Professional paint job on a tractor

N

NY 986

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

I was wondering what a professional painter charges including materials for an older 100 hp row crop. No cab, loader, or other accessories.

 

old popper

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

Last summer I worked on an A JD for a fellow I know, got it going, charging, and everything working. He told me that he was going to have it painted, and I cannot remember if he said $1000, or $2000. Sounded high to me, but I'm a cheapskate.

 

Goose

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

Depends on how much cleanup and prep it needs, whether it needs any sheet metal work, do you want the starter, alternator, wiring, hoses, etc. removed, etc.

There are really too many variables to even make a ballpark estimate without seeing the tractor and learning what the owner expects.

I, myself, would only do it on a time and material basis, and I would think $3,000 to $5,000 would be a good starting point.

 

D

Den N Ms

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

That would depent on how much prep work was needed,dents,rust,one or more colors,wheels,rims,ect.

 

B

Bob Bancroft

Well-known Member

Location

Aurora NY

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

I had an AC "B" fixed up and cleaned up, with enough old paint stuck to it, I figured all it needed was orange paint. A fancy car guy looked at it and quoted me $1200. I said that was more than the tractor was worth! Then he said he could do an economy job for $800. I bought a gallon of paint somewhere for $25, and a friend squirted it on for me. I put some decals on it, and it looked great. The same friend who painted it sold it for me for $1800. It was an early B with no electric or hydraulic. The guy who bought it used it a couple of years at a camp, then took it to some tractor/antique show, or fair, and sold it for $2500!

 

tractorguy2

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

$1000 is not high to clean sand and paint a tractor.

 

OP

OP

N

NY 986

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

It would need a substantial amount of prepping. I hate being coy on this but I have my reasons. Wheels/ rims different color than sheet metal. Fenders are rusted through in spots.

 

glennster

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

you are looking at something loke a jd 4020 or i-h 1086, i would ball park around 5-7 grand. that would be for a complete factory type paint, using either single stage urethane or base clear. huge hours in prep work on something like that. i did a farmall m for a customer in single stage urethane , ran right about 3800.00 if you get the illinois farmers fastline magazine, its the cover tractor in edition2 2015. 49 farmall m from yorkville il.

 

B

Bryce Frazier

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

I would do it at MY shop with MY stuff for $30 and hour, and that is CHEAP compared to a big shop! You would probably be looking at around $4-500 for JUST a paint job from me...

Around $1200 if I had to do all the prep work and stuff on a "moderately clean" tractor...

 

T

tim s

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

I paid $1,000 to have my hoods painted on my 60C,It was straight but had some little dings in it, my paint guy smoothed out to near perfect, I painted the rest of it myself,, but like the others said it depends on clean up and repair, and how "nice" you want it. Preparation time can really add up, the paint cost is the lesser part of the job cost.

 

D

Dave Sherburne, NY

Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

Check this out, this is my son's work, He's about 40 miles north of Binghamton. It won't be cheap, but it will be a good job. If your interested my Email is open. Most of the time his shop is full.
The Brownie Car was a total rebuild The Oliver 88 was mine. It's gone now guy down the road wanted it worse than me.
Steves Car book

 

J

JD Seller

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

Well it all depends on how bad the tractors is to start with.

There are two fellows around me that paint tractors. The one does what I would call good paint jobs and the other guys does better than new paint jobs.

I had a JD 4020 painted by the good job guy and it cost me $2250 plus the paint, so around $2500-2700.

I had a JD 4320 painted buy the better than new fellow and it was pocket change under $4700 with him providing everything.

Neither of these tractors had any major rust or dents to straighten out.

 

OP

OP

N

NY 986

Well-known Member

• Mar 9, 2015

• #1

Was the 4320 the project you mentioned a while back?

 

J

JD Seller

Well-known Member

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

I am sorry to say NO. It was a few years ago when they really took off in value. It was a business project from day one.

That JD 4320 project of mine is someone else's now. I sold all the parts and such to a young friend of my one son. He is slowly getting it together. I just did not have the fire in my belly to finish it.

 

Blackhole49

Well-known Member

Location

White Lake MI

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

When did you buy a shop and what did it cost? Surprised $30.00 per will cover the cost of heat, electric and supplies.

 

Blackhole49

Well-known Member

Location

White Lake MI

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

Forgot to mention, at 16, I doubt anything you do would be considered "professional".

 

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

NY 986,
5 years ago, I painted 3 tractors. Did the work myself. Removed all the tin. Spent weeks cleaning, preparing, sheet metal work. I used paints from Rural King, primer from NAPA. Total material costs under $200 per tractor.

I use my tractors. They are not parade tractors. 5 years later the paint is chipped up, small dents, scratches, dirty, oil leaks, carb drips, gas stains. Why would anyone put mega bucks in a professional paint job if they plan to use the tractor?

If the paint I used 5 years ago hasn't dried out, I probably have enough paint to paint mine again. But why would I want to do all that work, when painting a working tractor is short fix?

 

R

RandyB(MI)

Well-known Member

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

A little like asking how much to carpet your home?

 

D

David G

Well-known Member

• Mar 10, 2015

• #1

You can spend $600 - $1000 to get it sandblasted and primed, so I think $2500 - $4000 would be fair.