Extreme cold and the argo

[gokorn1]

I'm thinking of going on a winter caribou hunt. With the Hi's around -20. I was wondering how the argo would do. Would hauling it on a trailer through these temps just be to cold. Or leaving it outside in -40 at night be a problem. I'm thinking a battery blanket at minimum checking the coolant to make sure it's the right ratio
Any advice would be great.

[sawbuck]

Good luck with the hunt. Being it could be that cold I know that I would certainly be changing the oil to pure synthetic , which I plan doing to mine. The battery blanket can't hurt but the coolant for sure. Anything to help in those harsh conditions.
Bill

[plott hound]

ive only been exposed to -40 a few times.think me and the argo would wimp out and stay home.

[B.A.]

single burner propane stove with small propane bottle. tarp the machine with the fire wall removed. It will warm up the motor. I use one when ice fishing to warm up. It works as back up heat if you break down. If you run synthetic oil probaby wont have any touble starting. I have done this on snowmobiles at -40

[Rock Doctor]

You are pushing the boundary of sanity. You can do it, but be prepared. Your Argo will not start in the morning if its even remotely close to -40. I started both of mine yesterday, at -25 and it was a close thing.
I will assume you have a top for the machine, this will keep snow out, too much snow will turn to water and freeze your chains to the bottom of the Argo. You will have a generator, so I would recommend a small electric heater. At the end of the day, pull your firewall, and put the heater in the footwell pointed into the engine comp. cover the front of the Argo with a blanket or tarp to keep the heat in. ( At the very least, a 100watt light bulb in a trouble light under the hood for the night will keep you warm enough to start )
Synthetic fluids, as mentioned.
Some hand/foot Warner's, just in case.
Pull your gun apart, clean the oil off it and lube it with dry graphite.
Couple battery powered "head" lights
Good luck, I wish I was going with you
RD

[Rock Doctor]

Don't know how to post a pic from my phone, but thought I would mention the "Headlight Holder" crack problem. I'm sure you've seen it before, the crack that goes from the corner of the headlight mount hole, up to the corner of the Hood opening.

This happens easier when it's cold out. Most of my Argos are cracked like this from those cold trips.

RD

[spookum]

Cold weather prep?

I have been out with the argo at -40. It had a kawasaki liquid cooled in it. It worked great! There are only a few things i would sugest:

1. Synthetic in the enginge for sure! Maybe the trans too. Buy a new battery before you leave town? the most expensive/best preferbly a dry cell one?

2.Run it in neutral for at least 15 min Before you move. Shut it down, put it in gear and go for it. That should be ample time to get the oil in the trans warmed up, and in the engine too.

3. Consider taking a blue top optima battery (duct tape the posts to keep it from harming something) and a pair of jumper cables, it will get you going if you deplete your battery.

Kind of depends on how your hunt is going to be executed? If your familiar with the machine, and your taking it out into the bush, i assume you have shelter and a heat source? If so, you can alwyas try to pull the fire wall and get some heat on the engine. Before you break camp in the morning. Maybe throw a sleeping bag over the hood area to keep the good warm air in when attempting to pre-warm it?

I know guys have pull started the kawasaki engine with a piece of rope wrapped around the clutch.... think it was actually parachute cord. If you do that, and remove the spark plugs and put a 1/2 a second to 1 second burst of starting fluid WITH A TOP END LUBRICANT down the holes and put the spark plugs back in she will start.... That will make it start NO MATTER WHAT to colder than you or i want to contemplate. Please use it as a last ditch effort though. It is kind of hard on the engine.

Good luck, and remeber to wear rubber gloves when gutting your bou (learned that the hard way warm blood + -40F +knife handle= knife stuck to hand )

Since you have extra space/room, take extra food and water for an extended stay. Also, you will burn 2X to 5X the calories you usaly do. A stick of butter is good to munch if you start to feel sleepy, or if the poop hits the fan.

-20 to -40F is totaly reasnoble for your machine. There are plenty of Argo owners in fairbanks that do that as just a matter of daily buisness

[Rock Doctor]

Butter?

Ewwwwwww

Personally I prefer rendered bear fat

Oh ya, it's easier to break the pin tabs off plastic tracks at those temps too..... If you are running plastic tracks.

Have an awesome trip

RD

[gokorn1]

Thanks or the tips guys. Ill spend my Thanksgiving weekend changing fluids. I do have a coleman heater to stuff in the cab and start to warm thing up. I'm hoping they are close to the road and I only have to travel a few miles from the road in case something happens. Hoping to get my buddies Mudd-ox back up an running after he flooded it in a creek.

[spookum]

Stricly speaking, I think it may be a good idea to to take a fan cooled or "work" snow machine, or just about any kind of snowmachine. I am absoultyl leathal with the argo as suport, and 2 snowmobiles out snooping... The best way is to have the sleds zig zag the brush behind the argo. in the fall it is two dirt bikes and a quad We are most effective and can cover more ground that way! Dont get me wrong, the argo is wonderful, and there is no way the other rigs could go where they go with out it, but the success rate seems to climb with other rigs around! There would be no way they could go that far without the argo though.

PS if you can, take a meat wagon or pull behind sled. A dead animal in the argo with you frosts up the windows fast!!! and the chance it may freeze to the bottom of the argo... LOL

And i just thought, you should run a bottle of "red" HEAT through your gas tank. It should be avaialbe over the counter at any of your favorite auto parts stores. It will keep ice from forming in your fuel, and plugging up your fuel filter. This is critical, especialy if you have old gas from "summer" in there that could have drawn moisture from the atmosphere.

[gokorn1]

Stricly speaking, I think it may be a good idea to to take a fan cooled or "work" snow machine, or just about any kind of snowmachine. I am absoultyl leathal with the argo as suport, and 2 snowmobiles out snooping... The best way is to have the sleds zig zag the brush behind the argo. in the fall it is two dirt bikes and a quad We are most effective and can cover more ground that way! Dont get me wrong, the argo is wonderful, and there is no way the other rigs could go where they go with out it, but the success rate seems to climb with other rigs around! There would be no way they could go that far without the argo though.

PS if you can, take a meat wagon or pull behind sled. A dead animal in the argo with you frosts up the windows fast!!! and the chance it may freeze to the bottom of the argo... LOL

And i just thought, you should run a bottle of "red" HEAT through your gas tank. It should be avaialbe over the counter at any of your favorite auto parts stores. It will keep ice from forming in your fuel, and plugging up your fuel filter. This is critical, especialy if you have old gas from "summer" in there that could have drawn moisture from the atmosphere.

Great tips, thanks again, all my buddies have dropped out, so I might not go after all, unless they are close to the road.

[spookum]

That sucks. PM me and ill set you up with a cow hunt up here in fairbanks It should be an easy hunt with the argo, and i could bring a sled to the party ... if you will invite me

[gokorn1]

is that the Minto Flat's area, that is for tracked vehicles under 1500lbs.
I thought about doing that hunt, but having to get to Fairbanks Mon-Fri before 5pm for a permit is the only problem. Im out of vacation time

[inspcalahan]

is that the Minto Flat's area, that is for tracked vehicles under 1500lbs.
I thought about doing that hunt, but having to get to Fairbanks Mon-Fri before 5pm for a permit is the only problem. Im out of vacation time

I'm in the same dilema....thinking about it - never had the argo out hunting in those temps before.....the wife wants to go while the kids are away....any other tips on this hunt would be more than welcomed!

[spookum]

if you have a garmin GPS i can make it tell the storey. Routes, GPS points, topigraphical maps. There are 2 ways to make it happen.

One, go the argo method and pound through the willow brush

or two, glass (from the top of the argo) and put the stalk on them. (it would be best to use this method early in the morning, then go to busting brush). The trail in, may be initaly a bit narrow for an argo. Plan to pack a chain saw, but it is ony 1/2 a mile till you hit the hunt zone, and about 4 total to get to the "kill zone"


pm me and ill answer any qeuestions you have