Conquest to avenger upgrade?

[Rory_mcw]

Hi, I'm Rory, I'm from Scotland uk, I have a few 8x8s scot tracks-which are your cushman 775's.

I also have an Argo which we use for hunting. My conquest is in mint condition, bearings sprockets engine etc are all a1. I have put a bit of time into it doing some mods but I am unsure if I should change to an avenger.

My problem is I am going to buy some Adair tracks and I feel after spending another $1600 on shipping and import duty would I be better getting an avenger and kitting it out or will I be happy with a conquest with Adair tracks.

10% snow 10% water and 80% bottomless mud.

I can do some clutch mods to the conquest but these tracks will be sitting me $3900 is by the time they are fitted.

What would everyone do? Thanks for your help

Rory

[lewis]

Ok Rory, here is my opinion on this upgrade. First the Conquest is a great machine but is limited on ground clearance by the 22 inch tires. The other fact is it is no longer in production and parts in the future will eventually be a concern, but not any time soon it hope. You can also upgrade to the 24 inch tires and i think there are a few that have done that, you may check with Rock Doctor on this issue. A lot of the abilities of a machine to get through though spots is the drivers ability. If you will notice RD goes places that his Avenger friends get stuck at. There is a learning curve with these machines just like any machinery. So i want to clear the Avenger over the Conquest item up with that statement.

Avenger, i have a 2011 presently and owned a 2006 also until i purchased the 2011 Avenger. I also owned a great 2003 Conquest and it also was a great machine. The pluses of the Avenger is the larger tires the more powerful 26/31(fuel injection) engines. Which increases it carrying abilities and stability in water Note: (RD videos are a must for how to carry a house in one trip) I refer to RD a lot on the Conquest as he has done things with his machines that is out of the norm and makes it seem everyday in doing so.

I like the Avenger better simply because of the extra ground clearance, larger engine and it's stability in the water. I have a 9.9 that i have used in the lakes and it does great. The AT 189 are some of the best tires i have seen in the water with a speed of 3.9 and it has excellent mudding abilities. The bicycle type steering is easier on the trails and you can still drink a beverage of your choice while on the trail. Now i don't do alcohol but i still like a soda on a hot day or bottled water, not that there is anything wrong with an adult beverage.

The steering will be a little awkward for you if you choose the Avenger. You are used to the more (Feel) of control with dual sticks and i missed it at first but this will go away and you will have just as much control as ever. The brakes if you choose a 2004 Avenger up to when they switched to Hydraulic will need to be upgrade which is a simple upgrade. The new Hydraulic are fine and will stop on a dime and give you 9 cents change.

The bearings for the new HDI are the cat's pajamas and work great and the Admiral transmission works like a champ. It takes a little bit of adjusting over the older transmissions, but I'm impressed with it's abilities. The zero turn comes in handy but i don't use it much, only when needed, but High usually does the job

I don't know what a Avenger in your area would cost with shipping and duties, but if the advantages i mentioned are for you,... go for it. I think the Avenger is a great upgrade.

BUT, if you are happy with the Conquest and it is in great shape, do some upgrade:
New HDI bearing system
New Tracks
Tires

[argoman37]

I have an 06, Avenger and I love it.It has several big inprovements over the Conquest.Higher ground clearance,bigger engine,and the new stearing system.I have heard that takes getting used to by former Argo owners with the skid sticks though

[Rock Doctor]

While I agree with much of what's been said by Lewis and Argoman, I'm going to have to vote for keeping the Conquest. Not because a Conquest is a greater machine, but because most if not all "Cons" of the Conquest can be overcome.
Yes, the Avenger has greater clearance, and that's a huge advantage in some cases, but in "80% Bottomless mud"........Not so much.
Yes the Conquest is out of production, but many of the parts used to build the Avengers will fit the conquests. Examples: Bearing Assemblies, Axles, Chain Tensioners, ect.
Yes, the Handlebar steering is "easier" to learn to drive, but I still think you have better "feel" with the sticks, and they can be used to direct power to which ever side you need. The new Admiral Trans eliminates this need for "feel" as it is more of a true 8 wheel drive.
Yes, the Conquest is underpowered compared to the Avengers, but it took me 5hrs to rip my stock 20hp Kawi out and install a 27hp Kawi in it's place...........MUCH Better.
Yes, I like the idea of the new Admiral Trans, but at this point, I have seen too many of them fail. Some with less than 2-5hrs on them. Now, I've heard that this issue is fixed, and I hope it's true, but have no confirmation of this.
I believe that the Avengers are more stable in the water, but for 10% of my riding, I would not consider that a big factor (I don't spend much time swimming around in open water).
I have never seen any indication that the Avengers will carry a heavier load, in fact I would argue that point.
The 25" tires on the Avenger are AWESOME
The counter rotating tires of the Avenger are COOL, but like Louis said, it does not seem to get used much, at least by my friends that have them, and the guys that I work with. All seem to agree that High range does most everything they want.

So, here I am, sounding like I'm slamming Avengers..........AGAIN, but that's not my intent. Yes, Avengers are good machines, and they go some amaizing places, and they haul incredible loads. The problem is..........that description also fits a Conquest very well. I have had Avengers drive circles around me, on more than one trip, but at the same time, I've driven circles around Avengers at times too.
If it was me trying to decide weather to keep the Conquest or upgrade to an Avenger.........which I've done numerous times, The deciding factor comes down to COST.
I could probably sell one of my Conquests for about $5,000. A new Avenger (desently equiped) would cost me about $30,000.
So if I'm doing the math right, it would cost me about $25,000 to get a machine that will take me all the same places that I am already going.......... although it might make the trips easier with the extra clearence and larger tires.

RD

[North Country Tough]

Avenger vs Conquest for me and my opinion only,power is a big plus and fuel injection on the Avenger EFI a added bonus,steering bar I do not like period love the sticks,ground clearance is of no concern in bottomless goo the adair tracks are for that and some extra inches on the tires not going to mean much with them bad boys on,I like the more standard style transmission in my Avenger over the early style trans its Quieter and has a better hi range ratio that keep me from having to use low range so much,as far as the Admiral in a 8 wheeler in a heavy use situation we will see Iam with the Doctor on this one seen some real evil things happen to them,I have beaten a Conquest trans in the past without issue,biggest drawback to the Avenger huge price tag,that said all things taken into consideration Iam very happy with mine if money is not the issue buy one if value for the dollar is the name of the game keep upgrading what you got.N.C.T

[Rory_mcw]

Thanks for the replies. I bought the conquest as it was cheap and in excellent condition, I mainly use my can am 800 or yamaha rhino but found that the Argo takes me places I could not before and makes much less mess of the ground. I would be looking at an 04 05 avenger, used for around £8000. My conquest is worth around £4000. I could throw on some Adair tracks and I think I would be very happy. The conquest I have has had an easy life from previous owners. I do however like the looks of the avenger. I am going to look at an avenger today so I will report back.

[North Country Tough]

Thanks for the replies. I bought the conquest as it was cheap and in excellent condition, I mainly use my can am 800 or yamaha rhino but found that the Argo takes me places I could not before and makes much less mess of the ground. I would be looking at an 04 05 avenger, used for around £8000. My conquest is worth around £4000. I could throw on some Adair tracks and I think I would be very happy. The conquest I have has had an easy life from previous owners. I do however like the looks of the avenger. I am going to look at an avenger today so I will report back.

Wow 8 K Pounds,thats a pile of money thats for sure,ouch I would damn near try a transatlantic crossing with mine for that kind of dough,plus to sit down for a nice feed of Haggis and some of that O so fine single malt scotch to wash it down.Cheers

[Rory_mcw]

I'll buy you a 150hp Johnson for your Argo, bring it across the Atlantic and I'll feed you haggis and whiskey for as long as you like!!!

The avenger I looked at today was in worse shape than my conquest and twice the price!!! I may just go ahead and buy the adair tracks

[North Country Tough]

I'll buy you a 150hp Johnson for your Argo, bring it across the Atlantic and I'll feed you haggis and whiskey for as long as you like!!!

The avenger I looked at today was in worse shape than my conquest and twice the price!!! I may just go ahead and buy the adair tracks

Cheers Rory,the Avenger does have a nice look and nice dash but you got a great piece there's lotsa guys would love to own a Conquest and from what I have seen here the boys down south who play in the bottomless stuff have proven the Adairs ability to surpass all in the goo,Dan Edwards vids are proof Iam sure you will be happy keep us posted.N,C.T

[Rory_mcw]

Yeh I suppose your right. I'll try and post a few pics of my machine. I have spent a little time on it so would be a shame to sell.......