MalMac 1,328 #1 Posted February 6, 2011 Insted of the same ol question which red is best but rather what year did Wheel Horse go from the traditional deeper blood red or what you would call the old farmall red to the brighter red. Was it when Toro took over? Was there a change in color even before Toro took over. Seems like the early 60's were darker than the late 60's or even 70's. To me the late 70's were brighter than the 60's. I am going by some NOS parts I have left over from when we had a dealership long,long ago in a land far,far away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 14,922 #2 Posted February 6, 2011 That is an interesting question. When building my B-100 last year, I had many sheet metal parts from 1977 tractors. I also had several NOS parts that were from the same generation. After revealing paint on the old pieces that had never seen the light of day, and comparing them to the NOS parts, no two reds were the same, even within the same model year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zieg72 209 #3 Posted February 6, 2011 The main reason for the change was a move toward lead free paints... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelly 1,028 #4 Posted February 6, 2011 It's been said before, paint batches are not all the same, heck even paint made the same day might not be the same if it did not come from the same batch, old paint had LEAD in it, newer paint does not, there is a pigment in red that was band in the 80's so they had to use something else, I doubt you are going to find a good answer to your question, there are way to many variables to paint, heck I'm sure they used different suppliers over the years, I work in a body shop, I don't paint any more I'm just a body/frame technician. but I see the headaches the painters go through trying to match paint, they have a wall covered in locker that is filled with factory sent test panels, and one color may have 4,5or 6 or more variances to it, and it only takes a drop of one tint to make the color change, and remember these are just garden tractors, all they wanted was red, about the same color each time, they were not painting a BMW, heck we use used parts at work and from time to time we get them the right color, install the part and it's not the same, just a shade diff. if your painting a tractor with rattle cans try to buy enough to do the job, at one time, they have lot numbers on the cans, or if spraying it buy enough, I spray most of mine, and when I'm running low I buy more and mix the new with the old so it will match better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ron2681 0 #5 Posted February 6, 2011 Well said and great advice. I really like the Valspar Tractor Resto paint- International Harvestor Red- rattle can, looks great on a tractor that still works for a living! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redbirdman 7 #6 Posted February 6, 2011 I had my paint shop mix what they said was Wheel Horse/International red about 10 years ago when I first picked up my 701. I also touched up the top of the tranny with 'Krylon rattle Farm Tractor red'.......... both colors matched exactly what was under the old "Unidrive" sticker. But recently, when I went over the sheet metal the paint mix came back the lighter red............and Rustoleum (not Krylon) rattle Tractor red matched the newer formula mixed paint ???? I suspect what Zeig and Kelly said is the reason........I do prefer the brighter red for color, but it is annoying that what was correct is now off color and visa versa... Oh well, thanks for pointing all that out! ed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 14,922 #7 Posted February 6, 2011 The main reason for the change was a move toward lead free paints... The ban on lead in paint that occurred in 1977, and was effective in 1978, was only on consumer products. Industrial and automotive coatings were not included in the ban. It was only later that paint manufacturers reduced or totally removed lead from more of their paints. There are still industrial paints today that contain lead. It is true that lead was used in paints for reasons of color stability, corrosion resistance, and wear. Removal of lead did lead to many variations in colors, especially red. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zieg72 209 #8 Posted February 6, 2011 Our company used to supply Toro in Evansville, IN the liquid red which was a 2K urethane. We were held to strict color consistency as we had to match a master standard set by Toro. Bright red, yellow and orange pigments are the most expensive and are man made. We eventually had to cheapen the formula and providing a tinted primer which helped achieve the final color. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TT-(Moderator) 1,128 #9 Posted February 6, 2011 For the record...... International Harvester red and Farmall red are NOT the same. The closest legal match to the color of the "alphabet" Farmalls is what the Ponds were seeking when they started out. That red has more of a purple hue than the IH paint, which leans more toward orange. Since it's very hard to know when replacement/service parts were manufactured, you can't go by the color on those. They could have been manufactured and painted long after the actual models they fit. It is purely my personal opinion, but I believe there were a minimum of 4 different reds used from 1946 to 2008. As far as knowing exactly when those changes occurred, I can't answer that. The 50's/60's tractors were definitely "redder" than those manufactured in the 70's. There was also a change somewhere in the early/mid 1980's, and of course the change back to (darker - known as "new" Toro red) Wheel Horse red somewhere around 1990. The new Toro red seems to resemble the "Farmall" red more than the orange-ish Wheel Horse red form the 70's. :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
