John Deere Green

AAE

AAE

Learner
Been asked to paint some parts on a lawn tractor. Customer already used acid etch. He's too cheap to pay to remove it. Could I go to Tractor Supply and get a single stage and go over the etch?
 
AAE said:
Been asked to paint some parts on a lawn tractor. Customer already used acid etch. He's too cheap to pay to remove it. Could I go to Tractor Supply and get a single stage and go over the etch?
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Epoxy is what has an issue going over acid etch. Traditional synthetic or acrylic enamels will adhere fine to acid etch. How it was done for years before epoxy. You could spray directly over it, or seal it. Personally I would either apply another coat of self etch or clean it well then seal it. Then put something like JD synthetic enamel on it or the stuff you would get at Tractor Supply.
 
I've seen the paint right from John Deere can cost the same or less then other sources. I grew up near the rail line that supplied the Deere paint plant in Waterloo, Iowa, It seemed like every weekend a line of tankers from Sherwin Williams rolled by with several filled with green and one with yellow.
 
RenewAP said:
I've seen the paint right from John Deere can cost the same or less then other sources. I grew up near the rail line that supplied the Deere paint plant in Waterloo, Iowa, It seemed like every weekend a line of tankers from Sherwin Williams rolled by with several filled with green and one with yellow.
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This guy has been using bombs to do the parts. I'm thinking he's not going to be real loose on the wallet.
 
My JD lawn tractor is about 25 yrs old. I had to do some patching on the hood which is made from some sort of plastic that cracks over time. After the repairs I repainted the hood with a detail gun and the JD green from Tractor Supply. I figured close would be good enough but was surprised to find the TS paint was a perfect match for the original color.
 
DanMcG said:
Hey Metlmunchr, did you use the Rust-Oleum brand paint. I've got a new JD project and was looking at different paints for it come summertime..
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No, I used the Tractor Supply house brand which is Majic Paint.. I've never been a fan of Rust Oleum enamel as it takes forever to dry. I had some automotive enamel reducer in the shop that I used to thin it for spraying. I've found reducer works much better than the typical mineral spirits recommended for thinning hardware store enamel.
 
For painting tractors or John Deere stuff I’d recommend the Valspar implement enamel. TSC used to carry it before they switched to Majic.
 
Have enamels change in the last decade or so? Last I knew they dont hold up well in the elements. I think I'm leaning towards a single stage paint as it will see a lot of weather
 
Lizer said:
For painting tractors or John Deere stuff I’d recommend the Valspar implement enamel. TSC used to carry it before they switched to Majic.
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I've used both brands and haven't seen any real difference between the two. Both are typical "tractor paint" which, in general, isn't remarkable in any way

DanMcG said:
Have enamels change in the last decade or so? Last I knew they dont hold up well in the elements. I think I'm leaning towards a single stage paint as it will see a lot of weather
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My JD lawn tractor stays in the garage unless I'm using it, so the weather resistance of the paint isn't an issue.

From what I've seen, none of the tractor paints or industrial enamels have much UV resistance at all. If its something where you have significant effort in the appearance, I'd go with something like one of the Urechem single stage kits applied over SPI epoxy. Epoxy primer is key on anything like this for longevity. I've got a 25 ton equipment semi trailer that we rebuilt around 1990. After all the fab work was complete, we sandblasted it and primed with an industrial epoxy topped with some S-W enamel. 30-some years later, It ain't shiny but, other than a few areas where track grousers have peeled the paint off the frame, there's not a spec of rust anywhere on the rig.
 
DanMcG said:
Have enamels change in the last decade or so? Last I knew they dont hold up well in the elements. I think I'm leaning towards a single stage paint as it will see a lot of weather
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Enamel holds up really well, but it will fade a lot. I sprayed my tractor with an implement enamel and then after a few days, sprayed it with an industrial clear coat. That clear coat was called AG2000 and sold by Mastercoat, and they don't sell it anymore, but that product is insane. It doesn't scratch, it's completely resistant to diesel and oil. My tractor is used for farming; I farm 40 acres of hay with it as well as brush hogging, spreading manure, loader work, and blowing snow in the winter. It stays parked in an open front shed but gets a lot of abuse in direct sun when it's working, and branches scraping across it from the tree line on edges of fields. That clear keeps it shiny and nice looking (when it's clean).
 
metlmunchr said:
I've used both brands and haven't seen any real difference between the two. Both are typical "tractor paint" which, in general, isn't remarkable in any way


My JD lawn tractor stays in the garage unless I'm using it, so the weather resistance of the paint isn't an issue.

From what I've seen, none of the tractor paints or industrial enamels have much UV resistance at all. If its something where you have significant effort in the appearance, I'd go with something like one of the Urechem single stage kits applied over SPI epoxy. Epoxy primer is key on anything like this for longevity. I've got a 25 ton equipment semi trailer that we rebuilt around 1990. After all the fab work was complete, we sandblasted it and primed with an industrial epoxy topped with some S-W enamel. 30-some years later, It ain't shiny but, other than a few areas where track grousers have peeled the paint off the frame, there's not a spec of rust anywhere on the rig.
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Where is the country are you located? I’m in the northeast…I gave up painting trailers the right way a long time ago. Nothing lasts on them thru the winter. I get the crusty stuff off, pressure wash, and mop some tractor paint on once a year or 2. Very fast, cheap, and serves its purpose.
 
metlmunchr said:
I'd go with something like one of the Urechem single stage kits
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Thanks for the tip, I did a quick search and the price is reasonable, for the yellow it's $80 for a 1.5 quart kit. (didn't find the green yet) I had talked to Ed over at Chads place and the motocryl yellow is $120 a quart just for the paint. That's a little to rich for my budget, but I'll probably get a quart of green for $80 from him since I have the activator and reducer already.
 
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DanMcG said:
Have enamels change in the last decade or so? Last I knew they dont hold up well in the elements. I think I'm leaning towards a single stage paint as it will see a lot of weather
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I use acrylic enamel hardener (generic from O'Reilly's--I think they call theirs MasterPro) at 8 parts paint to 1 part hardener and thin it with xylene to 21-23 seconds through a Ford #4 cup for spraying consistency on these types of maintenance or low cost enamels. A bit higher gloss and much better weather resistance and hardness--I cannot tell much for it fading appreciably with greens and yellows.
 
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