Tractor paint

WFM

Well-known member

Equipment
L3800
Apr 5, 2013
1,178
483
83
Porter Maine
My L3800 I bought in the spring of 2013.
My sister lives about two miles away. In winters when we've had lots of snow I've driven on the side of the road to my sister's and opened up her driveway bucketing back the banks and getting the snow piles from the plow pushed way back.
Of course the road has salt on it and that flies up under my rear fenders. I noticed a couple years ago under the edge of the fenders the paint had separated from the fender. Today while doing maintenance I see it was peeling off the metal even more.
I called a place in Portland that had powder coated my snowplow frame on my truck.
He said no problem on powder coating them. Just remove them and bring them in. Basic black is $300. Bucks for the pair. So that's what I'm going with. Has anyone else seen their paint peel and lift ???
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,679
3,938
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
YES...that's what powder coat paint does, seen it 1,000s of times. Get a single, simple nick, scratch, slice,sharp scrape and the 'fun' begins. Water gets between the bare steel and the plastic 'paint'. water+steel= rust, rust 'grows', allows more water in, more rust to form until whatever it is becomes 'rust rotted' out. Unless the steel is properly 'treated' BEFORE the plastic goes on, it WILL rust....
I've seen 5 year old 'Snowbear' trailer in the scrapyard,sad but for $50 I got it,tore it down, kept the running gear, then got $20 for the 'steel'.
I've yet to see ANY powder coated products that did NOT have rust on them. Not ONE !
BTW the 'easy' way to remove will be sand blasting...100% of the plastic must come off.
 

fried1765

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Nov 14, 2019
6,316
4,003
113
Eastham, Ma
My L3800 I bought in the spring of 2013.
My sister lives about two miles away. In winters when we've had lots of snow I've driven on the side of the road to my sister's and opened up her driveway bucketing back the banks and getting the snow piles from the plow pushed way back.
Of course the road has salt on it and that flies up under my rear fenders. I noticed a couple years ago under the edge of the fenders the paint had separated from the fender. Today while doing maintenance I see it was peeling off the metal even more.
I called a place in Portland that had powder coated my snowplow frame on my truck.
He said no problem on powder coating them. Just remove them and bring them in. Basic black is $300. Bucks for the pair. So that's what I'm going with. Has anyone else seen their paint peel and lift ???
Over time, you will have a much worse experience with powder coating!
Power coating chips, and then rust forms underneath the edges of the chips.

I have a powder coated 14K equipment trailer that has numerous chips/scratches/nicks, with rust forming at every one.
There is no real fix for this condition.

I removed my 2006 L48 TLB fenders (OEM paint), sandblasted lightly rusted areas, and applied OSPHO (with small brush) to the bare metal, and to areas where sandblasting could not reach.
The rolled top edge, and the underside seams of the fenders is the primary problem area.

OSPHO is phosphoric acid (readily available in ME, as it is used on fishing vessels to ameliorate rust), and will act as a rust preventing primer for painting.

I then applied two sprayed coats of matched Kubota color automotive enamel (with hardener added).
I did the work 3 years ago, and my fenders, both inside and outside, look as they did when they were new.

Good luck, if you opt for powder coating.
It will likely prove to have been a mistake, over time!
 
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Lil Foot

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
May 19, 2011
7,260
2,204
113
Peoria, AZ
Powder coating lasts pretty well out here, but it is so dry, just about anything lasts out here.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,679
3,938
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
dry, sigh.....
here in Ontario ,in winter we get a lot of water and snow and then of course SALT on the roads, which speeds up the 'rust and bust' cycle on krappy powder coat.
The ONLY way I know to 'treat' powder coated machines... sandblast 100% of it OFF,acid blast,epoxy paint or 2 part urethane.
 
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Yooper

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
3901 LA525
May 31, 2015
1,456
429
83
NE Wisconsin
There is more than one type of powder coating. Polyester, polyurethane, hybrid (polyester epoxy mix) and epoxy. The hybrid is a little better for scratch resistance and is about equal to paint. The epoxy is amazingly hard but hates UV light. There is also clear coat but that is more labor intensive. And of coarse surface prep is everything whether it be paint or powder coat
 

WFM

Well-known member

Equipment
L3800
Apr 5, 2013
1,178
483
83
Porter Maine
Here's a couple pics of the flakes I popped off with my fingers. Time to get it fixed.
I called a local place today that does sandblasting. He said they'll be starting up sandblasting next week so call him then. He sandblasts outside so he has to wait for spring to arrive here . I guess I'm gonna go with painting on two coats of rustinhiberator, two coats of kubota orange with a paint brush and trim roller, and a couple spray coats of clear coat from a spray can and call it good.
 

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The Evil Twin

Well-known member

Equipment
L2501, LA526,
Jul 19, 2022
2,333
2,210
113
Virginia
Paint or powdercoat will allow rust creep. If it's likely to happen again, why not use truck bed liner? It would hold up netter than paint due to the thickness and elasticity. You can even get orange.