Restoring old Implements back To there former glory

Greenrivercummins · Mar 31, 2016

Here's my second restore i hope to use this year to plant my vegtable's in the garden lol a Holland Transplanter I picked up for $30 no one else wanted it said it was scrap. Ohh how wrong they were i love the way it turned out.
Before

With out New Decal's and set of row marker's

After the new Decal's in my shed

super55 · Mar 31, 2016

I'm glad I am not the only one that does this. :thumbsup: Essentially my equipment is lawn art for about 10 months of the year so I might as well keep it looking halfway decent.

Bansil · Mar 31, 2016

OST:thumbsup:

TnAndy · Mar 31, 2016

1957 Oliver manure spreader. Didn't get a before pic, but it was a sad, rusted out hulk when I got it.
Paid $300 for it, put another $900 in it (new steel and bearings mostly), sold it for $1500....figured I cleared about 5 bucks/hr....

Briar Hill Brittanys · Apr 2, 2016

Here's the latest. Not going to get the "full Monty" treatment of primer and paint. Going to keep the rust and moss finish. It's 1/2 of an Oliver 4-24 potato digger. Found the missing shaker sprockets, having a tough time finding a few inches of the 140 offset drive chain. Should be ready to harvest the spuds in a couple of months. Mark

Before:

After:

flusher · Apr 3, 2016

TnAndy said:
1957 Oliver manure spreader. Didn't get a before pic, but it was a sad, rusted out hulk when I got it.
Paid $300 for it, put another $900 in it (new steel and bearings mostly), sold it for $1500....figured I cleared about 5 bucks/hr....

Great restoration job. You did good.

sixdogs · Apr 4, 2016

Excellent restoration work that speaks volumes about the quality and character of people who do this sort of thing. What a noble pursuit.

Greenrivercummins · Apr 7, 2016

Awesome work guys keep those post coming!! Here's my Latest Job A ford 710 Utility Blade i wasn't able to do a complete restore because someone had welded it up fixed and i think its a lot more solid now. So i left it alone and just grind down the rough spot's. Cleaned up the weld's, sanded, Primed and Painted it good. I believe it will suit me till i can get a bigger one. Have to wait on new decals the lady i use had a death in the family so gotta wait till next week. I also traded my 101 Ford 3 btm 14" Plow for a Ford 142 4 btm semi-mount 16" Plow which will be in for a redo soon. Currently redoing my Ford Rotary Hoe which has been a little tough the axle and spacers are rusted together so gotta use heat which is time consuming to say the least.

Before:

During:

After Without Decals and a darn bird pooped on it lol:

My Ford 142 Plow:

Northcountryboy · Apr 7, 2016

You do some very nice work Greenriver. So now I'm curious about your process. What are you using to sand down the implements? What type of primer and paint are you using? Any tips you might have. I have been acquiring a few implements and would like to see them look like new. I'm afraid I will run out room in my shop if they looked as good as your equipment. Currently they live outside.
Keep the pictures coming

Greenrivercummins · Apr 7, 2016

Thanks Northcountryboy and none of my stuff is showroom quality but, i do try to make the best of what i have to work with. The first thing i do with any item is pressure wash it really good get all the mud, flaky rust, caked on grease, and so on off. Then i go over it good with a paint scraper and a wire brush. Then i use just regular sand paper 180-320 in stages and hand sand it till it all feels smooth to the touch. Since i don't have a sand/Media blaster. Followed by a good blow off with the air tank wand. Then i wipe it down with a towel to make sure to get all the dust and crap off. I use dupli-color Spray can primer and put a light coat on it to see if i have any low or high spot's still then a good coat of spray primer. I use Majic brand paint from TSC not the best but, its cheaper and closer to the house and since i use these items alot i didn't really wanna give that dealer paint price. Then just use a normal 2 inch paint brush and take my time brushing going back over any thing that might try to run. When the paint has dried and i check for any runs or issues i go back and fix the problem or if good i put a couple coats of Majic clear coat on for a bright finish and to help protect the paint. I use a cheap air gun sprayer for the clear since it's not as messy or leaves a big mess. lol I really wish i had a good paint area with a good quality air gun but, i do all these piece's at my job on my downtime in our 30x30 garage. Gotta love those long boring 12 hour night's haha. I cant really use a air gun in there due to over spray and the mess lol. It's took time to find the right amount to put on at a time to keep from running or crumpling. But i enjoy it more to be honest doing it all by hand.

milkie62 · Apr 10, 2016

I have a 309 plant and 205 Disc also.Are parts still available for these items ?

Greenrivercummins · Apr 10, 2016

I found a few items at a local farm equipment salvage yard but, there was a few items for sale on eBay last i checked. Estate auctions seem to be the best place to find part planter's. For the disc I know Agni-supply has the axle's and blades for the but, haven't found much else for the Disc other then part's ones for sale on Craigslist.

Also i finished my Ford 407-1 Rotary Hoe today still gotta buy one wheel, turn other hitch pin around and buy decals but, other then that it was a lot more work then i anticipated. Got all but one bearing loose i feared breaking the cast housing so i just left it and made sure the axel itself turned freely.

Before:

After:

sixdogs · Apr 10, 2016

I paint a lot of older implements and have learned a trick just in case a decal still exists. Rather than trying to remove or replace, I just get some of that blue painter's tape and cover the area over the decal. Then I take my fingernail and rub the tape until I can get the edges of the decal to feel through the tape. Then I perfectly cut around the edges of the tape with a sharp knife, leaving the decal covered. Then I paint and when done just peel off the now painted tape to reveal a perfect decal underneath with perfectly sharp edges. Even if the decal is a little old and ratty, it still looks pretty good.

Northcountryboy · Apr 10, 2016

Thanks for the info. I am going to wait till it warms up a bit more and give it a go. The older implements were built to last and deserve a fresh coat of paint. They can be bought a lot cheaper the more rust they have.
Also would like to thank you Sixdogs. There is one decal left on a hay crusher I will try to save.

sixdogs · Apr 10, 2016

Here's a restore I did on a double bottom Ford plow that you might find interesting. Using the correct quality paint color is important. I rarely sand anything but rather scrape a bit and then steel brush it a bit. Then I wash with Dawn detergent and scrub brush and then prime and paint. Sometimes I skip the prime.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/278852-repaint-old-ford-dearborn-two.html

Northcountryboy · Apr 10, 2016

Good job on the plow Sixdogs. I saw the ripper/subsoiler you painted and I've been looking for one like that, but haven't found one yet.
I have a John Deere 2 bottom plow to work on this summer. It's missing a coulter. But otherwise looks to be in good shape.
I picked up a New Holland 404 hay crusher today off of Craigslist. It's in real good shape for a piece of equipment more than likely pre 70's. So once the weather breaks, I will get busy. You guys have inspired me.

sixdogs · Apr 10, 2016

I would say you don't have a lot of farm auctions to go to but I'd guess when you do find one they will likely be giving away the kind of stuff we like to buy. I use auctionzip to search for auctions and just for chuckles put in the Malone, NY zip code. Only a few came up but they were there. You could also go into Canada where they really have great stuff cheap and you get a 25% currency discount. Road trips to auctions can be a lot of fun and you always find something worthwhile.

My trailer goes with me and makes it easy to go where I want. You never anticipate a certain item to buy or will be jinxed but I've seen double bottom Ford plows for $25, nice cultivators for $45 , etc. Check out the thread below on the Ford cultivators I bought, and also used quality paint on. They were a song to buy and came out great. I've turned down $500 for them.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/312434-1950s-dearborn-cultivator-find-rebuild.html

They could have been torn down further but all the bolts are odd length fine thread that are not easy to get and lesser bolts would not look correct so I left it the way it was. I use these at least a dozen times over the summer.

Greenrivercummins · Apr 16, 2016

Thanks to some great weather i got my Ford 142 16" 4 btm plow nearly finished. I bought new hydraulic hoses, New rims, new tires, and got it all painted. Now just gotta go grab some Decal's on payday lol

Before: