More tractor detailing vs. My own this time!

GlossyTundra

GlossyTundra

Tractor Detailer
Here are some of my family farm tractors. My family has been farming since the 1700's in this same spot, but these tractors are from a more recent time. My family quit farming in 2000 so these tractors dont see much use any more. My grandfather was a clean freak like me and waxed everything (used Duragloss #101) which explains why these 30 and 50yr old tractors still look almost new.



I was bored today so I decided to give all these a quick wash. The 2 smaller Farmalls were our cultivating tractors, the bigger Farmall was our tobacco tractor, the John Deere is my own tractor. It's awaiting full show-quality restoration, but that will probably happen after college.



Process on all was.



Wash with DG CWC and a truck brush



Polish with #80 by rotary and either a twisted wool or a foam pad



DG #105 by hand



Turtle Wax Platnum QD



Majestic Solutions on tires and other non-waxable frame stuffs.



First up a pic of them all



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Then here is my own 1951 John Deere. Origional everything, it's not a show tractor yet, but being over 56 years old, I think it's pretty nice



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Next up is the nicer of the smaller Farmall 140's. This one is actually the oldest of the 2 at 1970, but it's been repainted so it looks newer.



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Next up is the other Farmall 140. It's all origional, it may still look faded, but it's massive amounts better than it was. This proves that ugly can still be shiny.



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Last up is our International Harvester Farmall 784. This was our middle sized tobacco tractor, it has a front loader on it, but it's raised up for the pictures as its pretty weathered and ugly, but the tractor is cool looking.



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Ok, so there is a venture into my tractor world. No they arent as nice as the ones that I normally post, but they were my grandads so that makes them just as nice to me. I grew up on these tractors, and I hope to have them for a long time. Keeping them waxed makes them look great.



Hope yall enjoyed!
 
I think that is actually really cool!!! Its nice to detail something other than just automobiles.

I was working in the garage the other day and was looking at my freshly washed Craftsman mower. Its about three years old and still looks ok. But I have two neighbors that have the same mower. I figured some NXT and Sonus Total Eclipse would make it stand out some!!!

Good work on the tractors!!! How was it working with all the nooks and crannies?
 
I don't know anything about tractors .... but considering the age of those machines and the environment in which they perform their duty I think they look pretty darn good.:up
 
To be honest, nooks and crannies are the least of my worries on these machines. They are all origional (except the repainted one) so my main point is to get the majority of the paint shiny and the tires clean. They cant be perfect with the rust they have on them. I really wish I had the time to properly repiaint these tractors now. The 140's are a dime a dozen, the 784 is decently rare, and so is the John Deere. I really just want everything new looking.
 
Since I was raised on the plains of Iowa this was a interesting thread.

The 140 may be a dime a dozen in your area but it is not one that I have seen very often. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed the pictures!!!!
 
Yeah, in our area where tobacco was popular, the offset motor on the 140's allowed super vision to the crop you are cultivating below. Also, the 784 could straddle up to 2 rows of tobacco for planting, cultivating, or spraying. Right now the axles are set in a bit, but they could be adjusted up to 8ft wide.
 
i think it's cool. btw, since you mentioned repainting, should i assume you've looked into the "$50 paint job" thread on moparts. the majority of the people are getting great results. if they were only as knowledgeable and well-equipped with their detailing, polishing and wetsanding supplies, most of their paintjobs would look better than factory jobs. there have been some interesting "discoveries" along the way in that thread (now broken into 3 threads). your tractors look like perfect candidates since maybe of the body parts are basically flat and wide without a lot of curves.
 
Yeah, I have seen that. The thing about these tractors is the paint is single stage and was meant only to have color on the metal, not to be super deep or glossy, so the $50 job may be a great canidate.
 
Tractors are cool. I don't care about what anybody else says.

There's just something satisfying about putting it in gear on a nice summer day and moving across a field at 10mph. I'm sure it would be different if you were doing actual work.



The only time I've ever driven one was at my grandparents farm where my dad grew up. My uncle has now gone on to collect classic tractors and most of them are show quality. You do have to have a certain respect for machines of that caliber that have been around for almost 100 years and still operate. Most of his are Allis or Case tractors.
 
Brandon1 said:
Hm, nobody wants to see any tractors today?:nana:
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Double BS dude! I really like what you have done, and where you are going!! I have been detailing tractors at some prices that would "shake" your mind up!! I started just to have something to practice on , but pretty soon those farmers looked at it (what I had done) as a competition, and all hell broke loose! I actually really like doing them because the guys "Genuinely" really care and take great pride in them, that is enough for me, especially when you just happen to drop by (anytime invitations) and find them dusting them off and smiling like hell!! It just makes me feel really good and that is what it's all about for me because I really don't need the money, I tell them up front that I am in bad health and it might be a while (I work slow), man they bend over backwards to deal/help you. They are a lot harder than cars to detail so you will earn your dollars, not to mention some great friends, but don't be surprised if the farmer/owner isn't standing there next to you with what can I do to help written all over his face!!

Hats off Brandon, you have some really nice tractors there!!

Now if you are interested in selling that IH 784, I could be tempted!!



Awesome, Changeling.



PS. It's not all roses. One of the first I did for "free" including washing (no Professor, not that gentle) , polishing (rotary), and applying wax (Collinite 476s) was like seeing some kind of "TV transformation" even if there "was" a small area that had a medium paint burn about the size of a big fist!

About a week or so after the detail, I got a call (first I heard from him) that the tractor was very dirty again and was I going to wash it for him!! LOL, Oh well, go figure! No, I didn't!!!!!!!!!



Changeling
 
Brandon1 said:
Yeah, I have seen that. The thing about these tractors is the paint is single stage and was meant only to have color on the metal, not to be super deep or glossy, so the $50 job may be a great canidate.
Click to expand...



DON'T change the type of paint, stick with the original manufacturer/paint type (single stage) original color (EVERYTHING). TRUST ME on this!

In fact if you can't bring it back to great condition by detailing, only then even consider "repaint", and then with original, if at all possible.

Changeling
 
Well, every few years I go over to the Indiana State Fair and see lots of nice, old tractors as well as many of the new amazingly big and fancy ones. I'm always in aw of how nice and well maintained all of them are, not to mention all the gadgets and things that are on the big new ones.



Have fun, man...
 
They are all nice but I have a soft spot for that Deere, as my Grandpa used something simlar to those on his farm too. Props man.
 
Thanks guys, I really love these tractors and try to use them as much as I can. The IH's are used mostly to mow like 300 acres of grass, the John Deere was never much good for anything but teaching my girlfriend how to drive one. She is doin well, but she still needs to learn how to press the left or right brake pedal to help turn sharper.



Change, yeah, I was thinking about keeping it origional, and I have a book that says only use normal JD paint, but it's so hard to find super "origional" JD paint, everyone has their own variation.
 
Very nice. Thanks for posting. I used to collect toy tractors (IH & Case). My father still does. He had an article featured in the Toy Farmer within the past year. I grew up on a (IH) farm in ND. We had a Farmall 300 Wide-Front as a loader, C Wide-Front with belly mower, 1086, and 1486.
 
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