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So I have had my hdi long enough to be able to see mostly what it's capable of, what it doesn't like, and what to stay the heck away from! I mentioned in another post about how I took it into the edge of a slow moving river and was instantly swept into the current with almost no control over where it went once it started swimming. That event turned out okay as I was able to get it back to the beach without hitting the log jam that was a few more yards downriver. Lesson learned...almost...
The other day I spent time with my mom and took her to a local creek. Now this is VERY different from the river I mentioned. It was only about 3' deep at the deepest and not very wide, maybe 50' at the widest. There were rock bars that stuck out everywhere the water got ankle deep. I first walked the course to make sure the current wasn't strong and decided to try a section for a short distance to the next rock bar then turn around and start back. It made it down fine. Very calm with no issues at all. It turned where I pointed it and responded to throttle all the way.
When I got to the rock bar and decided to turn around, the 'fun' began. With the rock bar being partial sand and completely saturated, the tires started to cut ruts. I couldn't turn at all and could not get pointed back the way I came. The tires were almost 'dry' but just kept digging like I was in mud. I would cut ruts until I got to a point that I had to back up and start over. Each time it would follow the same path. Eventually, I got it turned enough to start back up the shallow stretch. Once it started floating it would move forward, but it kept wanting to dart around with the current so I had to keep giving input to keep it headed in the right direction. The swim was slow once fully floating. Like it was having a hard time keeping up, but the current was barely visible. I ended up having to get out and walk beside it to push the nose around and keep it going where I wanted. There was no load on it, and my mom was the only passenger.
I eventually got it back and out and everything turned out fine. But then, I get on Youtube and search Argos on water and saw people doing things in rivers that I cannot get mine to do! I even saw one video where two guys were going down literally white water rapids and could come out at any point he wanted!! How???!!! What am I doing wrong?? I know I'm still a novice, but why can't I figure out what these guys are doing? I have come to the conclusion that the only way I will be able to handle swimming in ANY current would be to have an outboard or trolling motor!
Also, would the Adair Pro Series tracks have solved all my problems? I was going to get them at first, but now that I have seen what it goes through with just tires I don't think I need them. But will they give me better control in water, or will it be worse or the same?
I may try to go back and take a Go-Pro video of what I'm talking about and try to figure out how to post it. There is no way I would dare take a chance in rapids when I can't get it to perform in the smallest current possible. Btw, it does fine in calm water such as a pond or small lake. It's just the current issues that I am fighting.
first time tried mine in a big beaver pond things went great,untill the wind picked up.suddenly I was 200 yards down the pond and had to wait until the wind died down so I could return to the landing.have not and will not try it in water with any current.i figure to keep myself out of any trouble I will keep a mindset that my HDI is a big atv with the same capabilities.
From what I can gather from this wonderful website is that tires are key. Both tread type and tread direction. The more solid, deep tread you have which is pointed in a direction so that it gathers the water, rather than sheds the water, seems to get better reviews in terms of swimming performance. Also, the depth at which your machine floats seems to matter also. If the machine floats deep enough such that nearly the whole tire is under water, then the tire works against itself.
The old adage: "turn around don't drown" also applies to amphibs. The deal is a little current or a little wind throws control out of whack. I think when you get a few hours under your belt, you'll find that they are easy to handle.
Try swimming initially in calm ponds and you will get to know the machine. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a river or a creek that appeared calm and then only some distance downriver wished I'd of stayed out.
remember all the news clips you see on TV about vehicles being carried away in a flash flood situation. I realize none of us would try that but it does illustrate the power of water. Recently, in Texas, an army truck was swept away and some people drowned. These are all heavier and more powerful than what we drive. I run mine in ponds, and ditches and creeks that are barely moving. If you have an outboard mounted on the back you can probably go anywhere you want.
I am running the stock Argo tires with the Chevron pattern mounted with the cup or chevron pointing backwards. I know they are mounted properly because it moves very well in calm water going forward but not so well in reverse as the tires are as someone said 'shedding' the water when going backwards. They are also brand new (I have only had the Argo for about a month now with absolutely no asphalt driving other than the parking lot where I picked it up), so no wear of the treads.
I am not interested in using the Argo as a full time amphib, but I am a little concerned about how very slow current makes it uncontrollable. The answers I have seen so far gives me quite a few 'aha' moments. First, I own boats and have been around the water in ponds, lakes, creeks, and rivers my whole life (hell, I live in South Louisiana). I also owned a heavy equipment company and grew up around machinery, a lot of which were skid steer machines, so I would think I'm not having as hard of a time learning how to control the Argo as someone who has never experienced any of that before(very similar to a 'Bobcat' skid steer machine). I am also confident in my ability to maneuver a watercraft in almost any given situation, and the Argo does control very similar in calm water to any small water boat I have operated (you have to anticipate where you are drifting and make adjustments before you get there). I did not consider the buoyancy as a factor though! I am around 275 lbs and with ice chest, full fuel, and only 3psi in the tires, I am sure they are completely submerged. They have no choice but fight against themselves with one side wanting to paddle and climb and the other wanting to pull itself deeper in the water. Makes perfect sense once it's pointed out, just didn't think of it. Duh!!
The video I saw where they were going down rapids may have been misleading as I don't know how deep the water was. They very well may have been swimming and crawling at the same time which would have made it more controllable.
I am sill waiting for my racks to come in. Once they are mounted I will be able to fab a trolling motor mount. I don't need the Argo to navigate waterways all the time, but do plan to use it as a jon boat for when I go pond jumping for largemouth bass around the house. The idea of driving to the ponds I have access to and not have to drag a 200 lb boat full of fishing gear and batteries down to the water then back out again and load it into my truck is what I bought the Argo for. I can drive down, drive in, troll around and fish, drive out, and drive home...perfecto!!! My concern was with its ability, or lack thereof, that I have experienced already. I'm still in the phase of figuring out what my limits are, but I just thought it would do better than what I'm seeing. But these answers help make sense of why I'm struggling with it, and I give my appreciation for all your help.
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