Jr. Roberts has been searching the web for information he can share with our visitors. He recently came across a great website put together by some of the Minneapolis Moline collectors. This site contains all sorts of valuable information on paint codes for MM tractors. If you are struggling with finding the correct codes for Prairie Gold or Cherry Red, please check out this site. They also have the correct paint codes for your Avery Model! It seems as if they spent a lot of time compiling this data and we thank them for it! As you might be aware, Steiner Tractor Parts does not sell paint, but we recognize that any good restoration isn’t complete without a final coat of paint. Once you have purchased the paint, you might want to check out our DVD on “How to Paint a Tractor”. This can be very helpful to novices in the restoration of antique tractors. Good luck with your projects!
Why doesn’t Steiner Tractor Parts sell paint for restoration projects?
We get asked this several times a day, and we noticed many customers searching for this term using our new and improved tractor parts search feature. I thought that this would be a good time to thoroughly answer this question.
The primary reason we do not sell paint is due to storage and shipping concerns. We have a very large warehouse and it is not heated beyond 52 degrees. This is a perfect temperature for working in, but not for storing paint. Also, it takes special licensing to store and ship paint as it is considered a hazardous material. We do not want to dedicate any staff person to dealing with Haz-Mat licenses and protocol when that person could be helping our customers locate new parts for their antique tractor.
The other major reason that we do not sell tractor paint is because of differences in opinion regarding paint codes. It is very difficult to find excellent, definitive information on this hotly debated topic in tractor restoration discussions. We previously published paint codes in our catalog, but removed them when we had complaints. If we receive enough requests via our comments on this page, we can repost them for reference only, not as a definitive answer to the questions about paint codes to use.
While we will not be adding paint to our product line any time soon, we can make some recommendations of places to purchase paint. First of all, we recommend purchasing paint locally. Your purchase can boost your local economy while saving you the expense of shipping a hazardous material. As far as local sources, you could try any place that Dupont Brand paint is available, they make a quality paint that can be used on vintage tractors. I would start my search for paint at a local dealer for my particular brand. They oftentimes have access to paint codes and have the colors you will need right on hand. For vintage tractors, John Deere dealers, AGCO dealers (Allis, Cockshutt, Minneapolis Moline, Massey Harris, Massey Ferguson, and Oliver), and CNH dealers (Case, International/Farmall, Ford) are still excellent resources for information and tractor related merchandise. Other great sources for tractor paint include Sherwin Williams, NAPA stores and other places where automotive paint is sold. PPG produces a superior quality automotive paint according to Dan Steiner.
Thanks for your interest in Steiner Tractor Parts. I hope you found this paint resource article informative and helpful. If you have comments to add on your experience with paint purchases, please leave them below.