The Kubota Engine Inside Your Skid Steer or Track Loader — Serviced by the Elite Dealer
What You'll Learn
- Kubota builds the diesel in a large share of Bobcat, Takeuchi, ASV, and Caterpillar skid steers and compact track loaders — most often a V2607, V3307, V3800, or D1803.
- The badge tells you less than the model year. A 2018 Bobcat T590 is a Kubota V2607. A 2023 Bobcat T76 is not a Kubota at all.
- Which machines are not Kubota-powered — Bobcat R-Series, the larger ASV models, Gehl, Mustang, New Holland — stated plainly, because the popular answers online get this wrong.
- Where the engine model, serial number, and spec code are stamped on a skid steer, and why the spec code decides whether the right part arrives.
- Which work is engine-side and which is machine-side work belonging to your host-brand dealer.
- Published labor: $145/hour in the shop, $165/hour in the field with a two-hour minimum.
The Kubota engine in a Bobcat, Takeuchi, ASV, or Cat skid steer is serviced by a Kubota industrial engine service and parts dealer — not by a Kubota tractor dealer, and not necessarily by the dealer whose badge is on the machine. A Kubota machine dealer sells tractors and SVL loaders and generally won't take a competitor's Bobcat. Your host-brand dealer will, but engine work is often the line it sends back out. A general diesel shop can change filters, but usually can't run a forced regeneration or soot-load reset, because the factory Kubota diagnostic tool is sold to dealers only.
Alpine Equipment — the #1 Kubota Industrial Engine service & parts center in the U.S., and a Kubota Industrial Engine Elite Dealer. Alpine sits on the engine side of that wall, with dealer-level Kubota parts and tooling, and is brand-agnostic about the machine wrapped around the engine. If your loader is down, request a quote or talk to a Kubota engine specialist.
Which skid steers and track loaders actually run Kubota engines
Kubota is one of the largest suppliers of industrial diesels to manufacturers that don't build their own — which is why a machine wearing a Bobcat, Takeuchi, ASV, or Caterpillar badge so often has a Kubota block behind the rear door. The pairings below come from manufacturer spec sheets, dealer parts catalogs, and reman listings that name the host machines outright.
| Host machine (brand + models) | Kubota engine | Displacement / output | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat S550, S570, S590, T550, T590 (M-Series) | V2607-DI-T | 2.6 L, 4-cyl turbo, ~66 hp | Bobcat reman assemblies list exactly these models |
| Bobcat S160, S185, S205, T180, T190 (older) | V2607-T family | Earlier units run V2003 / V2403 | Same reman block and crank numbers span the group |
| Bobcat S630, S650, T630, T650 | V3307-DI-T | 3.3 L, 4-cyl turbo | Sold as a Bobcat-spec build, not a generic V3307 |
| Bobcat S750, S770, T750, T770, S850, T870, A770 | V3800-DI-T | 3.8 L, 4-cyl turbo | Shared turbocharger part number across the group |
| Takeuchi TL8, TL10, TL10V2 | V3307-CR-TE4 | 74.3 hp | Common-rail, Tier 4 |
| Takeuchi TL12V2, TL12R2 | V3800-CR-TI / V3800-TIF4B | 111 hp, 276 lb-ft | DOC + DPF + SCR — requires DEF |
| ASV RT-40, RT-50 (Kubota builds) | D1803-CR-T | 1.8 L, 4-cyl turbo, 37.5 hp | ASV's RT-50 parts manual is titled "w/ Kubota engine" |
| ASV VT-70 (Kubota build) | V2403-CR-TIE4 | 65 hp | Ships with Kubota or Deutz — verify yours |
| Caterpillar D / D3-Series skid steers and CTLs (272D, 299D3) | Cat C3.8 — built by Kubota to Cat specification | V3800 basis | Caterpillar warrants and services the C3.8; Kubota builds it |
| Kubota SSV65, SSV75, SVL65-2, SVL75-2/-3, SVL95-2s | V2607 / V3307 / V3800 | — | Kubota's own machines; this article covers the other brands |
The Caterpillar row surprises people. The Cat C3.8 is built by Kubota to Caterpillar's specification, on the V3800 basis — but Caterpillar warrants and services it, so a C3.8 in a 299D3 goes to your Cat dealer while the machine is covered.
Kubota powers much of the aerial fleet too. That vertical has its own guide: the Kubota engine inside your JLG or SkyTrak.
Which ones are not Kubota-powered
This is what most articles get wrong, and getting it right saves you a call to the wrong shop. Several popular summaries of "which skid steers have Kubota engines" list Gehl and Mustang. Both are Yanmar.
| Host machine | Actual engine |
|---|---|
| Bobcat R-Series — S64, S66, S76, T64, T66, T76 | Bobcat / Doosan D24 — 2.4 L, 61 or 74 hp. Bobcat moved to in-house engines; HD Hyundai Infracore has built them since 2021. |
| ASV RT-75, RT-120, RT-135, RS-75, VS-75 | Cummins QSF2.8 / QSF3.8 |
| ASV VT-70 (alternate build) | Deutz TCD2.2-T4 |
| Gehl R190, R220, R260 · Mustang by Manitou 1650R, 1650RT | Yanmar 4TNV98 / 4TNV98CT |
| New Holland 200-Series L213–L230, C227, C232 | ISM / FPT (Fiat) |
Bobcat R-Series machines do not use Kubota engines. That's the most important line here, because the R-Series is what a contractor buying a late-model Bobcat is most likely to own. Not every skid steer is Kubota-powered — and the year matters more than the badge. A 2018 Bobcat T590 is a Kubota V2607. A 2023 Bobcat T76 is a Bobcat D24. Check the engine, not the brand.
Alpine says so on the first call rather than taking the machine in and finding out later. If your loader runs a Doosan, Cummins, Yanmar, Deutz, or FPT, it belongs somewhere else.
Find the engine you actually have: model, serial, and spec code
Two numbers identify any Kubota engine: the model designation and the serial number, stamped together on a machined boss on the block. On a skid steer they're harder to reach than on an open engine, because the bay sits behind the operator's seat.
- The stamped model and serial. On the 07-Series engines — the V2607 and V3307 covering most of the Bobcat and Takeuchi range — the permanent stamp sits below the intake manifold at the fan end of the block. The serial also appears at the injection-pump mounting face.
- The printed valve-cover label. Faster to read, and usually the first thing you find when the rear door opens. Labels fade, peel, and sometimes get replaced with the wrong one, so treat the stamp as the authority.
- The spec code. Most people never find this one, and it decides whether the right part arrives. The same base engine ships in host-specific builds — a V3307 built to Bobcat's specification carries a suffix saying so, with a different head, injection pump, and cooling package than the Takeuchi build. Order against a generic "V3307" and you get the wrong box.
On most track loaders you'll open the rear door and tilt the floor plate to see the block; some frames need the muffler shield off first. Wipe the boss down — the stamp is shallow and soot hides it completely.
Kubota publishes its own engine model-number guide if you want to read the designation yourself, and Kubota Engine America is the authority for industrial-engine documentation in the US. For the full decoding walkthrough across every Kubota series, see what Kubota engine is in my equipment. With all three numbers in hand, Alpine matches components to the spec code before quoting, ships genuine Kubota parts nationwide, and stocks common service items in its Kubota parts catalog.
Engine-side or machine-side? What Alpine touches and what it doesn't
A skid steer is two machines bolted together: a Kubota diesel, and everything the host brand built around it. Most bad repair experiences come from that seam — the engine shop that won't touch hydraulics, the machine dealer that sends the engine out.
| Alpine's lane — the Kubota engine | Host-brand dealer's lane — the machine |
|---|---|
| Engine oil and filter, fuel filters, water separator, air filter | Tracks, undercarriage, rollers, idlers, sprockets |
| Injectors, injection pump, glow plugs, hard-start and no-start | Drive motors, chaincase, final drives |
| Turbocharger, EGR, intake and boost | Hydraulic pump, control valve, cylinders, hydraulic oil and filters |
| Cooling: radiator, water pump, thermostat, overheat diagnosis | Quick-attach, bucket, attachment plumbing |
| DPF and DOC service, forced regeneration, soot-load reset | Cab, HVAC, joysticks, machine display and machine ECU |
| SCR and DEF system (V3800 Tier 4 Final) | ROPS, lights, machine wiring beyond the engine harness |
| Engine ECU fault codes, live data, cylinder cutout test | Undercarriage alignment, track tension |
| Belts, starter, alternator, head gasket, compression test | |
| Full rebuild or reman drop-in |
Plainly: Alpine services the Kubota engine. Machine-side work, and any host-brand or machine warranty claim, goes back to your host dealer. Alpine is not a Bobcat, Takeuchi, ASV, Gehl, or Caterpillar dealer and does not handle machine warranty. It does the engine — diagnosis, parts, repair, rebuild — whatever that engine is bolted into.
The boundary helps before you call anyone. A loader losing power could be fuel, air, or boost on the engine side, or hydraulic charge pressure on the machine side. The Kubota engine troubleshooting guide covers no-start, overheating, low power, and smoke symptom by symptom; the Kubota industrial engine maintenance schedule covers the intervals that prevent most of it.
Why the Elite Dealer credential matters on a machine that isn't a Kubota
There's a hard line between what an independent diesel shop can do to a modern Kubota and what it can't, and it isn't about skill. It's tool access. The factory Kubota diagnostic software is a dealer product — as the diagnostic-tool vendors put it themselves, unless you are a dealer, buying the OEM Kubota tool isn't possible. A good independent can change filters, bleed a fuel system, replace a starter. It generally can't run a forced regeneration, clear a soot-load value, or perform a cylinder cutout test.
On a Tier 4 Final machine that gap is most of the modern fault list. A Takeuchi TL12V2 in derate — the engine deliberately cutting its own power because the emissions system is blocked, not because anything is broken — doesn't need parts. It needs a procedure.
Alpine Equipment is the #1 Kubota Industrial Engine service & parts center in the U.S., and the sole US recipient of Kubota's 2025 Customer Experience Excellence Award. On a non-Kubota machine, that credential buys three things:
- Dealer-level Kubota diagnostics — forced regeneration, soot-load reset, cylinder cutout, live data, and engine ECU codes read properly rather than guessed off a machine-side display.
- Genuine Kubota parts matched to your spec code — the right injector, head, and cooling components for your host-specific build, not a close-enough substitute.
- Brand-agnostic intake — a Bobcat, a Takeuchi, and an ASV all get the same engine-side treatment.
More on what Elite tier requires: the best Kubota industrial engine dealer.
Published rates and how the job runs
Most of this category publishes nothing. Search what a Kubota engine service costs on a skid steer and you'll surface tractor-dealer promotions for a different product. Alpine publishes its labor rates.
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Shop service | $145/hour |
| Field / on-site service | $165/hour, two-hour minimum |
Those are the only rates here. Parts are quoted once the engine and spec code are confirmed — engine parts pricing is serial-specific, and a flat number before identification is a guess.
Which you want depends on the machine, not the price. Field service fits a loader buried in an active site, and covers diagnosis, fluids, filters, injectors, and regeneration procedures. Shop service fits teardown, head work, rebuilds, and reman drop-ins, where the tooling and the lift are. Alpine works out of American Fork and covers Utah County and Salt Lake County in the field.
Three jobs, three answers
The contractor — Lehi. A framing contractor's Bobcat T590 stops firing halfway through a basement over-dig. It's a 2018, so a Kubota V2607. The Kubota tractor dealer won't take a Bobcat; the Bobcat dealer will, but quotes a week and books the engine work out. A field call at $165/hour, two-hour minimum, puts a Kubota technician on site instead: fuel filter packed with winter sludge, air in the line after the owner's attempted filter change, genuine Kubota filter in and the system bled. Machine never left the lot.
The owner-operator — Spanish Fork. A Takeuchi TL12V2 drops into derate in February after a month of short, cold, idling cycles. That machine runs a Kubota V3800 with DOC, DPF, and SCR, and the soot load never burned off because the engine never got hot enough long enough. This isn't a parts job — it's a forced regeneration and soot-load reset, needing the dealer-level Kubota tool, and it's what the general diesel shop had to hand back. Alpine runs the procedure, reads live data to confirm the DPF is recovering, and flags the duty cycle that caused it.
The fleet manager — West Jordan. Two track loaders down the same week. The first is a 2016 Bobcat T650 — Kubota V3307, engine-side, Alpine's work. The second is a 2023 Bobcat T76 — R-Series, running a Bobcat D24, not a Kubota. Alpine takes the T650 and sends the T76 to his Bobcat dealer: half the fleet handled, half routed correctly on the first call, nothing billed for a machine that was never in the lane.
When to go to your machine dealer instead
Alpine turns work away, and the triggers are worth knowing before you call. Take the machine to your host-brand dealer when:
- It's under host-brand warranty and the fault is covered. Warranty work belongs with the dealer who can claim it. Alpine does not handle host-brand or machine warranty claims.
- The fault is undercarriage, hydraulic, drive-motor, or cab electronics. Tracks, final drives, control valves, joysticks, and HVAC are machine-side.
- The machine ECU is throwing the code, not the engine ECU. Two different computers; the one running the loader is the host brand's.
- You need a host-brand software update or machine-level reflash. Only the host dealer has it.
- The engine isn't a Kubota. A Doosan D24, Cummins QSF, Yanmar, Deutz, or FPT means Alpine is the wrong shop.
Knowing which shop to call first is most of the downtime. A day at the wrong counter costs more than any hourly difference.
Six questions to ask any shop before you hand it a Kubota-powered loader
These work on Alpine and on everyone else. Ask them on the phone, before the machine moves.
- "Are you authorized on the engine, the machine, or neither?" Three different answers, three different capabilities. Plenty of shops are honest about being neither — that's fine for a filter change and wrong for a fault code.
- "Can you run a forced regeneration and a soot-load reset on this engine?" The cleanest yes-or-no test of tool access. If the answer is a pause, the shop is working without the factory software.
- "Will you order parts against my spec code, or against the base engine model?" A shop that doesn't ask for the spec code is going to send a part back.
- "What's your hourly rate, shop and field, and is there a minimum?" Anyone who won't say a number before the machine arrives will not get more forthcoming afterward.
- "Which parts of this job are you sending out?" Sub-contracted work isn't automatically bad — but it's your turnaround, and you should know before you agree to it.
- "If it turns out not to be the engine, what happens?" The right answer is a diagnosis and a referral, not a teardown. Alpine's version of that answer is the engine-side / machine-side split above; its Kubota industrial engine authority page states the same scope.
The pattern is the same one contractors use on any equipment service decision in Utah County: find out what a shop is actually authorized to do before the machine is on its trailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What skid steers have Kubota engines?
Many Bobcat M-Series, Takeuchi, and smaller ASV machines run Kubota industrial diesels — most commonly the V2607, V3307, V3800, and D1803. Bobcat's S550 through T870 range used Kubota engines, Takeuchi's TL8 through TL12 series uses the V3307 and V3800, and ASV's RT-40 and RT-50 use the D1803.
Does my Bobcat have a Kubota engine?
It depends on model and year. Bobcat's M-Series machines — S550, S570, S590, T550, T590, S630, S650, T630, T650, and S750 through T870 — use Kubota engines. Bobcat's newer R-Series, including the S64, S66, S76, T64, T66, and T76, uses the in-house Bobcat/Doosan D24 and is not Kubota-powered.
What Kubota engine is in a Bobcat S650 or T650?
The Bobcat S630, S650, T630, and T650 use the Kubota V3307-DI-T, a 3.3-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel. It ships as a Bobcat-specification build, so parts must be ordered against the spec code rather than a generic V3307 listing.
What engine is in a Takeuchi TL8 or TL10?
The Takeuchi TL8, TL10, and TL10V2 use the Kubota V3307-CR-TE4, a common-rail Tier 4 diesel rated at 74.3 horsepower. The larger TL12V2 and TL12R2 step up to the Kubota V3800 at 111 horsepower with DOC, DPF, and SCR aftertreatment, which requires DEF.
Do ASV track loaders use Kubota engines?
Some do, some don't. The ASV RT-40 and RT-50 use the Kubota D1803-CR-T at 37.5 horsepower, and the VT-70 ships with either a Kubota V2403-CR-TIE4 or a Deutz. The larger RT-75, RT-120, RT-135, RS-75, and VS-75 use Cummins QSF2.8 or QSF3.8 engines, not Kubota.
Is the Cat C3.8 engine made by Kubota?
Yes — the Caterpillar C3.8 is built by Kubota to Caterpillar's specification, based on the Kubota V3800. Caterpillar warrants and services it as a Cat engine, so a C3.8 in a Cat skid steer or track loader normally goes to your Cat dealer.
Who can service the Kubota engine in my skid steer?
A Kubota industrial engine service and parts dealer can service it regardless of which brand of machine it's bolted into. That's a different business from a Kubota tractor dealer, which generally won't take in a competitor's loader. Alpine Equipment is a Kubota Industrial Engine Elite Dealer and works on the engine whatever the host brand.
Can a Kubota dealer work on my Bobcat or Takeuchi?
A Kubota machine dealer usually won't, because the loader is a competitor's product. A Kubota industrial engine dealer will, because its authorization covers the engine rather than the machine. That distinction is why most owners get bounced around.
How much does it cost to service a Kubota engine in a skid steer?
Alpine charges $145/hour for shop labor and $165/hour for field service with a two-hour minimum, plus genuine Kubota parts. Parts are quoted after the model, serial number, and spec code are confirmed, because components differ between host-specific builds of the same base engine.
Where is the engine model number on a skid steer's Kubota engine?
On the 07-Series engines in most Bobcat and Takeuchi loaders, the model designation and serial number are stamped together on a machined boss below the intake manifold at the fan end of the block. A printed label also sits on the valve cover, and the serial repeats at the injection-pump mounting face.
What's the difference between engine repair and machine repair on a track loader?
Engine repair covers the Kubota diesel itself — fuel, injectors, turbo, cooling, aftertreatment, engine ECU codes, and rebuilds. Machine repair covers what the host brand built around it: tracks, undercarriage, final drives, hydraulics, quick-attach, cab, and the machine ECU. Alpine handles the engine side; machine-side work and warranty claims go back to your host-brand dealer.
Can an independent shop run a forced DPF regen on a Kubota engine?
Usually not. The factory Kubota diagnostic tool is sold to dealers only, so most independent shops can't command a forced regeneration, reset a soot-load value, or run a cylinder cutout test. Filter changes and mechanical work are within reach of a good independent; dealer-tool procedures aren't.
Check the engine, not the badge
Your skid steer is two machines in one. The badge on the door tells you who to call about tracks and hydraulics. It tells you little about the diesel, which may be a Kubota V2607, V3307, V3800, or D1803 — or, on a late-model Bobcat R-Series, may not be a Kubota at all. Identify the engine first and the right phone call becomes obvious.
Alpine Equipment brings dealer-level Kubota parts and diagnostics to that engine as the #1 Kubota Industrial Engine service & parts center in the U.S. It services the Kubota engine in Bobcat, Takeuchi, ASV, and other host machines from its American Fork shop and in the field across Utah County and Salt Lake County. It is not a machine dealer for those brands — machine-side work and warranty claims belong with the dealer whose badge is on the loader.
If your loader is down, hard to start, in derate, or losing power, get the engine identified before anyone quotes parts. Request a quote or talk to a Kubota engine specialist, or browse the Kubota parts catalog if you already have your numbers.
