Does anybody know if some spool valves are generic?

etpm · Dec 2, 2023

bmaverick said:
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.

Thanks for all the info. Maybe I can find what I want. In the end I will probably need to find a replacement valve that is as close as possible to mine. Though I don't use the float function that often when I need it I need it. I should add that my loader specs did not match the specs for the 285 loader. It did not have the same curl or dump angles. Looking at it with my son he pointed out that I needed to extend the pivot at the end of the arms to change these angles. So I did that, made extensions to the arms to change the pivot point and so change the angles. This worked. I got less dump, but it still goes past vertical, and I got more curl, which I really needed.
Cheers,
Eric

bmaverick · Dec 2, 2023

etpm said:
Thanks for all the info. Maybe I can find what I want. In the end I will probably need to find a replacement valve that is as close as possible to mine. Though I don't use the float function that often when I need it I need it.
Cheers,
Eric

Did you download the PDf I had placed in the other post. Snag than and compare. And the link for the other forum is the ONLY other place where Alan and Winston chatted about sizes and details of the BullDog loader cylinders and possible replacements too.

etpm · Dec 2, 2023

bmaverick said:
Did you download the PDf I had placed in the other post. Snag than and compare. And the link for the other forum is the ONLY other place where Alan and Winston chatted about sizes and details of the BullDog loader cylinders and possible replacements too.

I did not download the pdf yet but will later tonight.
Eric

rScotty · 2025-10-22T08:41:39-0400

etpm said:
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

You will need a complete new control valve that has the float feature in order to add float. The good news is that control valves are universal in operation if not always in mounting.....but any can be mounted. All you need to do is specify open center, flow rate in gallons per minute, and match the threads on the hydraulic hoses. Float is internal and doesn't require any additional plumbing on your part.

Brand and model specific flow valves are expensive, but a universal type works just as well and are reasonably priced. Lots to choose from. I'd get a standard two spool lever type with open center, sized to match your max GPM, with float, and power beyond - not forgetting the optional PB sleeve.

Many places sell hydraulic parts online. Here is one: