Removing Emblems

lmichael

Active member

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Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
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205
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Rockford IL area
Has anyone ever had any luck removing and reusing the KUBOTA emblems (or as the parts book calls them "labels") on the sides of the fiberglass hood? It would be item number 60 on the drawing
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85Hokie

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on a metal hood I might try a heat gun on low ........ on the plastic hood , I would use a hair dryer and a bit of patience.
 

rc51stierhoff

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If not an emergency, I’d park in the sun this summer and let it warm up naturally…day when it would be hot to touch the hood. Then maybe use a razor blade or scalpel or something to encourage it. Otherwise you run risk of snapping it. Or you could use the little plastic tools from auto shop that allow you to remove plastic panels…that might let you get in behind the emblem also.
 

fried1765

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Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Nov 14, 2019
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Has anyone ever had any luck removing and reusing the KUBOTA emblems (or as the parts book calls them "labels") on the sides of the fiberglass hood? It would be item number 60 on the drawing
View attachment 78420
If you are planning a repaint, I would suggest doing a very careful decal taping job, and leave the decals where they are.
If your tractor is more than a few months old, the decals will likely be destroyed in removal.
Just ask me how I know!
 
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lugbolt

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ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
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Have tried on TG1860.

They will come off. But maybe not in one piece.

They been on there a while, they're going to be stuck good, and brittle. You can loosen the stuck but you can't fix the brittleness in my experience.

Years ago when the TG1860's were "new" (2002-ish??) we got one in a crate that was damaged, so we (I) ordered a hood. Big deal, just warranty it. Got the hood, and no decals. Great, it's still new so I'll just use the secretary's hair dryer and peel the stickers off. Yep they came right off but the glue stuck to the hood, and not to the decal. Trying to get new glue on the sticker to make it look new so that it could be put on the showroom? LOL...ain't happening.

If you want it to look decent, and it sounds like you do, see if you can find a dealer that has them.. May not be available anymore for your mower but a lot of times dealers will have aged inventory. Finding them is challenging but rewarding. When I was doing dealer work I tried to remember some of the aged inventory for this very reason; the boss would tell us to chunk some of it (decals and gaskets especially), but I always stuffed them into a folder or in a corner somewhere and kept a mental "inventory", in case someone needed them-and often they did. Kawasaki has a want-ad section on their dealer-only web system so that dealers can post NLA parts for sale or wanted. it is VERY handy!!! I wish a lot of manufacturers did that. Vintage motorcycle repair and restoration is a thing.
 
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lmichael

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Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
520
205
43
Rockford IL area
Believe it or not Messicks has them but they're crazy expensive. I may try the heat gun and dental floss trick, but when I tried heat gun and razor blade (gently of course) in order to get the glue soft enough the emblem began melting so I stopped before ruining them. I went to trusty old Ebay and found these which I may try as they look pretty cool. I am only trying to make it look better and repair all the gouges and such in it. I bought the proper paint for it at Farm & Fleet, and the reducer and even a new gravity feed gun at Harbor Freight (on sale for $10). Anyway even though they're not OEM I think these will look sharp KUBOTA DIESEL POWER EMBLEM (B) SUPER SIZED SATIN | eBay
But, yeah I forgot I have used the dental floss trick on a number of different things even slicing soft cheese (I used new unwaxed of course :D)
 

Dieseldonato

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Mar 15, 2022
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Have had and owning several old tractors I typically take good pictures with a ruler for scale and go to the local decal shop. He has some amazing equipment for duplicating them. I have had very good luck doing this and it typically costs a fraction of dealer price and no worries about them not sticking using new old stock. Most recently I had him made some decals for my 1450 after being very disappointed with the aftermarket decal set I got off ebay.
 
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fried1765

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Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Nov 14, 2019
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Eastham, Ma
Believe it or not Messicks has them but they're crazy expensive. I may try the heat gun and dental floss trick, but when I tried heat gun and razor blade (gently of course) in order to get the glue soft enough the emblem began melting so I stopped before ruining them. I went to trusty old Ebay and found these which I may try as they look pretty cool. I am only trying to make it look better and repair all the gouges and such in it. I bought the proper paint for it at Farm & Fleet, and the reducer and even a new gravity feed gun at Harbor Freight (on sale for $10). Anyway even though they're not OEM I think these will look sharp KUBOTA DIESEL POWER EMBLEM (B) SUPER SIZED SATIN | eBay
But, yeah I forgot I have used the dental floss trick on a number of different things even slicing soft cheese (I used new unwaxed of course :D)
I have found that the best quality Kubota enamel match is made by Valspar (with hardener), and is sold on Amazon.
IMHO the Kubota match paint sold by many others, is mostly cheap junk, that will quickly degrade.
Beware: There are two very different Kubota Orange colors.
One, is old Kubota, one is newer Kubota.

New OEM decals are VERY expensive!
That is why I suggest carefully taping off the old ones, if possible.
 
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lmichael

Active member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
520
205
43
Rockford IL area
Have had and owning several old tractors I typically take good pictures with a ruler for scale and go to the local decal shop. He has some amazing equipment for duplicating them. I have had very good luck doing this and it typically costs a fraction of dealer price and no worries about them not sticking using new old stock. Most recently I had him made some decals for my 1450 after being very disappointed with the aftermarket decal set I got off ebay.
These are not "decals" they're actual emblems stuck on. Originally prior to trying to remove them I assumed they were metal but after trying I realized they're plastic with metallic "look".
Re, heating them from inside the hood that's no bueno as the hood is fiberglass not metal
And finally re my "emblem obsession" the machine is sort of a "hobby" machine to me. So, since I can't afford a classic old car or other such expensive "toys", this is my "toy". So I am just having some enjoyment in dressing it up a bit
 

DustyRusty

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BX23S
Nov 8, 2015
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Try a pressure washer to take off the vinyl emblems. When I was cleaning my old BX22, the pressure washer stripped one emblem off in one piece. I let it dry out and then reglued it back on.
 
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ve9aa

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TG1860, BX2380 -backblade, bx2830 snowblower, fel, weight box,pallet forks,etc
Apr 11, 2021
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Not sure of the exact makeup of your emblem but if it's similar to an automobile type then I have used a heat gun and 30lb test fishing line. Go slow and "saw" through the glue/sticky.

As you saw, pull the fishing line past horizontal a little and towards the emblem. This prevents you from sawing into the painted hood/bonnet.

Course, you'll have more glue to clean up later, but that's a small price to pay for still having nice paint ;-)

Good luck !
 
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lmichael

Active member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
520
205
43
Rockford IL area
Not sure of the exact makeup of your emblem but if it's similar to an automobile type then I have used a heat gun and 30lb test fishing line. Go slow and "saw" through the glue/sticky.

As you saw, pull the fishing line past horizontal a little and towards the emblem. This prevents you from sawing into the painted hood/bonnet.

Course, you'll have more glue to clean up later, but that's a small price to pay for still having nice paint ;-)

Good luck !
Yep, I am planning to do something similar but with dental floss. My garage though currently is a bit crowded LOL. I have contractors at my house doing repairs and finishing another job from December.
 

lmichael

Active member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
520
205
43
Rockford IL area
Well, I tried with heat gun and floss yesterday. No bueano. Me thinks I am just going to tear them off as well as I can, sand it down and then get the ones I showed from FleaBay. Not OEM but I think it will look better than trying to mask around the ones on there and having paint buildup on the edges.