Ditto what the others said and I'll add my own expanded opinions. I am not a brand pusher. Paint "quality" is determined far more by chemistry than brand label. Each of the major automotive paint manufacturers have two or more "lines" of paints with different chemistries in each of them. The basic chemistries are alkyd enamels, acrylic enamels, acrylic urethanes and polyurethanes. There are also some hybrid chemistries available in some lines. The alkyd enamels are pretty much out of the picture in current automotive lines. I don't mention lacquer at all because that has basically been relegated to the ash bin of history except for some purist auto restorers. DuPont has a brief summary of the history of paint chemistry here. The paints that you will find in tractor supply stores and most tractor dealerships are not automotive paints. They are generally old technology alkyd enamels that were "the thing" in the '40s and 50's. They have a deserved reputation for early fading of color. Their only advantage is that they are inexpensive, say less than $50 per gallon. In my opinion an alkyd enamel from any single manufacturer is no better or worse than an alkyd enamel from any other manufacturer. Most of the tractor store paints and even dealer paints are rebranded labels from some major paint manufacturer. Valspar seems to be a big player in the low end agricultural market as far as an actual paint manufacturer goes. You need to look carefully at the label to find out who really makes the paint. For example, Allis Chalmers doesn't make paint and neither does TSC, even though their branding may be prominent on the label of paints you get from them.

There are two basic considerations; what kind of performance do you want and how much are you willing to pay to achieve it. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Higher performance means higher cost. I am of the opinion that the low-end "economy" lines of automotive paint from any of the major manufacturers represent a good compromise and provide good value for the money spent. Others will tend to go lower in price/performance while others will tend to go higher. For economy line automotive paint, $100/gal is probably typical. Premium line paints will go much more than that. A single stage paint system where both the color and the gloss are obtained at the same time is the most common in the tractor world but two stage basecoat/clearcoat (BC/CC) systems now completely dominate the automotive refinish market. I can see no compelling reason for BC/CC systems for the majority of tractor or agricultural painting. Others will disagree, depending on preference. There are certainly exceptions but I think a general rule of thumb would be that "economy" automotive paints will be between two and three times the cost of tractor store paints, premium automotive paints will be between two and three times the cost of the "economy" automotive paints and that a BC/CC system can about double the cost of a single stage system in either an "economy" or premium line of automotive paint. The costs between manufacturers should be competitive between similar lines and chemistries so I doubt you'll find any significant difference between manufacturers for equivalent products. You don't want to select a manufacturer based on a cost comparison between an economy line paint of one manufacturer and a premium line paint from another. That would be an apples and oranges comparison.

One of the less mentioned (but very important) aspects of tractor painting is personal safety. Modern paints that require hardeners, including the urethanes and most clear coats, contain isocyanates that represent a special breathing hazard. They should only be used when a fresh air breathing system is available. The cost for such a system is $300 - $400 as a minimum. I am also of the opinion that the "economy" urethanes and hardened enamels provide sufficiently better chemical resistance (read gasoline spills) and repair ease that the extra cost of a fresh air breathing system is fully justified in order to safely use them. That cost should be figured into the equation before any final decision is made regarding paint selection. Others disagree here also. Individuals will have to evaluate the hazard severity and decide on acceptable risks for themselves. If you wish to find out more about this specific safety aspect of using modern paints and their additives, do a search in this forum on the words "isocyanates" or "isos" and you will find plenty of links to recognized authorities on the matter. Also be sure to read the fine print on the label of any can of hardener additive from any manufacturer.

Rod

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