ballast and batteries

[Mike T]

More newbie questions..Do you guys add weight to the back of your argos? The nose down attitude is a bit disconcerting. Ive also thought about moving the battery to the back. Which leads to another question, My winch killed my standard 360cca small battery (new) fairly quickly. Could I use a rear mounted deep cycle boat battery for cranking and winching? Seems a good way to get more weight back there, while taking some off the front.

[Roger S]

I'm sure others have put a battery back there. You can also get an over 500 cca battery in the stock battery box.

[Robio_8x8]

Not a bad idea

I would use really thick power cable because of the distance from your starter and winch but it is a good idea to offset the noise wait especially in the water.

I like the noise weight on land when going up hill. Down hill if it leaned forward I have just increased speed.

In the Water I just added an outboard motor which offsets the nose weight

[m350]

You can get auto battery cable by the foot',, at Advanced Auto, probobly most auto parts stores,,have to solder on or clamp on the ends you need.

Dont' think I will move the battery on the BigFoot to the back,,,,I have to pull up the rear floor pan(easy now) to get to the drain plugs!,,,Mark

[artist1018]

Replace your drain plugs with outside mounted ones, like the new Argo have!

[m350]

On my BigFoot anyway the plugs are on the bottom,, Getting to them from the outside would be a pain,,and probobly get ripped out by brush or whatever,,,I see the New Argo has them on the back,,,much more accessible.

[artist1018]

If you have the lower body skid plate, you'll be able to convert to the outer installed plugs. Without the skid plate, you're out of luck!

[m350]

My BigFoot does have the skidplate,,ofcourse,, it has holes in it for the drains that are there now.

[Roger S]

Pseudo avenger/frontier drain plugs from boating supply(bass pro shop) fitted to '97 argo.

[artist1018]

I bought mine at Gander Mountain, paid $3.99 each.

[cory_Alaska]

I just bought my first argo, a 97 conquest 8x8, and the battery was shot. The first thing I did was weld up a new battery box and mount a full size optima deep cycle battery. I figured that with the winch and added lights that I could stand the little extra weight for a good battery. I thought about moving it to the back, but there were lots of reasons to keep it where it was at. The main one was room for gear wich is why I wanted an 8x8 in the first place!

[martwell]

Nice Alaskan Pics

hi Cody, Congratulation for your Argo... You got a good machine in your hands...You got some really nice pics of your Conquest... Do you use tracks in winter with all this snow... Did you make the roof rack yourself... Looks very solid and handy... Is it Aluminum or steel... Send more pics if you got somes...

Martin

[Roger S]

Cory has tracks, but never used them. In fact he's never seen them.

He bought mine and they're en route to him.

[cory_Alaska]

Thanks

hi Cody, Congratulation for your Argo... You got a good machine in your hands...You got some really nice pics of your Conquest... Do you use tracks in winter with all this snow... Did you make the roof rack yourself... Looks very solid and handy... Is it Aluminum or steel... Send more pics if you got somes...

Martin

Thanks Martin. I am looking forward to a few bear and moose hunts this spring, summer and fall. And some ice fishing and bird hunting this winter! Its funny you should ask about the tracks. I looked for an argo for almost a year up here and there are not too many that ever come up for sale. I found this one and even without the tracks I figured I better snatch it up. Thank goodness for Roger though, because used tracks up here seem to be even harder to find!
As for the top, I bought it with it on. Its a full aluminum top/cargo rack with snap/zip in sides to completely enclosed it. It was built by a fabrication up here using the standard Argo windshield. I can tell already it is going to be just the ticket next winter when it gets really cold.
I am looking forward to getting those tracks though. I think that will open up some incredible new territory. I just have to find a decent supplier up here for the runamuks so I can run them. Here is another picture, but I dont want to hijack the thread any more so I will start a new one.

Cory has tracks, but never used them. In fact he's never seen them.

He bought mine and they're en route to him.

I sort of saw them in those pictures. I just havent been able to fondle them yet!

[Roger S]

That scenery just knocks me out, America's last frontier..

That aluminum top is worth some bucks, good to keep it light and not top heavy. And all the space on the upper deck! This is what argo 8's are all about.