Paint or no? Chime in

[MikeG6]

So my mower deck was getting pitted rust on it. I took it apart and repainted the whole thing, to keep it in good shape. The paint I bought is more like the newer, darker Kubota orange, (Canadian) Home Hardware Beauti-Tone "Kubota Orange".
I am considering taking the tractor apart and repainting also. The problem is that I'm not sure if the paint is faded or if the original used to be a lighter shade. I think just go with the same paint as I did the mower. Any thoughts? Image attached to show colour difference.

 

[jimh406]

I'm not sure if it's available in Canada, but there are "old" and "new" versions of Kubota Orange if you believe what's posted here.

 

[Shannon]

So my mower deck was getting pitted rust on it. I took it apart and repainted the whole thing, to keep it in good shape. The paint I bought is more like the newer, darker Kubota orange, (Canadian) Home Hardware Beauti-Tone "Kubota Orange".
I am considering taking the tractor apart and repainting also. The problem is that I'm not sure if the paint is faded or if the original used to be a lighter shade. I think just go with the same paint as I did the mower. Any thoughts? Image attached to show colour difference.

No..I like the original..the deck looks nice too..they are close enough..that's my opinion

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

My vote is don't paint the B7200, keep it original.

 

[rbargeron]

Your B7200 is the original Kubota orange, used into the '80s until they switched to what they called Orange II - a little brighter with more red to it.

I think your earlier color is great - looks vintage and authentic. Painting a tractor is really a lot of work and unless it started out as a real rust bucket it may not look as good to tractor people as an honest original paint job that shows its wear proudly.

Some years ago I bought an L3250 that ran great but whose paint was pretty bad - looked more abused than experienced. I blasted, primed and sprayed it with new orange. It took a lot of doing but did look better - getting a bit faded already.

P.S. Your mower deck looks really good - new decals or masked? Nice job. Take care, Dick B.

 

[MikeG6]

Your B7200 is the original Kubota orange, used into the '80s until they switched to what they called Orange II - a little brighter with more red to it.

I think your earlier color is great - looks vintage and authentic. Painting a tractor is really a lot of work and unless it started out as a real rust bucket it may not look as good to tractor people as an honest original paint job that shows its wear proudly.

Some years ago I bought an L3250 that ran great but whose paint was pretty bad - looked more abused than experienced. I blasted, primed and sprayed it with new orange. It took a lot of doing but did look better - getting a bit faded already.

P.S. Your mower deck looks really good - new decals or masked? Nice job. Take care, Dick B.

Thanks, the mower decals are nearly impossible to find. I opted to concentrate on the functional stickers (i.e. not the idiot or liability stickers) but only found one for the mower height settings. The rest I just masked.

 

[MikeG6]

I'm not sure if it's available in Canada, but there are "old" and "new" versions of Kubota Orange if you believe what's posted here.

It is a challenge. The only lighter/older orange I could find is the original Kubota rattle cans but they are 3-4x the cost of normal. The Canadian and US sources of paint are different, which makes it tougher to follow advice from YouTube, forums, etc.

 

[woodman55]

Any machine can be rebuild/repainted as many times as you want, but they are only original once. My vote is to keep it original, as the paint and tins are in great condition.

 

[ve9aa]

I'm in the "keep it original" camp too.

 

[fried1765]

So my mower deck was getting pitted rust on it. I took it apart and repainted the whole thing, to keep it in good shape. The paint I bought is more like the newer, darker Kubota orange, (Canadian) Home Hardware Beauti-Tone "Kubota Orange".
I am considering taking the tractor apart and repainting also. The problem is that I'm not sure if the paint is faded or if the original used to be a lighter shade. I think just go with the same paint as I did the mower. Any thoughts? Image attached to show colour difference.

Keep it original!
BeautiTone (all) rattle can paint is non durable junk!

 

[RalphVa]

So my mower deck was getting pitted rust on it. I took it apart and repainted the whole thing, to keep it in good shape. The paint I bought is more like the newer, darker Kubota orange, (Canadian) Home Hardware Beauti-Tone "Kubota Orange".
I am considering taking the tractor apart and repainting also. The problem is that I'm not sure if the paint is faded or if the original used to be a lighter shade. I think just go with the same paint as I did the mower. Any thoughts? Image attached to show colour difference.

Best paint for if any rust there is Rustoleum RustReformer. It turns the iron oxide (rust) into iron sulfide. Makes for a nice primer.

 

[Mowbizz]

Looks like orange to me! Do it!

 

[Lencho]

Good job protecting the mower deck with paint. They match just fine, I’d leave the tractor alone.

 

[Donystoy]

The only place that I was able to find readymade spray cans of the old orange for my B7200 was at the dealer up here in Canada. I gave up on them years ago because of the exorbitant price and the fact that turnover was very slow resulting in inoperative old stock. I had great results with having an automotive paint supplier just mixing up the color using a scanned sample piece from the tractor. Half the cost of dealer paint and fresh.
Any part on the tractor I would keep the original color but any attachment including the mmm I would use any decent quality orange paint.

 

[N3BP]

In case you wonder what a repainted B7200 would look like, my mowing rig was repainted at some point in its past with the post 89 Kubota II orange paint. I personally prefer the original pre-89 orange. If you do decide to repaint, you can buy a half gallon of acrylic enamel orange or orange II from the dealer. Mix in a little reducer and hardener and apply with a spray gun.

 

[fried1765]

In case you wonder what a repainted B7200 would look like, my mowing rig was repainted at some point in its past with the post 89 Kubota II orange paint. I personally prefer the original pre-89 orange. If you do decide to repaint, you can buy a half gallon of acrylic enamel orange or orange II from the dealer. Mix in a little reducer and hardener and apply with a spray gun.

Mighty fine looking machine,......but it deserves a new seat!

 

[Hkb82]

I’d leave the tractor as is. Looks like you’ve got indoor storage. So it’s gonna keep aging well. As said before they are only original once. Might look fresh and good for a few years but I doubt you’ll get as durable of a paint job as that original that’s lasted all these years with a rattle can. A fully restored paint is something totally different. It looks to be in good shape from the picture. I wouldn’t mind the difference in colour but that’s just me. If you must have them match I’d think repainting the deck again the old orange would be way less work. If you like the newer orange better and aren’t worried about resale then paint away. If I’m buying something like that I’d much rather see original paint then a repainted tractor.

The only time id comment and laugh at you is if you painted it green.

 

[N3BP]

Mighty fine looking machine,......but it deserves a new seat!

Here ya go fried, I photoshoped the seat back together

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Here ya go fried, I photoshoped the seat back together

Did you photo shop the paint job too?!!

If not...

Did you mask around the decals, or have new ones made? Or did you find NOS (new old stock) decals?

There's nothing like having the original paint. Something about the patina that says this one's a classic..

But your tractor looks good if the picture is legit.

My hat's off to you. It looks good. But I still say keep it original unless it's a rust bucket.

 

[fried1765]

Here ya go fried, I photoshoped the seat back together

Perfect........and cost effective too!