Bcs 740 powersafe first run-in
- Thread starter Gatonakos
- Start date
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TimberXX
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2005
- Messages
- 830
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
- Tractor
- BCS 770 Italian 2 Wheel Tractor, Grillo 107d, BCS 853, Deere x350, Deere x730
Congrats. Sorry I cant help with your question, have you tried the owners manual.
Please post pics when you can.
Please post pics when you can.
Ed of all trades
Elite Member
As you get time to run it some let us know what you think of it. What you like and don't like. Hope it serves you well
Congratulations Gatonakos - I wish you a lot of fun with your new "toy" 
Honda doesn't recommend any special run-in procedure in my owner's manual, other than changing the engine oil after the first 20 hour of use.
BCS recommend you to replace the oil filter after the first 30 hours of work, and to check the oil level in the gearbox.
I haven't changed my oil filter yet, but reading the BCS quick guide, I get the impression that you can actually change the oil filter without changing the gearbox oil. It sounds a bit odd to me, but perhaps some of our more experienced members can tell us?
Like you and I, most engines likes to wake up slowly, and BCS also recommend you to leave the engine running for a few minutes after starting it, allowing enough time for the oil to reach the moving parts.
Best regards
Jens
Honda doesn't recommend any special run-in procedure in my owner's manual, other than changing the engine oil after the first 20 hour of use.
BCS recommend you to replace the oil filter after the first 30 hours of work, and to check the oil level in the gearbox.
I haven't changed my oil filter yet, but reading the BCS quick guide, I get the impression that you can actually change the oil filter without changing the gearbox oil. It sounds a bit odd to me, but perhaps some of our more experienced members can tell us?
Like you and I, most engines likes to wake up slowly, and BCS also recommend you to leave the engine running for a few minutes after starting it, allowing enough time for the oil to reach the moving parts.
Best regards
Jens
BCSSHOP
Silver Member
Good video showing it moves as fast as most people walk in 3rd. The 749 with the 6.5x12 wheels and tires is even faster. The most important run-in items as with most equipment is getting the proper operation and feel for the controls for everyone who is going to operate the tractor. Changing the transmission oil filter after 30 hours is no different than most hydraulic driven mowers. The filter is there to catch any fine wear-in metal particles as the gears initially mate during the first few hours. The is not designed to hold them in suspension like engine oils so changing the oil is not required. BCS lowered the price on the oil filter to $10.94 I am told. At least this is the reported price of the filters on the next shipment.
Demo'ing the 739 and 749 at the shop makes the handling of the 853 seem heavy. The 749 with the Kohler diesel with a 30" tiller and quick hitch is about a perfect balance at least for my tastes. The 6.5x12 standard wheel and tires really benefit from having the fixed wheel extension. I wonder how many more I can get!!
Demo'ing the 739 and 749 at the shop makes the handling of the 853 seem heavy. The 749 with the Kohler diesel with a 30" tiller and quick hitch is about a perfect balance at least for my tastes. The 6.5x12 standard wheel and tires really benefit from having the fixed wheel extension. I wonder how many more I can get!!
Hi again John
Approaching my first oil filter change, I just want to play it safe, and not have 2.6 liters of transmission oil running down on my garage floor :ashamed:
Do I understand you right, that I can change the oil filter without the oil leaking? That is what the manual indicates, but again "better safe than sorry" - thanks!
Best regards
Jens
Approaching my first oil filter change, I just want to play it safe, and not have 2.6 liters of transmission oil running down on my garage floor :ashamed:
Do I understand you right, that I can change the oil filter without the oil leaking? That is what the manual indicates, but again "better safe than sorry" - thanks!
Best regards
Jens
BCSSHOP
Silver Member
Hi Jens,
That is my understanding as well but I haven't changed a filter yet either. My Zeroturn Mower with hydraulic drive to the wheel motors had only the oil in the filter run out and it wasn't much. With the pump stopped there should be little oil run out.
That is my understanding as well but I haven't changed a filter yet either. My Zeroturn Mower with hydraulic drive to the wheel motors had only the oil in the filter run out and it wasn't much. With the pump stopped there should be little oil run out.
Hi again
I've now past the first 30 hours of work on my BCS 740, so it was about time to change the oil filter for the first time.
As this thread has been very quiet for some time, I will like to tell about my experience changing the oil filter today.
It really is as easy as I hoped, and was done in 1/2 hour all inclusive. For easier access to the filter, I jacked the tractor up and removed the left hand wheel (mower mode). And yes - the only oil that ran out, was the oil trapped in the filter :thumbsup:
Sadly the price of the oil filter seems to be much higher over here, as I paid 23.86 Euro ($31.34) for an original one incl. VAT.
Best regards
Jens
I've now past the first 30 hours of work on my BCS 740, so it was about time to change the oil filter for the first time.
As this thread has been very quiet for some time, I will like to tell about my experience changing the oil filter today.
It really is as easy as I hoped, and was done in 1/2 hour all inclusive. For easier access to the filter, I jacked the tractor up and removed the left hand wheel (mower mode). And yes - the only oil that ran out, was the oil trapped in the filter :thumbsup:
Sadly the price of the oil filter seems to be much higher over here, as I paid 23.86 Euro ($31.34) for an original one
incl. VAT.Best regards
Jens
Last edited:
SageBrush
Gold Member
Ouch... I thought $12 plus 9% tax was high here in the US.
BCSSHOP
Silver Member
Hello Jens 67,
Here in the States the filter price has been reduced to $10.97 by BCS America. That's the suggested selling price with normal discounts applied to dealers. I (and others) screamed at the old suggested price and they listened. Remember to always remove and clean the magnet drain plug when you change the filter.
Here in the States the filter price has been reduced to $10.97 by BCS America. That's the suggested selling price with normal discounts applied to dealers. I (and others) screamed at the old suggested price and they listened. Remember to always remove and clean the magnet drain plug when you change the filter.
Thank you BCSSHOP for mentioning the magnetic cap.
I didn`t remove the magnetic cap, as I have the impression this will for sure drain all the oil out of the gearbox - or am I wrong?
My BCS manual tells to replace the oil filter and to check the oil level in the gearbox after the first 30 hours of work only. Every 100 hours - or at least once a year - to change the oil, replace the filter and clean the magnetic cap.
This indicates to me, that there is a connection between removing the magnetic cap and changing/draining the oil, so until I know better, I`ll better leave the magnetic cap in place until I change the oil.
Best regards
Jens
I didn`t remove the magnetic cap, as I have the impression this will for sure drain all the oil out of the gearbox - or am I wrong?
My BCS manual tells to replace the oil filter and to check the oil level in the gearbox after the first 30 hours of work only. Every 100 hours - or at least once a year - to change the oil, replace the filter and clean the magnetic cap.
This indicates to me, that there is a connection between removing the magnetic cap and changing/draining the oil, so until I know better, I`ll better leave the magnetic cap in place until I change the oil.
Best regards
Jens
Hi again BCSSHOP
As I passed the first 100 hours on my BCS 740 last summer, I changed the oil in the gearbox, cleaned the magnetic cap, and finally replaced the oil filter as recommended in the user's manual. You mention in your post of March 13th 2013, that you haven't replaced an oil filter yourself yet. Perhaps you have by now? You recommend, "to always remove and clean the magnet drain plug when you change the filter".
This makes sense whenever you want to change the oil in the gearbox, as the magnetic cap also have the function of a drain plug. For the first 30-hour change of only the oil filter, I suggest that you leave it in, or you will for sure have a lot of oil running down your garage floor.
When changing an oil filter on any machine, it's always wise to look inside the filter for any metal particles that might indicate the wellbeing of the machine. At my 30-hour and 100-hour oil filter change, I didn't see any metal particles. I expected to see some fine wear-in particles on the magnetic cap, but I was nevertheless very surprised as I removed it for the first time, and saw - what I consider to be - quite a lot of metal particles (see first photo). Comparing it to the cleaned cap on the second photo, it seems as a lot of wear-in particles for my taste.
I would highly appreciate any comments from members who have done an oil change in the gearbox, and especially, if you have had a similar experience with wear-in particles on the magnetic cap. I look forward to see the magnetic cap at the next oil change by 200 hours.
Best regards
Jens
As I passed the first 100 hours on my BCS 740 last summer, I changed the oil in the gearbox, cleaned the magnetic cap, and finally replaced the oil filter as recommended in the user's manual. You mention in your post of March 13th 2013, that you haven't replaced an oil filter yourself yet. Perhaps you have by now? You recommend, "to always remove and clean the magnet drain plug when you change the filter".
This makes sense whenever you want to change the oil in the gearbox, as the magnetic cap also have the function of a drain plug. For the first 30-hour change of only the oil filter, I suggest that you leave it in, or you will for sure have a lot of oil running down your garage floor.
When changing an oil filter on any machine, it's always wise to look inside the filter for any metal particles that might indicate the wellbeing of the machine. At my 30-hour and 100-hour oil filter change, I didn't see any metal particles. I expected to see some fine wear-in particles on the magnetic cap, but I was nevertheless very surprised as I removed it for the first time, and saw - what I consider to be - quite a lot of metal particles (see first photo). Comparing it to the cleaned cap on the second photo, it seems as a lot of wear-in particles for my taste.
I would highly appreciate any comments from members who have done an oil change in the gearbox, and especially, if you have had a similar experience with wear-in particles on the magnetic cap. I look forward to see the magnetic cap at the next oil change by 200 hours.
Best regards
Jens
NibbanaFarm
Silver Member
I haven't taken mine out yet Jens so I can't compare. But, that doesn't seem like a lot of particles to me. It's a brand new gearbox so there are going to be burrs on just about every part from the factory. Maybe not every part, but there are going to be some. It would be hard to clean every burr out of the castings and get every burr off every moving part. And as the parts wear in together they will shed some metal. You'll probably get less as it breaks in. It looks normal to me.
I am going into my third year and have only changed the filter. I have no idea what the hours are but I'm trying my best to wear this thing out. I use it a lot. The fluid itself is perfectly clear. I didn't even really see any point in changing it at all, but now I see that it might be a good idea to clean off that magnet. Straight 90 weight GL5 gear lube is not available here in New England. The only 80w-90 GL5 lube that I can find is the Valvoline. I usually use Mobil synthetic lubes but they only offer 75w-90.
I am going into my third year and have only changed the filter. I have no idea what the hours are but I'm trying my best to wear this thing out. I use it a lot. The fluid itself is perfectly clear. I didn't even really see any point in changing it at all, but now I see that it might be a good idea to clean off that magnet. Straight 90 weight GL5 gear lube is not available here in New England. The only 80w-90 GL5 lube that I can find is the Valvoline. I usually use Mobil synthetic lubes but they only offer 75w-90.
Hi again NibbanaFarm
Thank you for your fast reply - and your consolation. I hope you're right! My only comparison is from the late 1970s, where I frequently changed the oil on my Honda CB 400 Four motorcycle. It had a magnetic drain plug as well as an oil filter - like the BCS, but I recall much less metal parts on the cap. This is probably just a wear-in issue, and by the next oil change at 200 working hours, I will have a chance to compare, and hopefully see far less metal particles.
Using your tractor as much as you do, I would consider an oil change if you are going to have a look at the magnetic cap anyway. It would also give us a chance to compare
I don't want to make this into rocket science, but for you to get an idea of how many hours you put on your tractor, I can recommend this little "toy":
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...show-me-your-mods.html?highlight=#post3291933
As a little bonus, you get a tachometer on top :thumbsup:
Best regards
Jens
Thank you for your fast reply - and your consolation. I hope you're right! My only comparison is from the late 1970s, where I frequently changed the oil on my Honda CB 400 Four motorcycle. It had a magnetic drain plug as well as an oil filter - like the BCS, but I recall much less metal parts on the cap. This is probably just a wear-in issue, and by the next oil change at 200 working hours, I will have a chance to compare, and hopefully see far less metal particles.
Using your tractor as much as you do, I would consider an oil change if you are going to have a look at the magnetic cap anyway. It would also give us a chance to compare
I don't want to make this into rocket science, but for you to get an idea of how many hours you put on your tractor, I can recommend this little "toy":
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...show-me-your-mods.html?highlight=#post3291933
As a little bonus, you get a tachometer on top :thumbsup:
Best regards
Jens
NibbanaFarm
Silver Member
Jens,
I finally got around to changing my gearbox lube/hydraulic oil. It looks just about the same as yours did. You use yours for mowing I assume, so more horsepower than what I usually am doing power wise. But still, entirely comparable. I remember changing oil on my Honda 450 back in the 70's too. I would expect a lot more particles on the magnetic drain of a BCS tractor. The Honda was probably 90% nonferrous metal where the BCS is probably at least 90% ferrous. Anyway, no worries.
Nibbana
I finally got around to changing my gearbox lube/hydraulic oil. It looks just about the same as yours did. You use yours for mowing I assume, so more horsepower than what I usually am doing power wise. But still, entirely comparable. I remember changing oil on my Honda 450 back in the 70's too. I would expect a lot more particles on the magnetic drain of a BCS tractor. The Honda was probably 90% nonferrous metal where the BCS is probably at least 90% ferrous. Anyway, no worries.
Nibbana
jrpeterson05
Member
Well, I guess I will show mine too
I got mine 739 very lightly use. The first owner said he maybe put an hour on it. I had around 30 hours but it was almost 2 year so I changed the oil anyway.
I got mine 739 very lightly use. The first owner said he maybe put an hour on it. I had around 30 hours but it was almost 2 year so I changed the oil anyway.
Hi 
3 years have passed, since I removed the magnetic oil cap on my BCS 740, and changed the transmission oil for the first time. When considering that the transmission oil passes through an oil filter as well, I was slightly surprised to see the amount of wear-in particles on the oil cap then. When comparing with the pictures in the 2 posts above though, it is perhaps what one might expect.
After adding another 100 hours, I now passed the first 200 hours on the tractor, so I was up for the second oil change - and the third oil filter change. I was very excited to examine the magnetic oil cap, and as can be seen on the foto, there was much less metal particles this time - as I had hoped :thumbsup:
In 3 years time - when the next oil change is up - I hope to see even less particles on the oil cap.
Best regards
Jens
3 years have passed, since I removed the magnetic oil cap on my BCS 740, and changed the transmission oil for the first time. When considering that the transmission oil passes through an oil filter as well, I was slightly surprised to see the amount of wear-in particles on the oil cap then. When comparing with the pictures in the 2 posts above though, it is perhaps what one might expect.
After adding another 100 hours, I now passed the first 200 hours on the tractor, so I was up for the second oil change - and the third oil filter change. I was very excited to examine the magnetic oil cap, and as can be seen on the foto, there was much less metal particles this time - as I had hoped :thumbsup:
In 3 years time - when the next oil change is up - I hope to see even less particles on the oil cap.
Best regards
Jens
Hi
I am aware that the tittle of this thread does perhaps not reflect the content of this post any longer, but in order to keep all my posts regarding oil changes in one thread, and thereby making them easier for other/new members to read in sequence, I will nevertheless post them here.
Since a few weeks, I have had my BCS 740 for 10 years, and been very pleased with the performance of the tractor and also with the engine. As I also passed 300 hours on the tractor almost on the date, it was time for some serious maintenance. Part of this was the fourth engine oil change, the fourth change of the oil filter and the third change of the transmission oil.
As mentioned in post #10, I again jacked the tractor up and removed the left hand wheels (front PTO-mode) for better access to the oil filter. First though, I connected one of my implements, to prevent the tractor from tipping over. I also removed the engine protection bar for better access to the 2 engine oil drain plugs. As I now had free access to the recoil starter, I removed that and cleaned it and the cooling fan for debris, while the hot engine oil was running out of the engine.
In order to get as much transmission oil out as possible, I have found it useful to tilt the tractor, so that the engine sits on the ground. For that, I put on the wheels again and disconnect the tractor from the implement. Again I do this just after using the tractor, and while the oil is still hot. After removing the oil cap, I leave the tractor with the engine sitting on the flor for the night, allowing all oil to drain.
The above picture shows the magnetic oil cap after 300 hours. To me it looks like the amount of metal particles are almost the same as after 200 hours - perhaps slightly less.
As mentioned before, there are still quite a lot of metal particles on the cap for my liking. Perhaps I worry too much, but the metal particles on the magnetic cap have to come from somewhere, and the metal must be „missing“ there - or not? When comparing to the Honda motorcycle that I had in the 1970s, and where there were hardly any metal parts on the magnetic cap, my guess is that chips perhaps comes from the gear wheels. Compared to a car or motorcycle, our 2-wheel tractors have a very simple sliding-mesh non-synchronized gearbox with straight-cut spur gears. As we have probably all experienced, this means that engaging a gear or the PTO can be tricky, and might be accompanied by a bit of noise when the gear wheels are grinding. I guess this is where the chips comes from, even though I try to do my best to avoid grinding of course.
Another important part of the 300 hour maintenance of the Honda engine, is checking/replacing the spark plug, and checking - and if necessary adjusting - the valve clearance.
My spark plug looked just fine, and the gap was 0.7 mm as required, so I decided not to replace it.
In order to check the valve clearance, I carefully lower a little screwdriver down the spark plug hole until it touches the piston top. By slowly rotating the engine by pulling the starter grip, it is easy to see when the piston is at TDC (top dead center) on the compression stroke. In this position both rocker arms are free to move as both valves are closed. If there are tension on the rocker arms at TDC, the piston is at the end of the exhaust stroke, and the engine most be rotated a complete revolution to bring the piston back to TDC, but now at the end of the compression stroke!
My intake valve clearance was exactly 0.15 mm as it should be, so no adjustment was needed. The exhaust valve on the other hand, had a clearance of 0.35 mm, or almost double the recommended 0.20 mm! This didn’t come as a big surprise to me, as the compression release system hasn’t worked properly for some time. Due to the excessive clearance, the compression release system can’t open the exhaust valve that little bit to allow part of the compression pressure to escape. This means that it is much harder to pull the starter, and that is has a nasty habit of kicking back. To prevent this from happening in the future, I will check the valve clearance every 200 hours instead, and if necessary adjust accordingly.
As a final task I of course cleaned the air filter, and now I look forward to many trouble free hours with my tractor again
Best regards
Jens
I am aware that the tittle of this thread does perhaps not reflect the content of this post any longer, but in order to keep all my posts regarding oil changes in one thread, and thereby making them easier for other/new members to read in sequence, I will nevertheless post them here.
Since a few weeks, I have had my BCS 740 for 10 years, and been very pleased with the performance of the tractor and also with the engine. As I also passed 300 hours on the tractor almost on the date, it was time for some serious maintenance. Part of this was the fourth engine oil change, the fourth change of the oil filter and the third change of the transmission oil.
As mentioned in post #10, I again jacked the tractor up and removed the left hand wheels (front PTO-mode) for better access to the oil filter. First though, I connected one of my implements, to prevent the tractor from tipping over. I also removed the engine protection bar for better access to the 2 engine oil drain plugs. As I now had free access to the recoil starter, I removed that and cleaned it and the cooling fan for debris, while the hot engine oil was running out of the engine.
In order to get as much transmission oil out as possible, I have found it useful to tilt the tractor, so that the engine sits on the ground. For that, I put on the wheels again and disconnect the tractor from the implement. Again I do this just after using the tractor, and while the oil is still hot. After removing the oil cap, I leave the tractor with the engine sitting on the flor for the night, allowing all oil to drain.
The above picture shows the magnetic oil cap after 300 hours. To me it looks like the amount of metal particles are almost the same as after 200 hours - perhaps slightly less.
As mentioned before, there are still quite a lot of metal particles on the cap for my liking. Perhaps I worry too much, but the metal particles on the magnetic cap have to come from somewhere, and the metal must be „missing“ there - or not? When comparing to the Honda motorcycle that I had in the 1970s, and where there were hardly any metal parts on the magnetic cap, my guess is that chips perhaps comes from the gear wheels. Compared to a car or motorcycle, our 2-wheel tractors have a very simple sliding-mesh non-synchronized gearbox with straight-cut spur gears. As we have probably all experienced, this means that engaging a gear or the PTO can be tricky, and might be accompanied by a bit of noise when the gear wheels are grinding. I guess this is where the chips comes from, even though I try to do my best to avoid grinding of course.
Another important part of the 300 hour maintenance of the Honda engine, is checking/replacing the spark plug, and checking - and if necessary adjusting - the valve clearance.
My spark plug looked just fine, and the gap was 0.7 mm as required, so I decided not to replace it.
In order to check the valve clearance, I carefully lower a little screwdriver down the spark plug hole until it touches the piston top. By slowly rotating the engine by pulling the starter grip, it is easy to see when the piston is at TDC (top dead center) on the compression stroke. In this position both rocker arms are free to move as both valves are closed. If there are tension on the rocker arms at TDC, the piston is at the end of the exhaust stroke, and the engine most be rotated a complete revolution to bring the piston back to TDC, but now at the end of the compression stroke!
My intake valve clearance was exactly 0.15 mm as it should be, so no adjustment was needed. The exhaust valve on the other hand, had a clearance of 0.35 mm, or almost double the recommended 0.20 mm! This didn’t come as a big surprise to me, as the compression release system hasn’t worked properly for some time. Due to the excessive clearance, the compression release system can’t open the exhaust valve that little bit to allow part of the compression pressure to escape. This means that it is much harder to pull the starter, and that is has a nasty habit of kicking back. To prevent this from happening in the future, I will check the valve clearance every 200 hours instead, and if necessary adjust accordingly.
As a final task I of course cleaned the air filter, and now I look forward to many trouble free hours with my tractor again
Best regards
Jens
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