Finally got one.

[Twizted1]

Finally got my first Argo. 1997 Conquest. Purrs like a kitten. He said it needs an inner bearing. But other than that should be a good machine. The steering takes some getting used to. These machines would really rock with hydrostat steering. Any ways I am going to get it in the shop tomorrow & check the rest of the bearing. The should be fine. But, I just want to make sure. So far the only thing I am not happy about it is. If you use the winch a couple of time & turn it off, it won't start back up. He said not to turn it off when you have it out & you will be fine. He also said to plug it into a trickle charger after every use. I don't mind plugging it in after every use. I just think it's a bad thing to not be able to turn it off. The battery was run down. Maybe with a full charge I won't have that problem? At any rate, I got one.
I do have a few questions.
What is the best way to check inner bearings? Should I check for anything else? Is it common to not start after running it for a while? Thanks for the help all.

[thebuggyman1]

Congrats on the new machine.

Check every bearing well, I bet there is more than just one bad bearing.

You could have a charging problem, or a battery problem......OR both. The batterys are small and do not have much reserve capacity, so it is not that unusual to run one down with a long hard winch pull. Avoid those if possible. The engine should recharge the battery in a reasonable amount of time though, getting it back to 100% Do you have a battery indicator? Charge/draw meter or voltmeter? The alternator in your engine will not put out a charge at idle, so look at this meter when the engine is at higher RPMs.

[Dan67]

you can replace the batter if you need to with a car battery for a honda civic.. it is a group 51 size battery, buggyman is right that they don't have a great charge system, it is good idea to charge the battery with a regular plug in 110v charger before every so often. check all the bearings especially the idler shaft bearings. those are notorious for being under lubed.

[eddieb1965]

1st-GET A NEW BATTERY!!! Next get a short strap or length of rope to make a emergency pull start, you can wrap the clutch and get it started. Jack it up and check for wheel and tire movement.I just replaced ALL of my outer bearings with the HDI conversion bearing(5 of my 6 outers had major play,all inner bearings were ok.)

[Twizted1]

Congrats on the new machine.

Check every bearing well, I bet there is more than just one bad bearing.

You could have a charging problem, or a battery problem......OR both. The batterys are small and do not have much reserve capacity, so it is not that unusual to run one down with a long hard winch pull. Avoid those if possible. The engine should recharge the battery in a reasonable amount of time though, getting it back to 100% Do you have a battery indicator? Charge/draw meter or voltmeter? The alternator in your engine will not put out a charge at idle, so look at this meter when the engine is at higher RPMs.

It has a voltmeter. Yesterday when checking it out it read 10v @ idle. Today it is reading 12v. Shouldn't it read 14v? Is there an easy upgrade for this?

you can replace the batter if you need to with a car battery for a honda civic.. it is a group 51 size battery, buggyman is right that they don't have a great charge system, it is good idea to charge the battery with a regular plug in 110v charger before every so often. check all the bearings especially the idler shaft bearings. those are notorious for being under lubed.

Where would the idler bearing be found? Do I just check it for play? I have a new red top optima down in the shop. Not sure what group it is tho.

1st-GET A NEW BATTERY!!! Next get a short strap or length of rope to make a emergency pull start, you can wrap the clutch and get it started. Jack it up and check for wheel and tire movement.I just replaced ALL of my outer bearings with the HDI conversion bearing(5 of my 6 outers had major play,all inner bearings were ok.)

To do all HDI on an 8x8 would cost a fortune. But seems worth it in the long run. Right now I just want to get it in proper working condition so I can play. I will get a short rope. I don't wanna be stuck

What is the best way to check the inner bearings. I was told to check the bearings inner & outer is to jack the thing up & check for play. You do this for inner also?
Also getting a slap on the bottom of my right foot. Acts like the the right is sticking & the lets loose all of a sudden.
Thanks for all the help guys. I only played a little. But so far I'm hooked.

[thebuggyman1]

At idle, the alternator is not producing a charge, so the voltmeter will only read what the battery reads. I'm more interested in what voltage it reads when rev-ed up. At higher RPMs it should read the 14volts indicating it is charging.

[Twizted1]

At idle, the alternator is not producing a charge, so the voltmeter will only read what the battery reads. I'm more interested in what voltage it reads when rev-ed up. At higher RPMs it should read the 14volts indicating it is charging.

I just ran out & checked. It reads almost 16v @ high rpms.

[Dan67]

there are 4 idler shaft bearings on a conquest. 2 on left side and 2 on right side. Chains that drive down from transmission are connected to the idler shafts. from there the drive chains power the front and the second axles on both sides. the bearings are the same size as the outer bearings on the axles. the slap u are getting is from chains not being tight enough. jack it completely up in air and check bearings by trying to move the tire up and down. while it is in the air adjust the chain tensioners.

[Twizted1]

there are 4 idler shaft bearings on a conquest. 2 on left side and 2 on right side. Chains that drive down from transmission are connected to the idler shafts. from there the drive chains power the front and the second axles on both sides. the bearings are the same size as the outer bearings on the axles. the slap u are getting is from chains not being tight enough. jack it completely up in air and check bearings by trying to move the tire up and down. while it is in the air adjust the chain tensioners.

Thank you. I will check them out. I a printing manuals now. Trying to learn as I go.

[spookum]

The HDI bearing upgrade isnt actualy all that bad. The trick is to use non argo bearings from big bearing suply, and talk to tim adair about the parts and adapters that you need. Best money spent (other than maitnece)

Yes, you can CAREFULY use a small cord (such as parachute cord) to restart the engine if the battery is dead. It is old snow mobile technology from what to do if your recoil rope fails

[thebuggyman1]

I just ran out & checked. It reads almost 16v @ high rpms.

I'm guessing your voltage regulator IS working or it would read more like 30 volts. The little dash meters can be pretty inaccurate. Try just replacing your battery, and I bet it will solve your problems.

[Twizted1]

Thanks again everyone for all the help. I got it in the air and checked everything out. I rechecked the frame square & all looks good there. I also expected to change 1 inner bearing. But, heres what I found. Four wheels have major play in them. One has just a tiny bit, It does move tho. The front right axle flops like a fish out of water when I spin the wheel. I am not sure if that is an ineer bearing or an idler bearing. I also worry about that axle now, should I be? How would I check it? And it needs 2 chain tensioners, a latch for the hood, a battery <maybe it is holding a charge now>, and a clip thing for the top. Man what did I buy? I really don't think it to bad tho. So I have to replace @ least 4 bearings. Should I replace inners & outers? If I'm doing all that should I just do HDI bearings instead? I am really loving this forum right about now. Lol Thanks again guys.

[Twizted1]

Just talked to Jim @ Adair Argo Sales. He sounds like a great guy. Had some great advise.

[Dan67]

Thanks again everyone for all the help. I got it in the air and checked everything out. I rechecked the frame square & all looks good there. I also expected to change 1 inner bearing. But, heres what I found. Four wheels have major play in them. One has just a tiny bit, It does move tho. The front right axle flops like a fish out of water when I spin the wheel. I am not sure if that is an ineer bearing or an idler bearing. I also worry about that axle now, should I be? How would I check it? And it needs 2 chain tensioners, a latch for the hood, a battery <maybe it is holding a charge now>, and a clip thing for the top. Man what did I buy? I really don't think it to bad tho. So I have to replace @ least 4 bearings. Should I replace inners & outers? If I'm doing all that should I just do HDI bearings instead? I am really loving this forum right about now. Lol Thanks again guys.

Honestly, I would replace every bearing in it for peace of mind. I did that on mine and replaced all the chains. I know that is a total of 20 bearings and it can be expensive.. But the thought knowing it was good to go and knowing how to fix it outweighed the cost factor. Call Buffalo Bearing, they are good and it was not that bad. About $8 for inner and $12 for outer. For now just start on the worse of the worse and eventually replace them all. For the 1 that did not seem to bad fill it full of grease and try it again and see how it feels.

Inner Bearing Argo part #101-41 is a UCX05-16 (8 total)
Outer Bearing Argo part#101-35 is a UC206-20 (12 total, 8 axles+4 idler shafts)

While you are at it replace all the grease seals inside the cast flange on the outer bearings.

Get those from Argo. Seal (stock): Part#102-14 = CR12361 1.25x1.75x0.188 (8 total)
Seal (stock): Part#102-15 = CR12379 1.25x1.874x0.25 (8 total)

For the right front wheel that flops like a fish.. its either bent on the axle or bent at the hub flange. Either way upgrade to a new HDI axle it will fit just fine and is very strong. I have to replace my right front too. Bought the axle but have not installed it yet.

[thebuggyman1]

Tim Schafer owns Adair Argo, Mike is the parts guy, but I don't think he has any other employees....I bet you talked to Tim.
Read through these 2 threads http://www.6x6world.com/forums/gener...xtensions.html and http://www.6x6world.com/forums/max-a...-bearings.html The inner bearings last much longer than outers. My theory on this is: Bearing mfgrs claim up to 90% of failures are due to contaminates in the bearing and not the bearing itself. When a lot of force is applied to the axle it makes the bearing flex and the outers are so often submerged in mud and crap that it enters the bearing past the seal. Inners are not subjected to this.
I would give Tim's new synthetic bearings a try......and if you had any good outer bearings, they might work to replace your bad inners (ask Tim to make sure).
I suspect the chain tensioners you need are really the wear pad on the tensioner......replace them all, they are only $4 each... And that's not the place to try to save pennies.