Manual Directional and Shuttle Valve Cartridges

Two small parts that solve awkward problems. Manual directional cartridges let you isolate or divert a line by hand with no electrics at all. Shuttle valves automatically pass whichever of two inlets is at the higher pressure – the standard way to take a pilot signal from either side of a circuit.

Ways to buy:

• Off the shelf – pick your part below.
• The manual cartridges need a body; the shuttle valves are inline and do not.

Pick your part

What these do

• Manual 2 position directional – a hand-shifted cartridge for isolating or diverting a line without wiring anything. The 08-4 version is a full 4-port directional valve you move by hand.
• Shuttle valve – a ball that sits between two inlets and passes whichever is at the higher pressure. Used to take a pilot signal from either side of a circuit, or to feed a gauge or a brake release from whichever line happens to be live.

The shuttle valves are inline fittings, not cavity cartridges – they do not need a body.

What the cavity code means

Every screw-in cartridge has a cavity code – 08-2, 10-3, 12-2, 16-2 and so on. The first number is the frame size, the second is how many ports the cavity has. A 10-3 cartridge only fits a 10-3 body. Get the cavity right and everything else follows; get it wrong and nothing you buy will thread in.

Cartridges, bodies and coils are supplied separately. Refer to the datasheet for full flow and pressure-drop curves.

Technicians Advice

A hand-shifted cartridge is the right answer far more often than people think – a service isolation point, a winter/summer changeover, a bypass for towing – and it never has a flat battery. Mark the positions clearly and put the label where the next person will see it, because an unlabelled manual valve half-shifted is a fault that takes hours to find. On shuttle valves, remember the ball needs a genuine pressure difference to seat: with both inlets at similar pressure it will sit in the middle and leak between the two, which is fine for a gauge feed and not fine for a brake release. Keep the outlet line short, and never use a shuttle to combine two working flows – it is a signal device, not a manifold.

Complete your setup

Needle Valve Cartridges2-Port Cartridge Bodies4-Port Cartridge Bodies

Bulk discounts apply automatically in the cart: 5+ save 5%, 10+ save 10%, 25+ save 12.5%, 50+ save 15%.

Buying in bulk or fitting out a fleet? Call us for trade pricing.

Need help choosing? Call 1300 146 737 or email sales@mhfgc.com.au – real technicians, real answers.