Help, I've got the droop !!

[Jetlee]

Angle iron alone on the split will not help. I tried the same thing and found that the support is required from the floor frame. I kinda scabbed mine together as I am using the Argo every week for trapping. I will fix it properly in the summer.

[locolouie]

that is a nice job, you seem to have covered all the angles

[2014SE]

Nice workman ship!! I'm a welder & machinist by trade and can see quality in the job your doing. I like to see a man do a job with pride!! with The newer Argos have a support built in so they have noted the problem and hopefully it's resolved.

[rodp]

I bought an 85 I/C with the 17HP Kohler recently with the exact same problem, my plastic tracks actually rub on the bottom of the tub, so I'm looking for a fix. I was thinking of putting 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/16" angle iron around the outside of the entire tub, but after seeing this I might just go this route. How is it holding up?
Thanks for sharing!

It's holding up just great, it's cured the problem of droop completely but still lets the tub flex as it should. The tub sides are rock solid now, not moved at all.

2014SE

Nice workman ship!! I'm a welder & machinist by trade and can see quality in the job your doing. I like to see a man do a job with pride!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, you know what they say, if a job's worth doing it's worth doing well.

[philipatmaxfour]

rodp, this site works! You had a problem. You solved it,way better than new,with real nice workmanship. You posted pictures and already others are inspired by you solution. Thanks.

[frenchconxion]

Hi rodp, I like your solution to this problem, I just got my 8x8 and the body is sagging badly where driver enters so much so it has rubbed holes in tub..... Going to try my hand at plastic welding! Is your frame bolted to the chassis rails ? I thought of bending the corners in a hydraulic bender.

[rodp]

Hi FC, yep it's bolted to the frame on 6 legs / supports. I hadn't got a former for the bender to fit the 1" sq tube so had to cut and weld. Couldn't make a new former as the lathe was down. I jacked the sides up with timber bearers underneath, then went over it with a good heat gun then bolted the sides of the tub to the new frame so it was settled into it's proper shape.
Didn't take long to do and works well.

[frenchconxion]

Rodp do you have any photos of your Argo back in one peice? Did you have to notch out any of the top tub to fit over the box section?

[rodp]

Hi FC, I'll try to get some pics mate. Nothing needed notching, cutting or otherwise deforming to fit over the side frames, It all clears nicely. I fitted a second cross bearer at the rear to take a forward facing rear seat, this does nessecitate (?) a little use of the hot air gun for clearance and so does the cross bearers for front seats. It's nothing major though, more to just get everything to settle nicely.

[frenchconxion]

Rod, I noticed your forward facing seat, I wasn't going to do this but just keep the side seats, I was possibly thinking to put more bracing under the side seats. Any other tips you may have , anything you would do a little differently?

[rodp]

Yep, I would have taken the time to make a former for the bender instead of cutting and welding the corner bends, that was the longest job. Apart from that I don't think I would alter anything.

[frenchconxion]

Hi Rod,I am originally from the Pennines in Lancashire plenty of good wet boggy riding areas up there, how is it in your part of the world? Nowhere in the Black Country springs to mind as a fun riding area. Here in France I have got lots of wet tracks to ride on where farmers churn things up through winter I will be making sure my tub is quite water tight! For you guys on the other side of the pond to give you an idea what my riding area is like watch saving private ryan, I am in the Normandy bocage area wet muddy tracks bordered on each side by earthworks capable of stopping a Sherman!
Back to subject in hand, my homemade die for bending square tube was a bit of a failure so I resorted to your cut and shut approach, worked well just a little time consuming but did get me practicing with the mig....just waiting for my green plastic welding rods to arrive so I can practice on my plastic welding technique I will get some photos posted once I work out what I am going to put in place to support the rear seats.

[rodp]

Hi FC, we either use them to trundle around various shoots or go to fun days on private land. There's some good sites around here for offroading, 4x4's are a big thing in the Black Country (land Rover is just up the road really). Not done much over winter as too damn cold and wet for me now. Fitting body band, roll bar and screen now, then I'll knock up a new hood for it (Got some orange pvc that's a good match) and then it's out again for another season of fun.

They're a useful item on the shoot, handy to get stuff to the feeders etc. However, this year we're not putting birds down, just rough shooting so we'll have to see how it goes and if it's needed.

How come you left sunny Lancashire and joined those frenchies

Rod

[frenchconxion]

Long story really .... Basically self employed but on permanent contract to a U.S. Company when it came time to buy a new house U.K. Banks wouldn't touch me for a mortgage ... Walked into a French bank and got one straight off so I now have 32 acres of soggy French horse ranch to rip up with the Argo .... In a former life I was a trainee gamekeeper many moons ago and wish I had the use of an Argo on the grouse shoot.

[rodp]

Ah, trainee gamekeeper. I think that's one of those jobs where the dream is better than real life What do you do now then ?

Tha Argo's make a chore a pleasure, instead of having to lug bags of corn up hill and down dale you just go for a nice little ride round and stop every now and again to top feeders up.

This year, as it's turned into a rough shoot we shall still top feeders up but also scatter corn around to bring in vermin.

never really one for peg shooting, much prefer rough, especially with a rifle not shotgun.