As posted on the Chinese
Tractors Owner Association board (CTOA)
We've
looked at both FEL's and we've sold both. We sell the ZL-20 by special order
only. Our standard FEL is the KOYKER K160. The ZL-20 winds up costing about
$1,000 less than the KOYKER because it's lighter duty. Does it work? sure, but
the KOYKER is higher end.
Here
are some of the differences. The ZL has
only a "4" point mount, the KOYKER has "6". The sub-frame extender bars that run from
the center pylons to the rear axles with the KOYKER, protect the bell housing
from sudden shear or torque loads should you hit something with the bucket. The pylons handle some vertical shear load
while the forward supports handle the majority. The center pylons are fastened with grade 5 bolts anchored in
cast iron receivers. These pylons, without the rear mounting points handle ALL
the lateral shear load. On a PSI basis,
steels, any steels have a much wider elastic range that cast ferrous metals
like iron. Translation, when you shear
load a steel bolt anchored in cast iron, the casting cracks first, not the
bolt. With the (2) rear mounts the
shear load is transferred back to steel plates attached with steel bolts to
steel fenders or receivers. When
installed properly the rear mounts will protect the bell housing casting.
The
older K150 KOYKERs used bolts as hinges for the loaders pivot points. They used to wear and get sloppy so the
hinge points would have run out. The
ZL20 still uses bolts. The K160 now uses 1.25" I think, floating hinge
pins and 1"+ wide steel collars welded onto the arms. This means that the
load is distributed over a much larger area and the hinges last much
longer. They seem to be precision
drilled too, so the swing is much more precise.
The dinol joystick KOYKER uses, is much softer with a shorter stroke than the (2) handle unit on the ZL20. You will also probably have to build a custom mount for the ZL valve for ergonomic reasons. The ZL20 is a perfectly functional FEL but we find the KOYKER to be a more refined product, which of course costs more. The KOYKER, aside from the lifting capacity and break pressures has a little more rollback, lift height, digging depth and reach than the ZL20 and has a larger bucket. The ZL20 bucket doesn't cover the full tire track of a JM254/284 while the 5' bucket fitted to the K160 does. Much handier when plowing or digging. Personal choice really...
Regards
Graham Slieker of Bolton Power Equipment