Freshening up the Fergusons

Back in February, our popular pair of purple Ferguson tractors got a serious makeover. After 10 years of sitting out in the fields as attractions for our guests, it was about time they received a fresh lick of paint!

The tractors were transported, dismantled, repaired, degreased, primed, painted, and put back together all in a couple of weeks. We did most of the work ourselves in the shed onsite, but the sandblasting required a skilled professional to step in.

Firstly, the tractors had to be moved from their respective spots on the farm. Although these two probably only need new spark plugs, a jiggle of the wiring, and some fuel, they were not ready to start up when we carried out this task. This meant the tractors were pulled away instead of driven, and then loaded onto a trailer.

They headed to Justin at Alpine Powder Coating to be sandblasted, who did an amazing job!

After being brought back to the farm, the Ferguson tractors sat in our work shed where Tim applied an undercoat primer and two coats of purple paint. These were sprayed onto the whole bodies and detached pieces such as the hoods, mud guards, and seats.

The pieces were hung to dry in the gentle summer breeze...

...But not before a slight mishap turned Tim's day from good to bad.

One of the most important pieces of the tractor fell off the drying line onto the ground whilst still wet (oops!). The hood wasn't damaged but the sticky paint trapped a whole lot of dirt, which meant Tim needed to sand it down and apply another coat of paint.

With no further issues, the tractors were reassembled and... ta-da! They look good as new!

It's safe to say that the Fergusons really needed this glow up. The old purple paint had started to chip and fade, and the metal parts were rusty and looked worse for wear. You might notice that the engine part/chassis of one tractor remains grey whilst the other is completely purple. This way, we have two almost identical tractors that have their unique differences in appearance. Truth be told, no one could agree which version looked better so we kept both as is!

Our trusty Ferguson duo are ready to be sat on and enjoyed by guests snapping happy family photos once more.

Are you curious about how these two looked before their original purple paint job over a decade ago? Take a trip down memory lane with these photos, taken while the tractors were still in use as Wānaka Lavender Farm was developing.