[AT] Old weathered used-looking tractors

[Francis Robinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dean Vinson" <dean at vinsonfarm.net>


> Now and then I think about repainting my Farmall M, once I get done with
> tinkering on its various mechanical problems.  But the closer I get, the
> less I like the idea of painting it.
>
> I *like* being able to lay a wrench on the hood and not worry about
> scratching anything.  And I like the sense of history implied by the 
> various
> dings and scuffs and the various colors and patches of faded, 
> farmer-applied
> paint.  It's not as personal as if it had been the same tractor I grew up
> with, but still, I'm getting pretty fond of it as is.
>
> Not sure where I'm going with this post other than to wonder out loud 
> about
> it.  Anybody else wrestle with this decision?
>
> Dean Vinson


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    OK, so I'm behind...   :-)   I ran across this thread as I was deleting 
some old messages. This thread took place while my mother was in the hospice 
center before her death so I missed almost a month of discussion.
    I really identify with this thread since most of my tractors need paint. 
Maybe instead of saying they "need paint" I should say they "lack paint". 
Need is in the eye of the beholder.   :-)
    I did paint my Allis Chalmers C and my MM-R both of which are very 
common paint jobs and not really "show" stuff. I am glad that they are now 
fading some and getting chipped up a little because I can now use one of 
them without cringing. My MM-R has a very dark streak running down the side 
of the engine from modern fuel leaking and eating into the paint. My S-MTA 
would probably have the same streak but rust doesn't streak.   ;-)   My 
Deere 4020 isn't too bad but if I keep it I will probably paint it. Its use 
would be so rare that it would stay nice. My MF-165D is still parked inside 
waiting for me to get to a needed PTO repair and I would be using it very 
often so I would probably not repaint it. Its paint is not too bad now. 
Other daily users (figure of speech. The only thing I use daily is a fork) I 
probably will not paint. George Willer will not allow me to paint my #$%& 
CUB...   ;-)   ;-)  I might repaint my Yanmar 1500D but it could be made to 
look pretty decent with a scrub down with "Soft Scrub" and some paint on the 
rear wheel centers. My Super M was repainted maybe 20 years ago the last 
time my father and I rebuilt it. It looks "so so".
    I have been surprised over the years at how you can spot paint a tractor 
like when you add a bracket to it or similar item and then after a couple of 
years of fading you don't notice the painted item. Back when I was farm 
manager at the Garst Research Farm I was a stickler for keeping cans of 
touch-up paint and keeping any scratches or rusty little spots touched up on 
the equipment. Stuff stayed looking quite nice. I always intended to do that 
at home but somehow it just doesn't happen.
    One last observation: Rust does not fade...   ;-)


--
"farmer"

When you reach the end of your rope
 tie a knot and hang on...

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net