ROPS Mounted Auxiliary Valve

downsizingnow48 · Feb 6, 2016

Not much room on a B21 for extra valves. I tucked a two spool valve on the left side between fender and seat. It is equally accessible from the seat facing forward or backward. But there is no room on the right side. So I mounted this one on a bracket that attaches to the ROPS. It can be adjusted up and down and the valve slides back and forth to get the best location. Fully forward is good when the seat faces forward. It can slide back to be accessible when the seat is facing rear.

downsizingnow48 · Feb 6, 2016

Duplicate

porky69 · Feb 7, 2016

I like the concept:thumbsup:. Have considered something similar (but not adjustable) if/when I ever put some extra remotes on my Massey 2400.

I may be wrong but...I wonder how much back and forth adjustment are you going to be able to get with the hoses in place? A short hydraulic hose (like you are going to have from the valve block to the couplers)like that doesn't have much flex. You may have to put an extra long hoses on with large loops if you want the full range of adjustability.

Also you may want to put an armrest of some sorts over top the hoses being as hydraulics have a tendency to get hot.

Jim Timber · Feb 7, 2016

I'd switch to cable actuators and mount the valve behind the seat.

downsizingnow48 · Feb 7, 2016

I think you are right on both points. I will order the hoses a bit long and use elbows on the bulkhead fittings. That will give the hoses an upward curve that will make sliding easier. Have already planned a guard to protect valve fittings from tree branches and also make an armrest. I will also make a cover for the disconnects so they can't be whacked by thick branches. Thanks for the note.

downsizingnow48 · Feb 7, 2016

Jim Timber said:
I'd switch to cable actuators and mount the valve behind the seat.

Jim thanks. I looked into cable actuators a bit. I really thought that might be the answer too. The problem is I wanted to position the valve so it can be used with the seat forward (tractor operation) and with the seat backward (backhoe operation). The behind the seat location that a lot of folks use would not work with the seat facing backward. I thought about using cable actuators and putting the valve on the front ROPS brace too. But then would have had a mess of hoses and cables to organize. Also at least the Bucher cable actuators would have added a lot to the cost. The valves have float which is pretty stiff and I couldn't convince myself that less costly generic cables would be up to the task. All that said it could be that cable actuation might have been a slicker solution.

Jim Timber · Feb 8, 2016

Ah, I didn't take the backward part as turning the seat around. I use my aux valves on the fender when my upper body is turned backwards. So naturally I kinda thought that was what you were talking about.

If you mounted the valve next to your manifold, you could run levers front to rear and have two sets of handles so you could use them in the aft position.

npalen · Feb 8, 2016

Put a hinge in the middle of the long square tube and pivot 90 degrees up for rear facing operation? Again, the stiffness of the hoses would probably be an issue.
I'm confused as to when you will be using these valves when facing the rear. I'm assuming the backhoe has its own set of controls.

Nice looking fab work by the way.

TSO · Feb 8, 2016

LOL looks like something out of a Mad Max movie! I like it. But what on earth are you going to be running with all those hydraulics on a B21?

PHPaul · Feb 8, 2016

TSO said:
LOL looks like something out of a Mad Max movie! I like it. But what on earth are you going to be running with all those hydraulics on a B21?

Got my curiosity piqued too. Nice work so far!