The Japanese multinational corporation, Kubota, has been in business since 1890. In 1969, the corporation formed the Kubota Tractor Corporation in the US and launched the first Kubota tractor there. If these machines are maintained properly, they can last 5,000 hours (at 200 hours per year–equaling 25 years.).
All Kubota tractors feature four categories of warning lights, which are: “Red” – a major issue that requires shutting down the tractor as soon as possible; “Amber” – less severe but still needs attention; “Flashing amber” – an electrical fault has developed; and finally, “Green” shows that everything is working correctly.
These tractors are popular for their durability and functionality. But even the most well-made machines sometimes have problems. One of the most common issues people encounter with Kubota tractors is faulty warning lights, which we’ll discuss in this article.
The position of the warning lights and symbols vary between different models of Kubota tractors. However, the symbols are universal across the range and have the same meaning.
The descriptions in this article refer to the Kubota tractor model M9960. Consult your owner’s manual (downloadable here) for the position on your model Kubota tractor.
The Kubota Tractor Dashboard Warning Lights And Symbols
Tractors are accustomed to rugged use, and the driver may be so focused on the job that they rarely look at the instrument panel. However, you must check the instrument panel regularly and address any warning lights.
Because of this, Kubota takes a lot of effort to ensure that the systems are proactive and able to provide a warning as timeously as possible.
It achieves this by embedding several warning lights and symbols in the instrument panel.
The central processing computer constantly analyzes the state of the mechanical components and activates the warning lights if there is a problem.
Light Categories
Kubota tractors provide four categories of warning lights, which are listed below and what they mean.
Red Warning Lights: A red warning light on the Kubota tractor’s instrument panel indicates that one of the machine’s crucial systems has malfunctioned.
When a red light appears, it is vital to stop the tractor as soon as you can safely do so and to investigate the issue to ascertain what is wrong.
Do not restart the tractor until you have identified the problem.
Amber Warning Lights: When an amber warning light activates on the Kubota tractor’s instrument panel, it warns that something needs addressing.
It is not as serious an issue as a red warning light; however, it warns that one of the secondary systems has a defect that needs to be corrected.
If an amber light activates, it is generally safe to drive the Kubota tractor back to the usual storage location. When safely secured, you can trace and correct the source of the problem.
Green Warning Lights: A green light indicates that the system is working.
Blinking lights: When the lights blink (other than the indicator lights), it generally means an electrical failure. These should be diagnosed and corrected before moving off.
The following describes the Kubota tractor warning lights on rows, from top to bottom.
The Top Display
In the top section, there are five warning lights.
The lights are explained from left to right.
- Left indicator light
- Headlight main beam
- The Master system warning indicator. If this light activates, the driver must immediately stop the engine and diagnose the cause.
- Hazard lights
- Right indicator light
The LCD Screen
An LCD screen is positioned immediately below the top display, containing multiple warning and information lights.
The symbols are described starting from the top left corner of the LCD screen.
- Top left: Whether forward or reverse gear is selected.
- Next to the right: It indicates the status of the automatic speed change system and is activated when the tractor is in “Travel” or “Field” mode.
- Next to the right: The gear position indicator tells you which gear the tractor is in by displaying a number (1-8) or letter (E) that matches the gear the tractor is traveling in.
- The far right of the LCD panel: This is the position indicator of the range gear shift (L-low, M-Medium, H-High, C-Creep, or N-Neutral.)
- Next row down left: Indicates the status of the rev limiter, which flashes when the engine speed equals or is less than the selected speed.
- To the right of the rev limiter: A globe-shaped symbol activates when you set the RPM to dual memory.
- To the right of the RPM dual memory: This display can show five digits, including elapsed time (hour meter), maximum engine speed, the engine speed set in the memory, and a failure code.
- On the line above the digit display: The word “trip” activates when the “trip time mode” is active.
- To the right of the digit display: This is a single alphabetical value that indicates one of the following settings: “H” is the hour meter or trip time, “A” or “B” is the RPM dual memory, and “L” means that you’ve set the Rev-limiter control.
- The bottom right-hand corner: This displays the angle of the lift arm.
The LCD screen is located between two circular instrument gauges. There is a tachometer (RPM gauge) on the left-hand side and a fuel gauge on the right-hand side.
The Right Hand Side Circular Gauge
The right-hand side gauge contains the following warning lights.
Three indicators are positioned in a line along the top of the gauge.
- Left: Fuel level warning.
- Center: The electrical charge warning indicator.
- Right: The engine warning indicator (this will activate simultaneously with the Master system warning indicator – gauge 3 above.)
Below are two gauges.
- Left: Fuel Gauge.
- Right: Coolant temperature gauge.
The Left Hand Side Circular Gauge
The left-hand circular gauge is the rev counter (tachometer); this component has no symbols or warning lights.
The Panel In The Center Below The LCD Gauge
This panel may be the most confusing to someone unfamiliar with Kubota tractors and their design philosophy.
The panel consists of fourteen symbols distributed across four rows.
The Top Row Contains Three Symbols, From Left To Right
- Top Left: This lights up when the tractor’s four-wheel drive system is engaged.
- Next to the right: This is the bi-speed indicator, which activates the four-wheel drive symbol and itself when the bi-speed turn mode is engaged.
- Right hand corner: The rear wheel diff lock indicator activates when the rear wheel diff lock is engaged.
The Second Row From The Top Contains Four Symbols From Left To Right
- Left-hand side symbol: The Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration indicator activates when the automatic systems are set, and the light is on. The light flashes when it activates the Diesel Particulate Filter’s cleaning.
- The second symbol across: The PARKED Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration indicator light turns on when the regeneration system starts up, and the tractor is parked.
- The third symbol across: Is a warning symbol that means the engine speed is too low. If this happens, increase the RPMs to prevent damage to the engine.
- The fourth symbol across: If the regeneration process is unsuccessful, this light will come on, and the PARKED Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration lights will flash. If they activate, stop the tractor immediately and begin a manual “PARKED” regeneration.
The Third Row From The Top Contains Three Symbols From Left To Right
- The left-hand side symbol: This is the 3-P. The lifting / Lowering indicator activates when the 3-point hitch is in use.
- The second symbol across: This is the “draft” control which displays the draft control position maintaining the penetration of the plow in the ground.
- The right-hand symbol: Is the PTO clutch indicator indicating when the PTO (Power Take Off) control clutch is activated.
The Bottom Row Contains Four Symbols From Left To Right
- The left-hand side symbol: This is the low oil quantity light indicating that the oil level is below the recommended level.
- The second symbol across: activates if the air filter needs cleaning.
- The third symbol across: This light indicates when the parking brake is activated.
- Fourth symbol across: This indicates when the heater is activated.
Final Word
Kubota tractors are known for being durable as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintenance. If a warning light pops up on the instrument panel, figure out and fix the problem immediately.
The warning lights inform you of potential problems and can help prevent costly future repairs.
By familiarizing yourself with the warning lights on a Kubota tractor, you will be able to identify any issues and take appropriate steps to remedy them before they become major problems.
This will ultimately help keep your Kubota operating efficiently and safely. A Kubota tractor can last 20-25 years or more when properly maintained.
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Sources
https://www.kubotabooks.com/AutoIndex/index.php?dir=Tractor%2520Owners%2520Manuals/