Comparison Plastic versus Paper, I mean Metal.

BillyP · Oct 25, 2004

walking on the hood 

All I can say is wow, unbelievable and I definitely need to go on a diet. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

GerardC · Oct 25, 2004

( Will the plastic have shattered or decayed? I dunno.
)

It takes plastic at least 100 years to decay. Gerard

Cliff_Johns · Oct 25, 2004

( . . . until I passed a local rental yard and saw a few NH's with the blue worn off with gray blotches (color does not go all the way through) there is a base gray plastic that has a color top coat, like painted metal. I stopped and looked closer and some hoods were cracked and broken. Now that doesn't mean a metal hood would fair better . . . )

I can't imagine what these tractors might have been used for, but I don't think this is represtitive. I can say that the color goes all the way through on my LT and my CUT, both have received scars that would have scratched paint, and you can see the scratches on the plastic too, but you have to look.

That said, I didn't get a tractor with the idea that I wouldn't scratch it. Metal can be fixed more easily, the plastic is less likely to need to be fixed. If a plastic hood were to be hit badly enough to be broken, I don't know if you could eppoxy it or superglue it or what. I don't know.

Has anyone on TBN had a plastic hood or fender so dammaged it had to be repaired? I'd like to hear how the repair was done.

Cliff

eee · Oct 26, 2004

( By far.. metal will 'last' longer, though it's looks will suffer more inthe short term. )

That depends on the type of plastic that is being used,some plastic will never deteriorate. This hoods etc on the compact tractors have a small amount of rubber mixed in with them in some form or another that allows them to flex somewhat. Pure plastic like in your clear plastic forks will shatter,where as the white plastic forks have a small amount of rubber mixed in with the plastic and it will bend somewhat before they break.
True metal is easier to repair,but if my plastic hood took a hard enough hit to shatter it which it has, I know a metal hood would have been crumpled and it would have been a totaled hood.
My tractor has set outside and the hood has shown no signs of warping,not to mention on a hot summer day and the tractor being driven all day.
Out in the woods where I work the repairing the dings and dents I would have on a metal hood would keep me busy all of the time,I have seen the plastic get flexed a lot by tree branches pushing up against it etc,but have never broken it from these low impacts.

kensfarm · Oct 26, 2004

I have a 2000 TC35D.. while unloading an 18 wheeler.. I ran my hood into one of the strap rachets.. it's not plastic.. it seems to be fiberglass underneath.

getut · Oct 26, 2004

Gerard, you bring up a good point... and also a common misunderstanding. I'm sure you didn't mean it the way it came out... but plastic surely does go away ***MUCH*** faster than that in certain circumstances.

Those circumstances should also sway a person on their decision of metal or plastic. The main circumstance of which I speak is UV exposure (sunlight). If someone is going to HAVE to store their tractor in the elements for any length of time, then go with metal. Even a years worth of UV exposure will greatly affect the strength and longevity of any plastic components.

The first stage is bleaching, then brittleness, then eventually is will start turning to a powder.

Getut

rockyridgefarm · Oct 26, 2004

But not all plastics are the same there! Done right, they withstand UV like crazy, while the paint can chalk off the metal and it rusts.

And color makes a difference. Set a red and a green feed bucket out side by side and the red one will be gone long before the green one shows any sign of deterioration. Sorry, CaseIH! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I my canoeing/kayaking days I paid a hefty premium to get a plastic one rather than metal. I could wrap a plastic canoe around a rock, and it'd straighen right out and be going downriver in a shake.

Cliff_Johns · Oct 26, 2004

( The first stage is bleaching, then brittleness, then eventually is will start turning to a powder. )

Sounds just like my old car, except the brittleness would be replaced by rust. In any case, you are refering to plastics we all know and don't love. Do you know that the newer plastics used on cars and tractors have the same problem? Do they have suffucient UV protection better integrated into the plastic? I think they are better, the question is, how much better?

Are they using as heavy a metal or as good a paint job on the tractors as they used to. I know they are not. The old lead based paint protected the metal better and held up longer to abuse, but they can't use that any more. I don't know if the metal thinkness or quality has changed or is lower in CUTs than in an old Oliver, maybe it's the same, but I doubt it.

In the end, I don't think it's a big deal. I wouldn't let plastic or metal sway your choice a whole lot. If the manufacturer is going to go cheap, they can make cheap metal with a low quality paint job or they can make cheap plastic with low quality ingredients and not enough UV protection.

You have to decide the quality level yourself without much actual manufacturing information.

Cliff

getut · Oct 26, 2004

Yes.. all plastics, and resins have the same problem. Yes they do better now than they used to but they are still affected and still go away.

Aviation is great example. No expense spared on UV protectants for resins and coverings and the plastics themselves, but they are still affected. Their useful life has ended long before any visual damage has taken place. Their strength has been greatly reduced by UV damage and regular inspection and replacement of these items is required.

Tractors are slightly different... weight is not an issue so they can use MUCH thicker plastic components which would last much longer, but the base problem is the same. Metals aren't directly affected by UV and plastics are. UV would affect the paint ON the metal and eventually cause it harm.

My original statement remains true... if outdoor storage is your only option, metal will give you better service. Other than that, I think its personal preference.

Getut