<font color="blue">I'd like to see that plastic hood in 50-60-70-80 years after being out in the sun. </font>
<font color="green"> Truthfully, I’d hate to see it too – I doubt too many hoods, or owners for that matter, will look very good after that length of time. I think it would be exceptional for any tractor built today to look very good after that length of time.</font> /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<font color="blue"> When it comes to repairs.. if i wanted to.. i could cut and braze or weld in a panel of metal to that hood.. and when i finished sanding and buffing.. you would only be able to tell the patch by the metal discoloration... you will not be fixing a plastic hood that easilly.. even fibergalss will leave a backside print of the patch.</font>
<font color="green"> I really can’t speak to the “repairability” of the plastic compound that some manufacturers are using, or even if it is the same compound – but my point is that it needs a lot less repairing from day to day usage. If I had a metal hood, and it had taken the hit from the stump that fell it certainly would need some serious repair or replacement, but the plastic hood literally took the hit with nothing more than a scratch in the finish, and not even a bad scratch at that, whereas my grill-guard was bent from the impact, and it’s a heavy piece of metal. </font>
<font color="blue"> While these new space age palstics are doing great things, and do hold up well.. their range of use vs repair/liftspan is still not a deffinate. A cast iron grill or stiff metal hood may bend when damaged.. but is nearly 100% repairable. A plastic hood my shrug off lots of damage with only minor scratching or maring.. but is almost non-repairable. Very few places do plastic fusing and joining.. or chemical bonding.. whereas just about any backyard 'bubba' with a torch and welder can stitch in a piece of tin.</font>
<font color="green"> I’m sure you’re right about all of the above – I also doubt though that newer tractors are built as heavy as some of the “old timers” that you’ve been working on. I know from my shopping that I looked at two brands that do use metal hoods, the two orange K’s, and both had units that had been outside and looked like it too. The Kioti I tried had been outside for the winter and it was already a bit rusty here and there – in 10 years of sitting out I imagine it would look like a mess, let alone 50 years or more. I also looked at a used Bota, and it had been outside for about 3 or 4 years, and it was very tired looking.</font>
This is certainly a personal preference issue, and to date, I’ve been sold on the appearance and performance of the plastic body panels – it’s also pretty obvious you’re sold on the metal ones. Jeez, I guess you really can’t please everyone!
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