Repainting a skidsteer

[JDeereman]

i'd be interested in any thoughts, experience or recommendations here on repainting a used skidsteer. A friend of mine is interested in buying a used bobcat but it looks really awful all rusty and dented. is it best to bring these things to auto body shops or someplace like Maco? or do most folks do it themseves. he wants something that will add value and last a long time not just a butcher job. thanks.

Theo

 

[ray66v]

The only way to do it well and not end up with way too much money in it, is to do it yourself. To really clean and prep it properly is going to be labor intensive, and to use quality automotive products on it is not cheap. Sure you can get Maaco to blow some paint on it but, without the prep it is just lipstick on a pig.
If your lucky, there is a Body Shop in your area that is really hurting for work and will give you a decent job, without breaking you. But, if they have experienced technicians and do the job right it is not going to be very affordable.
I have 30 years experience and will be happy to advise you, as best I can, if you would like to diy.

 

[radman1]

My advice is have him paint it himself or just keep looking for a nicer looking one. If it is badly rusted, and he doesn't like the appearance, just move on. Badly rusted means it sat outside all the time and everything else is in similar shape - hoses, belts, wires etc. Bad rust is going to require lots of prep. It is probably cost prohibitive to have someone else do it. I touch mine up frequently with just a little primer and cans of spray paint for little issues. Can't hardly tell the difference from new. Most dealers just touch up the trade-ins to make them look nice. Remember, it is just a skidsteer - not a show car.

 

[JDeereman]

he is buying this thing pretty cheap I gather so I think he is willing to put somemoney into making it look good. i would think that repainting equipment is alot differnt than repainting cars. probably have to sandblast it good before primer and final coat. doesn't have to be automotive grade pretty either just nice and to protect from more rust. I hear that there are equipment repainting specialists, but I see none in the phone books.

Theo

 

[ray66v]

Your pretty much on target, I would start with a bath, Preferably steam cleaning, but a pressure washer and about 40 cans of engine cleaner will work too. If you are going to sand blast it there is potentially a million places you don't want sand to go and no matter how much effort you put in to protecting those areas, it is still going to get in half of them. You can effectively remove rust without sand blasting and I would try everything else first. The primer is the most important part, Spend money on a good self-etching primer, or make sure you use a product to etch the metal first and apply a good quality primer. Then, Industrial enamel (Rustoleum, ect.) will be the best "Cheap" paint to use, Tractor Supply sells Valspar brand and has a hardener that you can add to it, (this would be my choice). Adding Naptha, (10% or so), will usually make it spray better with a conventional gun. You could even brush it on a cool day if you wanted, use a good brush and don't over brush it, the stuff lays down nicely.
If you want to spend the money for good automotive paint it probably will not be terribly expensive since they are usually not all that big.
You likely won't find a shop that specializes in painting heavy equipment, most good size companies have a maintainence guy who does it all.

 

[MACDABS]

I use to do alot of equipment for auctions , 15 years ago, heck I guess 20 years ago time is going fast. We would steam clean, replace any tin that could not be repaired, paint the machine, re decal it JD860 ect. $900-1200.00. Now this was equipment like a dozer or backhoe size. But it was 20 years ago and the equipment came in very rough from road jobs. Half the time the hoses were leaking and the customer would have them replaced after we were done so everything looked good.. We called this a "fluff-n-buff"

Always had worked, paid for college, paid for cold ones had alot of fun and enjoyed it.. I would think to do something like a skid steer and to look auction ready you would be in the 2k range today . And that would be a guy doing the job out of his home shop , or like us in a alley garage 20 years ago.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Steam clean it, and go right over the rust with cheap equipment enamel. You can find it online or go to a tractor shop. It costs about $40 a gallon and will stick to anything. Give it a couple days to dry. Or, you can use POR, paint over rust. I've used it on truck frames. Whatever you do, do not get any paint on the cylinder rods. The paint will act like sandpaper in the rod seals. They will leak in under an hour of work, then you'll be bringing all your cylinders to the shop for reseal.

If you do use automotive paint, don't use the hardener. The paint will be too hard and will crack and peel with every little scrape.

 

[JDeereman]

$2000 is alot of money. I doubt my friend would ever spend that much. I'm sure he was thinking it would be worthwhile for maybe up to $1000. so no equipment painters. no wonder I couldn't find any in the phone book. sounds like the next step is maybe to vist some autobody shops and see if anyone wants some side work.

Theo

 

[ray66v]

If you do use automotive paint, don't use the hardener. The paint will be too hard and will crack and peel with every little scrape.

Be careful with this advise, MOST automotive paint today requires hardener to dry, yes in the old days it was optional in synthetic or acrylic enamel. But, in todays urethane's they will never dry properly without precisely the right amount of hardener. That is why the high end shops now mix everything on a scale because there is a certain level of molecular cross linkage the needs to take place in the product. Secondly, the hardener does not actually make the paint harder, it does two things it makes it hard faster and it improves the bond with the other materials, If you have seen in the past the paint "chipping off" it is more commonly because the bond between the paint and the primer is a weak one, this is were the hardener helps. If there is hardener in both the primer, (the good ones will), and the paint, the two films will bond together and will be much more chip resistant. This is how the automobile manufacturers require all repairs be made to continue their warranty.
The other one I hear all the time is "put in extra hardener". NO, in order for things to work properly you have to follow the mixing instructions carefully.
You can vary the amount of reducer, but not the hardener.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Oops, I keep forgetting, it's been a little while since I painted a car. I'm used to the old DuPont Dulux and Centari. Geez, they probably haven't made either in 10 years.