Does anybody know if some spool valves are generic?

[etpm]

The FEL on my tractor, a Bulldog 285, uses a valve made by AKON. I have not been able to find a source for parts for this valve in the USA. The valve does not have a float position and I would like to add it. Or maybe somebody here knows about these valves and can tell me if adding float is even possible. Using parts for another brand. In the end I may buy another valve if I can find one that will fit easily in the same spot and has hose connections in the same place. But it would be so much easier to either buy the float parts if that's what it takes. I'm in the USA and it looks like AKON stuff is not available here. I have no idea why the folks who made the Bulldog FEL would use a valve without float and further why they would use a valve that I can't find parts for. How could they not know that I would want to add float? Don't I count?
Eric

 

[oldnslo]

Eric
Highly doubtful that other brands of valve spools with float would work in your existing valve. Suspect you will have to replace the complete valve to get float option.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

You can use a FEL valve from another application to replace teh one you have stock.

First, are you certain you don’t have float? When I first bought my tractor, the previous owner hadn’t used the float, and I had to take the cap off the valve, and clean things out, in order to get the float to work.

If you install a new valve be sure the flow capacity is right for your hydraulics. To large of a valve makes it difficult, if not impossible to make fine adjustments.

 

[bmaverick]

The FEL on my tractor, a Bulldog 285, uses a valve made by AKON. I have not been able to find a source for parts for this valve in the USA. The valve does not have a float position and I would like to add it. Or maybe somebody here knows about these valves and can tell me if adding float is even possible. Using parts for another brand. In the end I may buy another valve if I can find one that will fit easily in the same spot and has hose connections in the same place. But it would be so much easier to either buy the float parts if that's what it takes. I'm in the USA and it looks like AKON stuff is not available here. I have no idea why the folks who made the Bulldog FEL would use a valve without float and further why they would use a valve that I can't find parts for. How could they not know that I would want to add float? Don't I count?
Eric

Eric,
Did you ever get this resolved with the BD285? And what more can you tell me about AKON?

 

[etpm]

Eric,
Did you ever get this resolved with the BD285? And what more can you tell me about AKON?

I never was able to get parts for this valve, or to even find anyone who sells them anywhere in the world. I did find the AKON company and they sell lots of hydraulic stuff but I couldn't find my valve. I found LCI on the web and emailed them about 3 weeks ago but never got a reply. Interestingly though, their website shows my YM2310 tractor with a Bulldog 285 mounted, all rebuilt and for sale. So now I think they are the ones who rebuilt my tractor. I have no idea how it came to be in the USA. The guy I bought it from didn't mention it and I was clueless at the time about tractors from Viet Nam. Apparently they did a good job on the engine because I started it a few days ago when the temp was 36 degrees and it started quickly. This is with no thermostart. So I'm thinking the compression is pretty good. I love that tractor.
Eric

 

[bmaverick]

I never was able to get parts for this valve, or to even find anyone who sells them anywhere in the world. I did find the AKON company and they sell lots of hydraulic stuff but I couldn't find my valve. I found LCI on the web and emailed them about 3 weeks ago but never got a reply. Interestingly though, their website shows my YM2310 tractor with a Bulldog 285 mounted, all rebuilt and for sale. So now I think they are the ones who rebuilt my tractor. I have no idea how it came to be in the USA. The guy I bought it from didn't mention it and I was clueless at the time about tractors from Viet Nam. Apparently they did a good job on the engine because I started it a few days ago when the temp was 36 degrees and it started quickly. This is with no thermostart. So I'm thinking the compression is pretty good. I love that tractor.
Eric

Eric,
I got this info off the Archive.org site,
www.luckyco.net March 2010 listings,

Lucky Co - Tractor's Implements

Lucky Co - Tractor's Implements

Add: No 2 st, Tan Dong Hiep B Industrial park, Di An dist, Binh Duong province - Tel: (+84) 650 627 1203 - Fax: (+84) 650 627 1206

Found this info for AKON,
AKON HIDROLIK is a directional control hydraulic valves and components manufacturer, serving for the mobile hydraulics industry, founded in 1980. As time passes, AKON specialized in manufacturing hydraulic valves including both sectional and monoblock types varying from 35lt/min to 150lt/min. With this specialization AKON has improved his ability to meet customer demands by manufacturing both standardized and customized products. AKON now offers one of the widest product range in Turkiye and is the leader especially in variety of catalogue products for standard applications with the capacity of 180.000 spools/year thanks to his qualified staff, engineering facilities, technical infrastructure, modern machinery and foundry.

AKON hydraulic valves are being applied in many fields of mobile hydraulic markets such as agricultural machines, tractors, car transporters, concrete pumps, mobile cranes, forest cranes, garbage trucks, front end loaders, back-hoes, fishing net collectors etc
Links
AKON HİDROLİK Anasayfa - Akon Hidrolik

Found a forum member posting this,
Bulldog 285 front loader...where can I get parts
assortment of fittings at harbor frieght. Numbers on container #67569 chased threads and put in fittings worked well. Hope that helps.
Metric Grease Fitting Assortment, 32 Piece

Not even sure if the info below even gets anyone on the phone,
LCI Products USA,
East Texas Imports Inc
Address : 23360 I20, Wills Points, Texas 75169
Tel : +1-903-865-1220
Fax : +1-903-865-1210

James Stafford
East Texas Equipment
1562 NW Access Road
Mt. Vernon Texas 75457
(903) 537-2730

On the YTOG and on the other Tractorforum.com there is a VN contact person for Japan Gray Market parts and machines. Would it be interesting if the person was originally from LCI in the past?

Southern Global has a 285 for sale for $1,800 "as-is". The bucket is totally shot. So, the loader arms and controls could be really worn too.
Front end loader - Bulldog 285

Back in the day, BullDog brand was hammering the market with a reliable loader where nobody could touch their prices. Today, try to find a loader complete and new for under $5,000 install on your machine. Impossible.

 

[bmaverick]

BTW, LCI offered the BullDog in regular controls and 6-way controls.

From their old archived site, here is the regular,

 

[bmaverick]

Now for grins and giggles, I'll toss this info out to you too. This is the ORIGINAL Yanmar parts manual for all the Gray Market loaders.
I wonder if BullDog loaders copied any of it? Originally the BullDog loaders were made for Yanmar Asian YM models, not other brands like Hinomoto, Mitsubishi, Kubota, Iseki, etc, yet we see a strong bit of evidence later these were adopted over a couple of years later. See attached


From the earliest records, BullDog loaders started to appear in the USA around 2004. LCI claims to have a mfg factory with 300 people making Ag and industrial equipment. Around 2012, LCI went off the radar as Yanmar started a quest to dismantle the Gray Market in the USA.

 

[bmaverick]

Oh, earlier today, I got internet error saying this web site did NOT exist. I just tried it now,

BULLDOG 285

<p><img width="720" height="560" alt="" src="/Resources/image/chi-tiet-gau285.jpg" /></p>

lciproduct.com

 

[bmaverick]

I never was able to get parts for this valve, or to even find anyone who sells them anywhere in the world. I did find the AKON company and they sell lots of hydraulic stuff but I couldn't find my valve. I found LCI on the web and emailed them about 3 weeks ago but never got a reply. Interestingly though, their website shows my YM2310 tractor with a Bulldog 285 mounted, all rebuilt and for sale. So now I think they are the ones who rebuilt my tractor. I have no idea how it came to be in the USA. The guy I bought it from didn't mention it and I was clueless at the time about tractors from Viet Nam. Apparently they did a good job on the engine because I started it a few days ago when the temp was 36 degrees and it started quickly. This is with no thermostart. So I'm thinking the compression is pretty good. I love that tractor.
Eric

Found much more on the Hoye seldom used forum now,

YM2000 - Yanmar Tractor Support Message Board