Frey FEL bucket leveler valve how to plumb to spool?

airhead · Oct 2, 2017

Hi
I'm trying to hook up my spool to my FEL. It's a Frey loader and I think it has a bucket leveler, it has these two small cylinders on the lift that are connected to the bucket hydraulics through a valve.
3 hoses come off of the bucket and I'm tring to get my head around how they work. All the markings are worn off the valve.

The bucket (leveler?) valve has nine ports:
-bottom hard lines (4) are plumbed direct from the in/out on spool, to the small cylinders on the lift plumbed parallel to the hard lines to the bottom ports (two each side) on the bucket valve
-then the valve has 4 top side ports, two hoses each side for the bucket cylinders (2).
-last it has a hard line off the center of the valve with a 3rd hose.

My Cross spool hook up has a pump in, return to sump and two hoses to each side of the large lift cylinders.
The bucket has two hoses on spool and the third hose goes to the return to sump
It also has a power beyond port, that now runs to my 3pt hitch and seems to be working without issue.

No pic's but this Frey loader link is basically the exact same loader except mine must be an older model. 2nd from last pic is the valve I'm talking about.
Frey 753 Front End Loader - Dryden, MI | Machinery Pete

oldnslo · Oct 3, 2017

Airhead,
During self leveling here is how I believe this system works:
These assumptions are based on the curl / dump cylinders retract to dump.
The two small cylinders rod ends are used to feed oil into the rod ends of the curl cylinders while lifting which level the bucket during lift.
Lowering oil from the blind of the small cylinders feeds the blind end of the curl cylinders to level during lower.

I cannot tell in the pictures but how many hoses connect to the tractor on this loader? If four then I believe it would connect like a normal FEL.

Zebrafive · Oct 3, 2017

Where does the "last" center hard line from the leveling valve go? I am thinking it's a return to sump and the valve has an internal relief valve(s)for when then the small cylinders below the boom run out of travel excess oil can return to sump.
If that's the case, one spool will have two lines for the boom cylinders and the other spool two lines for the curl/dump cylinders and the this fifth line will return to sump (transmission case).

LD1 · Oct 4, 2017

I think oldnslo is a backwards on how the leveling cylinders work. (or I could be wrong....not enough coffee in me yet)?

But the physical act of raising the loader is making that little leveling cylinder expel oil out the rod port. As per oldnslo this oil would also go to the rod end of the curl cylinders. Which would make the bucket curl back even more when raising. Which is NOT what you want to level. So this is where I think he is backwards. The rod side oil from the level cylinders go to the base (blind) end of the curl cylinders. Which makes them DUMP when raising the loader to maintain level.

And vice versa when lowering.

Not sure what that valve is, but I would guess it to be a check valve and/or relief valve. That way when curling or dumping you arent pressurizing that little leveling cylinder and having it try to act as lift cylinders and raise/lower the loader. And a relief in that if you are already dumped ALL the way....and you raise the loader.....the oil being expelled out the level cylinders has no where to go since the dump cylinders are already at full stroke. OR if you are already curled back and go to lower...again the oil expelled out of the level cylinder has no where to go as the curl cylinders are already fully retracted. So that valve may be a relief of sorts to return that oil back to the machine. Just a guess though.

But all that stuff stays. All you are doing is replacing the main valve right? I am a bit confused and its hard to follow your description without an actual pic for reference. So what exactly is the question? Does the current loader main valve have more ports on it that the new valve dont? Do you have any pics of the current main valve?

Edit: Yep, not enough coffee. Oldnslo is correct since those cylinders indeed retract to dump and extend to curl. So it was I who had it backwards.