Articulated tractor maintenance: schedule, oil and filters for Kubota D1105/V1505 and Yanmar

Articulated tractor maintenance is mostly engine maintenance, and that engine is almost always a Kubota D1105 or V1505 (BCS Invictus, Ferrari Cromo, Pasquali Siena), a Yanmar 3TNV76 or 3TNV88 (Antonio Carraro, Valpadana, Goldoni Boxster) or a Lombardini (Goldoni, BCS Vivid). The engine manufacturer sets the oil change interval, the oil capacity and the filters; the tractor builder adds the centre pivot, the steering cylinder, the linkage, the transmission and the front axle. In this blog we set out the complete maintenance schedule, with the capacities, the settings and the filters you need, so you can do the annual service yourself.

The engine data comes from the original Kubota, Yanmar and Lombardini manuals; the machine data from the BCS and Carraro documentation. Where we had to fall back on dealer or parts lists, it says “indicative”. Always check the manual for your serial number.

Articulated tractor maintenance schedule: Kubota D1105 and V1505 (BCS, Ferrari, Pasquali)

The schedule below is the official schedule for the Kubota 05 series, to which the D1105 and V1505 belong. It applies to the BCS Invictus K300 and K400, the Ferrari Cromo 35 and K40, the Pasquali Siena K6.30, K6.40 and 35, and also to the Knikmops KM100 and KM130 and countless compact loaders with the same engine.

The 200 hour oil interval applies to the standard sump; with the shallow sump on some installed engines it is 150 hours. If you run fewer than 200 hours a year, simply change it every year, preferably before winter storage. With high-sulphur diesel, halve the oil change intervals.

Kubota D1105 and V1505: capacities, oil and settings

Articulated tractor maintenance: Yanmar 3TNV76 and 3TNV88 (Antonio Carraro, Valpadana)

For the Yanmar engines in the Carraro TTR 4400, Tigre 3800 and 4000 and the Valpadana 4630 and 4645 a slightly longer schedule applies: oil and oil filter after the first 50 hours and then every 250 hours, fuel filter and valve clearance every 500 hours, coolant every 2,000 hours or two years (indicative, from the Yanmar service documentation). The oil capacity is 6.7 litres for the 3TNV88 and 3.4 litres for the 3TNV76 with the standard deep sump; the capacity in the tractor may differ, so fill to the dipstick. Yanmar specifies 15W-40 or 10W-30.

The Antonio Carraro TTR 4400 also has its own schedule for the machine, from the factory manual: transmission oil and hydrostatic filter after the first 50 hours and then every 400 hours (or as soon as the filter’s clogging warning light comes on), remove and clean the linkage filter every 100 hours, check the oil level of the front housing every 50 hours, and clean the radiator screen every 8 hours if needed. The capacities: fuel tank 35 litres, cooling system 7.6 litres (8.4 with cab), front housing 6.5 litres, gearbox and rear housing 8.5 litres. Carraro specifies 15W-40 for the engine and front housing, a UTTO oil (10W-30 tractor oil) for the rear transmission above freezing and a thinner hydrostatic oil below, DOT 3 as brake fluid and a lithium grease for the grease nipples. The clutch should have about 15 mm free play at the pedal.

Articulated tractor maintenance: Lombardini (Goldoni, BCS Vivid)

The water-cooled Lombardini LDW engines (CHD series, such as the 1503, 1603 and 2204) have a first oil change after 50 hours and then oil, oil filter and fuel filter every 200 hours, or every 300 hours with the enlarged sump. With little use, change annually. The V-belt is due every 600 hours, coolant and hoses every 1,200 hours or two years, the injectors go to the workshop every 1,200 hours. The CHD engines have hydraulic tappets, so there is no valve clearance to adjust. Oil capacity LDW 1503/1603: 4.4 litres with filter, grade API CF. The air-cooled two-cylinder in the Goldoni Base 20 has no cooling system, but it does have cooling fins and a fan that you keep free of grass and dust.

Articulated tractor machine maintenance: centre pivot, steering cylinder, linkage and axles

This is where an articulated tractor differs from an ordinary compact tractor. Everything connected to the centre pivot moves with every steering movement.

• Greasing the centre pivot. The central pivot has a grease nipple at the top and bottom (sometimes more). Grease it every 50 hours until fresh grease comes out of the bushes, and again after every wash with the pressure washer. Bushes that run dry wear quickly and develop play that you notice as jerky steering.
• Steering cylinder(s). The eyes of the steering cylinder have their own nipples. Keep the bright piston rod clean; pitting on the rod damages the seal and then the cylinder starts to leak. Heavy or uneven steering left and right is usually a leaking cylinder seal, rarely the orbitrol.
• Hydraulic hoses across the centre pivot. Check them for chafing against the bodywork and chassis. Replace a chafed hose before it bursts; otherwise you lose the power steering in one go.
• Lift arms, lift cylinders, top link and stub axles. Grease according to your machine’s lubrication chart; on Carraro the front and rear lift arms and lift cylinders, the stub axles and the steering cylinder are in the chart.
• Transmission and hydraulic oil. In the BCS group the linkage shares its oil with the gearbox. For the Invictus K400 and the Siena K6.40, parts lists quote about 12 litres of 80W-90 gear oil for the gearbox and 4.8 litres for the front differential (indicative); the official BCS oil chart gives the correct specification per model. The hydraulic filter on the Invictus, Cromo and Siena is a spin-on cartridge with a 3/4″ thread (BCS 581A3617, formerly 58173642, for reference). Change the transmission oil at least every 400 to 500 hours or every two years and replace the filter at the same time; milky oil means water in the gearbox.
• Brakes and clutch. The Invictus has drum brakes on the rear wheels and a dry single-plate clutch. Check that both brake pedals are even and check the clutch free play at every service.
• Tyres. The pressure differs per tyre size and between front and rear (on the Carraro TTR 4400 front 1.4 to 1.6 bar and rear 0.8 to 1.4 bar, lower with turf tyres). Uneven pressure between the front and rear axle is bad for the driveline on an isodiametric tractor with permanent four-wheel drive: both axles then turn a different circumference.

Filters for the articulated tractor: which do you need?

For the Kubota engines in the BCS group it comes down to three filters plus the hydraulic filter. The engine oil filter (M20x1.5) and the fuel filter element are standard Kubota 05 series. The air filter is a BCS-specific housing with an outer element (BCS 58172773, for reference) and an inner element; that outer cartridge is also the element Antonio Carraro (6155539) and Goldoni (06340310) use in a number of models, which explains why one air filter fits an Invictus, a Cromo, a Siena and a TTR 4400. For the Carraro Yanmars there is a separate set with the 3TNV88 filters.

Air filter and radiator: why an articulated tractor clogs up more often

An articulated tractor works low to the ground, in the orchard, along the vines and behind a flail mower that throws up dust, seed and grass. The air intake and the radiator sit right in the middle of it. You see the consequences in practice: clogged radiator fins and an overheating engine when mowing, and air filters that are full after a day of flail mowing. Kubota specifies checking the air filter daily in dusty conditions, emptying the dust cup before it is half full and blowing the element out from the inside at a maximum of 2 bar. Do not do this more often than necessary: every time the housing is opened, dust gets past the element. Replace the outer element after six cleans or annually; never blow out the inner element (safety filter), but replace it at every third change of the outer element. Many owners fit a cyclone pre-cleaner on the intake: depending on the type, it separates 75 to 95 per cent of the dust before it reaches the filter.

Clean the radiator with compressed air or running water from the engine side outwards, never with a screwdriver or a scraper between the fins. Carraro literally lists cleaning the radiator screen in the schedule as “every 8 hours or as required”. A cooling system cleaner through the system and fresh coolant every two years also keep the inside clean.

Bleeding the fuel system after a filter change (Kubota)

1. Fill the tank, open the fuel tap.
2. Loosen the bleed screw on the fuel filter housing until fuel comes out without air bubbles, then tighten it.
3. Open the bleed cock on the injection pump.
4. With an electric lift pump: ignition on for 10 to 15 seconds. With a mechanical lift pump: stop lever to stop and crank for 10 to 15 seconds.
5. Close the bleed cock on the pump, start.

The Yanmar engines in the Carraro and Valpadana are bled the same way via the screw on the filter housing; most have an electric lift pump that does the work as soon as the ignition is on.

Frequently asked questions