One of the most common questions that we get asked is do you know the paint codes for Harvest Gold?. Of course, this is a very important question. Getting the correct paint for your Marshall Harvest Gold tractor is key to the overall look and appeal of your tractor.
Rebranding Leyland to Marshall
It is true that when Leyland tractors were bought out and became the Marshall brand, there was a change in the livery from the Leyland Light and Dark Blue colouring to an elegant Harvest Gold. But what constitutes as Harvest Gold? And how do you go about ensuring that your tractor is painted the right colour?
Harvest Gold
To start, Harvest Gold is a unique and striking colour – it is not the yellow of say a JCB, Matbro or any other brand that uses the colour yellow as part of their brand identity. It immediately lets you know that it is a Marshall tractor that you are looking at.
We have several of our own tractors that work our smallholding, and Andy’s Dad also owns several Marshall tractors that he uses on his farm. Each one seems to be painted a slightly different colour, and it is a good discussion point as to why not all Harvest Gold Marshall tractors are painted the same colour. I have a theory on why this is the case, and I am keen to discuss it later in this blog.
What Paint Is Available?
At Tractor Spare Parts Ltd, we offer all manner of paints to our customers. We take great pride in ensuring that they can repaint their panels and get their tractors looking great in next to no time (click here to see our range).
Unless you have a dedicated spray-shop at home with LEV (local exhaust ventilation) which is regularly inspected, you should not use 2-pac paint. This is why we are currently offering Vapormatic Alkyd based enamel paint, which is great for brushing and spraying (See MSDS sheet here).
We find that this is a very good Harvest Gold colour and we have found it works well. We have used this paint in our own workshop and for our own tractors, so you know that it is good stuff. Used with the primer of the same brand it makes a good system no matter your home painting set-up.
A lot of the Marshall tractors were actually powder-coated when they were new. While this is a brilliant finish, some of the frequently mentioned Harvest Gold wonders are beginning to age (aren’t we all!). When this happens, we can see where the powder coating is still intact, even if the panels themselves are non-existent behind the powder coating. So many of our customer are choosing to paint rather than go original and powder-coat their restorations.
But What Is the Colour Code?
Very good question. I always point customers in the direction of the Nuffield and Leyland Tractor Club website when I get asked for specific paint codes. This way, customers can mix their own paint. The club website has a whole host of useful information on it and one of these documents is a document about paint colours.
This document shows paint codes for Nuffield Orange, Leyland Light Blue, Leyland Dark Blue and Harvest Gold. Additionally, you can find the Black, Silver Mist and White colours for the accents on the Nuffield, Leyland and Marshall tractors.
So, the question that I always ask is why are there so many codes for the Harvest Gold colour of paint? And why did they use so many paint providers? The Leyland Light and Dark Blue colours do not vary as much as the Harvest Gold does, so what was going on?
Well, my theory is that during the production of Marshall tractors there was a lot of industrial action, and the company was struggling financially, especially towards the end. Therefore, it made sense that they did a lot of shopping around for suppliers. Also, we all know that colour matching and paint mixing technologies have moved on a lot since the 1980s. As such, it makes perfect sense that even if a different manufacturer were working to the same recipe that the results came out slightly different.
What Colour Should I Paint My Harvest Gold Marshall Tractor?
As I mentioned before, at Tractor Spare Parts Ltd, we offer a good average colour Harvest Gold paint for the Leyland and Marshall tractors (and we have not even talked about the cross-over Leyland tractors that were painted in the Harvest Gold livery have we?), and this is a good solution. The paint is very good covering, and it looks great.
But the long and short of it is that if you want your tractor to be the same colour as it came out of the factory, then the only way to do it is to laser match the paint from a part of the panel that has not been exposed to the sun. Don’t forget you will have to do this before you shot-blast the panels for re-painting!
If you are doing this, then you can also choose the best paint for your set-up. Whether you get it in a professional chemically hardened 2-pac paint, or an enamel paint that you can paint at home with a basic safety set-up, there are options for your Harvest Gold Marshall tractor.
I guess it all comes down, again, what you need from your tractor and how important these details are to the job in hand.
Where Can I Buy Harvest Gold Paint?
You can shop our range of alkyd-based enamel paint for the Nuffield Orange, Nuffield White, Leyland Light Blue, Leyland Dark Blue, Silver Mist, Harvest Gold, Marshall White and Marshal Black on our website. In fact, you can find them in our paint section.
