How hard or has anybody added a 3 spool valve to the 580b if it came with only a 2 spool valve , want to run aux hydraulics at the bucket , was thinking of maybe plumbing a new prince 3 spool hydraulic valve in place of the case spool . Does the loader spool feed back to the backhoe spool or are they separate circuits. I’ve seen one post where a fella tapped into the back hydraulics for the boom to have aux for a thumb or whatever else .
I can't remember the details, maybe you can find it. But I believe someone was putting solenoid valves out on the end of the boom and running small wires back to a switch. I think they tapped into the bucket curl lines. So when they wanted to pick something up, they would curl the bucket to the back of the object, then hit the button and fluid will be diverted to the thumb and it would close with the same bucket curl lever.
This guy did it on a little tractor with electric valves Custom hydraulic backhoe thumb This thread will describe what I went through in the design and build process for a hydraulicly operated thumb for my Prairie Dog backhoe attachment. Those who have seen my previous DIY thumb postings will note the many similarities to my Fixed Mechanical Backhoe Thumb (1st and 2nd... www.tractorbynet.com There are a lot of threads re adding a thumb here , search thumb & you'll find a lot of different solutions.
I referred to the thumb as I had seen a post where he tapped into the back stabilizer cylinder circuit. I want to run aux at front of machine and be able to still use lift and tilt on the loader bucket simultaneously not sure where I could steal from if the spool had a power beyond plug in there maybe , not sure how the case spool works or if it could be used . Going to keep researching it a see what my options are .
Getting oil to the front bucket location is one thing, but, keep in mind the volume of oil the "AUX" accessories will need. What are planning to add to the bucket location ?
Log grapple and a snow blade
Have you considered searching salvage yards for a Case OEM three spool valve ? A lot of 580's were sold with 4 in 1 buckets and the 3 spool valve was part of the option with them. You may even find one that still has the hard lines with it.
Not yet,I did look online and find a few used ones in the UK that were out of my price range . Probably isn’t going to happen until next season , as I have brakes to address and a few seals that need replacing on the hoe.