Ranch Hand Supply FEL Valve Kit

[3RRL]

Some of you may have seen Loretta's thread here My New Jinma where she got a brand new 284 in January. She just loves that tractor and plans to do all her gardening and farming with it. It came with the ZL20 loader and valve. We noticed the stock valve does not have a "float" feature and the curl seems to cause strain on the engine even with nothing in the bucket. In operating the stock valve, it's a little difficult to feather. The stock valve also does not have a power beyond capability which makes it harder to add other valves to the system correctly, which we are planning to do.

Anyway, I've heard many others have recommend the Ranch Hand Supply replacement valve which is supposed to be a top quality valve with all the features we were looking for. I've done extensive valve additions to my Kama and know what a pain it is to get everything ordered correctly. So instead of buying my own replacement valve ... trying to figure out the right fittings and getting hoses made, I figure this should be a much easier way to do it. I'll be going to the property this weekend to install the kit. I'll report back on the difficulty of installation, but more importantly, how it functions.

You can go here to see pricing and what the Ranch Hand kit includes.
Jinma Replacement Valve Kits.

[3RRL]

It's a complete bolt on kit which includes everything ... all fittings, hoses that fit, all the right connectors, the valve itself and even the bracket for it. It's pretty reasonable when you consider this is supposed to be a direct swap out...something anybody who knows how to run a wrench can do. It' supposed to not be just for those "hydraulically inclined" types.

I called Ronald, the owner, who was very helpful in making sure we ordered the right one since there is the old style Jinma valve and the new style. He told us to take photos of our valve and the hose connections so he could send the right kit for our Jinma. He said to compare them to the ones on the website. Here are some comparison photos to determine whether you have the old or new valve and what kind of fittings you have.

From Ronald's website, this is the old style valve with the bullet shaped hose connections.



This is the new style valve with the large hose connections.



And below is Loretta's valve and hose connections.



From those photos, we determined Loretta's Jinma has the new style loader and hose connections.
We sent him the photos on Friday and received the kit on Monday!
We'll take it up this weekend to see how easy it goes on. Loretta says she's going to do the install herself!!!

[Diamondpilot]

You will like the new valve, I only hear good things about it. I did a valve replacement on my ZL20 loader before these guys came up with the kit. I used a Prince valve with a float. I had to have new hoses made up with metric on one end and sae on the other. I probably had about the same money in the do it yourself swap but tons of head aches. It took me a month to get the hoses made a shipped.

Chris

[3RRL]

Chris,
Yes you are right about that.
In most of my previous installations on the Kama, by the time I bought all those Metric to American conversion fittings ... by the time I got then right that is, it cost a lot. I'll bet I have a whole drawer full of Metric, BSP and NPT fittings left over. Those babies are not cheap either. Finding a hydraulic guys locally to make hoses is another pain.

If Ronald was not BSing me, this will definitely be the way to go. Especially with Loretta doing it herself. It will prove that his kit can be installed by anyone, regardless of technical background, mechanical inclination or gender.
I'm glad you commented regarding the improvement over the stock valve too.

[3RRL]

Easter weekend was a lot for fun for us with very nice weather.
Loretta got the opportunity to install Ronald's FEL valve while I watched and snapped some pictures of her working. For a quick overview, the valve was a snap to install for her. Ronald's instruction were perfect.

She started by reading the instruction ... something I would never have thought of. Then she got after it at about a quarter till two. Here's some of the pictures I snapped when she got started.



She started removing the existing hoses and valve as suggested in the instructions. I don't know ... I didn't read them. The hoses came of quickly and easily.
I asked her if she needed help but she told me to shut up and just take pictures.



After she got the old valve off, she started to assemble the new valve with the components in the kit. She got the valve with the power beyond sleeve to power other valves down the line properly. She had that part done by a little after two, so less than twenty minutes so far.

[3RRL]

We took a little break because there was some added plumbing required for the extra return to sump line from the new valve since it has the power beyond sleeve in it. The other thing is she decided to paint the new bracket which came with the kit. She wanted it yellow like her Honey Bee. So we didn't count that towards the regular installation, which is basically a swap out from old to new.

Here she is the next day starting the installation of the new valve.
First thing was to bolt the new bracket to the tractor. It fit perfectly to the existing mounting holes. Notice that Ronald has turned the new bracket so the valve mounts on the inside of it, facing the tractor instead of to the outside like the old valve bracket.
Then she bolted on the new valve.



One thing I was impressed with was the new bracket and where it placed the joystick and hoses. You can see how nicely the hoses lay on Ronald's valve. They are protected from the outside with his replacement bracket too.

[3RRL]

Another option she chose was to get replacement quick connectors from Ronald.
So she had to remove both males and females on the tractor and put on the new ones. Ronald suggests you do this to avoid any problems caused by the stock connectors.
When she got done putting them on, all she had to do was connect them from the valve to the tractor. Ronald's instructions provide a good set of step by step instructions and photos that show where all the hoses go.



So that's all there is to it.
I forgot to time her for this last part but I'm certain it was about a half hour. That means the entire installation can be done under an hour easily ... especially if it's a straight swap out and no power beyond or new quick connects involved. The only thing not shown is the hose protector that comes with his kit.
Here she is proud as a peacock of what she did.



She removed the "good luck" horseshoe on the outside of the new bracket so she could paint it a different color. Ronald puts one on the new bracket as a nice custom touch. These photos show how nice the FEL valve kit looks after installed, even without the horseshoe on it.



Valve evaluation ... was it worth it?
We did not give it a full field test, but I'm sure it would pass with flying colors. Instead, we tried out the new valve functions right after installation. There were other hydraulic connections and valves to install yet, and we wanted to get to them after trying Ronald's valve. In doing so, there is a noticeable difference in how the valve feels. The joystick is much smoother ... easier to control and move in comparison with the stock valve. It was much easier to "feather" the functions too. Also, that groan when curling the bucket before ... disappeared. So I'm sure it was due to the old valve not working perfectly like Ronald's valve. That alone was worth it.

In addition to those benefits, Loretta now has a true "float" feature which the old valve didn't have either. The quick regen feature allows for rapid dumping of the bucket. And there is the power beyond to feed the other valves in line properly. Everything worked great!
Bravo Ronald, I would give your kit an A+ for quality, ease of installation, and how well thought out it is. I would recommend this valve replacement kit to anyone who has the stock ZL valve. It is definitely worth the money.
Loretta had no problems whatsoever.

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

Thanks for the kind words Rob !

Loretta, you go girl ! I really like the way you laid out the hyd hoses..... just like I like it !

You did a really nice install. I like the yellow bracket.

Everyone really seems to be happy with there ZL20 & ZL30 loader after the valve upgrade.

Thank you both again !!!

Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

[Mrs3RRL]

Originally Posted by Ranch_Hand_Supp

Loretta, you go girl ! I really like the way you laid out the hyd hoses..... just like I like it !

Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

Thanks, Ronald! Your instructions were very good, too. There was only one place where I was a little confused, but Rob quickly straightened me out. I really liked the photos, and the way you labelled the hoses and the connections in the photos. That made it super easy!

The only problem I had was that MR 3RRL kept wanting to get his grubby little paws in my project!

[3RRL]

The only problem I had was that MR 3RRL kept wanting to get his grubby little paws in my project!

Huh???
That's gratitude for ya ... I get no respect...