Factory finishes
- Thread starter GonHuntin
- Start date
Scott
Having spent over a decade in the automotive refinishing business, I can tell you for certain that the paint you can buy at the Kubota dealer is NOT the same stuff applied at the factory.....same color, yes, same product, no.
Original equipment manufacturers, such as Kubota, are limited in the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds that they can spray, they stay within these limits by either using powder coating or by applying low VOC paint with electrostatic or waterborne type equipment. The stuff you buy at the Kubota store would not work in those types of equipment and would not meet the VOC limits imposed on the manufacturer.
Having spent over a decade in the automotive refinishing business, I can tell you for certain that the paint you can buy at the Kubota dealer is NOT the same stuff applied at the factory.....same color, yes, same product, no.
Original equipment manufacturers, such as Kubota, are limited in the amount of Volatile Organic Compounds that they can spray, they stay within these limits by either using powder coating or by applying low VOC paint with electrostatic or waterborne type equipment. The stuff you buy at the Kubota store would not work in those types of equipment and would not meet the VOC limits imposed on the manufacturer.
I'm not trying to be cantankerous, because I'm not that type. But, I have two questions- do they (Kubota) have the same restrictions as here in the states, and two, how does the auto industry here in the states get around that? Or, is that how they apply auto finishes? Kubota probably doesn't use as much paint in a year as they would use in a week.
I don't know what they are using in the factory, but I will at least weigh in with my experience. The paint on my 2006 zero turn ROPES came off in sheets, no adherence. I took it off, sanded it and repainted it with Kubota aerosol paint with good success. I am not sure what caused the lack of adhesion, but the aerosol seems to be working on parts with little abuse.
On my 78-81 tiller, snow blower, FEL and dozer blade sub-frame, I had the paint all removed by sand blasting and then professionally powder coated. I did them all at one time, so the price wasn't terrible. The total was around $500 and the powder coat is really tough. In my opinion, anything that has a lot of rough duty, like snow blowers and tillers, powder coating is the way I plan to go. At least scratches down to bare metal don't rust as bad. It seems like the powder coat impregnates the metal better than paint.
John
On my 78-81 tiller, snow blower, FEL and dozer blade sub-frame, I had the paint all removed by sand blasting and then professionally powder coated. I did them all at one time, so the price wasn't terrible. The total was around $500 and the powder coat is really tough. In my opinion, anything that has a lot of rough duty, like snow blowers and tillers, powder coating is the way I plan to go. At least scratches down to bare metal don't rust as bad. It seems like the powder coat impregnates the metal better than paint.
John
I have been out of the coatings business for 16 year, but, last I knew for sure, US auto makers were all using waterborne paint systems.......robotically applied of course. In the US, VOC regulations are even more restrictive now than the were then.
As to what restrictions Kubota deals with.......can't say for certain, as I have never been to Japan, but common sense tells me that they probably have systems at least as advanced as US manufacturers and may face even more stringent restrictions on VOC emissions.