they need to be careful on the scratches and dents. More so than on the larger equipment. I wont go to a local dealer since he's a brute with the equipment.

 

[frank_f15]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I noticed the FEL and BH-75 were looking a little rugged at the ground contact spots )</font>

never going to keep paint on the bucket or the BH . the work done with them will remove it promptly

 

[Roger_H]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I've only touched up mine once. I broke off a bucket hook, and had to grind the area to clean it up before welding on a new hook. )</font>

CAUTION: Thread hijacking attempt. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Out of interest - is there a "best practices" place to put a hook on a bucket? There have been multiple times I'd wished I'd had a good hook for a chain, etc.. I'm using the L2800 with a LA463 FEL. I have 0% experience with welding, but the neighbor does it all of the time for his business so I'm sure it could get done right.

Clear skies,
Roger

 

[BubbaJr]

Re: How Often Do You \"Touch-Up\" With Orange Paint?

Hi Roger,

The first thing you should do is to stiffen up the upper lip of the bucket. Mine has 2" angle iron welded across the top of the bucket behind the upper lip. Then the 2 hooks are positioned above the supports that the hydraulic cylinders mount to and they are welded to both the upper lip of the bucket and also the angle iron. That way all the stresses are transmitted to the beefiest part of the bucket. My hooks were welded on at the dealer by their assembly crew (kids) and were not welded very well. When I had the broken hook replaced I took it to a welding shop and had both hooks welded right.

Hope that helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif