just bought an 1983 8x8 argo.now what?lol

[plott hound]

finally bought an older argo,needs a bit of TLC but at least it is complete.it came with plastic tracks and is equipted with a kohler 17 hp engine that runs.i am usure of how to check for chain wear so please be ready for some goofy questions lol.here are some pictures of the beast,tell me what you think.

thanks

[lewis]

Nice looking rig! Are you planning to re-work the bottom end? As for chains. Are the chain tensors all the way down? I am thinking( Evil, site name) has the same model and would be a great source for info on this year model machine.

Lewis

[plott hound]

thanks for the reply lewis,i probably should replace all the goodies in the bottom end.just as soon as i get the ice out of it,im going to presure wash everything so i can see what needs to be replaced.i have not even priced parts yet so i have no idea what this will cost me.

cheers

[racerone3]

member evil8x8 has the same machine, and i had one for a while. drain and replace the trany fluid before you run it... that kohler 17 will run great, but eats spark plugs like no 4 stroke i've ever met. if the chain tensioners are maxed out you will need to replace chain. the chains from the trany to the jackshaft are double 40, and the rest are double 50. the sprockets are pinned to the axles with roll pins. you will want to carry extras, along with a hammer and punch to drive them out and new ones in.
good luck and keep us posted

[evil8x8]

Yeah, I have a 1985 8x8. It is very similar to yours. If you have any questions let me know.

[plott hound]

thanks for all the input guys.will work away at stripping this bad boy down and dont worry,questions will be aplenty.lol

[EWS]

Hi Racerone3;

I had a 1984 argo 8x8 with a Kohler twin 17 that I used for work & play for 23 years. When I sold the machine it was on the third set of spark plugs. It was a very dependable motor. It had 2200 hrs on it when I sold it. I'm surprised that you used so many sparkplugs.

Ride Safe

EWS

[plott hound]

member evil8x8 has the same machine, and i had one for a while. drain and replace the trany fluid before you run it... that kohler 17 will run great, but eats spark plugs like no 4 stroke i've ever met. if the chain tensioners are maxed out you will need to replace chain. the chains from the trany to the jackshaft are double 40, and the rest are double 50. the sprockets are pinned to the axles with roll pins. you will want to carry extras, along with a hammer and punch to drive them out and new ones in.
good luck and keep us posted

do the sprockets have to be attached to axle with roll pins?or can i guy use bolts?

thanks

[Maplegrove]

The best thing I can recommend is to strip it down completely to the tub and power wash the hell out of it. The top body is pop riveted on if it's like my '85. If you haven't got a photographic memory take lots of digitals while your taking it apart. Mark the axles as to their placement and the sprockets to the axles cause the holes likely won't line up if you just throw it back together. You mentioned cracks in the body, get an old clothes iron that has the silk setting on it(extrememly hot) this beats the hell out of using a propane iron since you have no thermostate.
For cracks, use the front edge of the iron to trough out the crack on both edges and then smooth the over flow back into the gouge.
Give it a try and if your looking for more input I just spent approx. 200 hrs reworking a 85 8X8 so I may have a few suggestions to help out.
As you can tell I responded before looking at all your pictures. The only thing I could recommend is to paint your frame a lighter colour as the black tends to make everything hard to see when its barried in the engine compartment.
After 35 years of millwrighting we've finally got engineers convinced to do things so they're maintenance freindly.
Good luck1

[plott hound]

"As you can tell I responded before looking at all your pictures"

no problemo my friend,been there done that lol.im at a bit of a stand still untill i decide whether or not to upgrade axles to splined type.guess i will tear the motor down and freshen it up a bit in the meantime.

thanks for the tips! cheers.