2006 Argo avenger PROS N CONS

[Core222]

Hello All , I'm thinking about buying a 2006 Argo Avenger, it has a winch, windshield , I'm looking for any input as to what to look for, the machine has 120 hrs on it, what is it worth? What are things to look for, are these good machines ? The guy that owns it now said he put rubber tracks on it and broke two axles, I think the plastic tracks may have prevented that, am I right ? It has the 26 hp kohler liquid cooled motor, are they any good ? Any advice good or bad would be appreciated THANK YOU IN ADVANCE ! Cheers

[wrench9]

You need to upgrade the front and rear axles and bearings to the new HD axles this will stop the outer flanges on the axles from breaking with the rubber tracks. The rubber tracks are far superior to the plastics I have run both in deep snow the rubber is basicallly unstoppable except for steep hills. Remove both front chain tighteners as all they do is make noise. The transmission should be upgraded with a HD snapring to hold the low gear in place if you are going to use the tracks a lot none of these upgrades are real expensine and the machine will be bulletproof when done. 120hrs is basically new it isn't much for a 8 year old machine is it accurate if the machine was taken care of and stored inside it should need nothing. My 26 hp kohler with over 1000 hrs was still like new no noise no oil consumption I changed oil and filter every 50 hrs and used synthetic. What is his asking price

[Core222]

The asking price is 9000$canadian, I believe it comes with the front and rear winch mount and windshield , thanks for the info ! Greatly appreciated ! What would those upgrades cost ? I'm now wondering how the tranny is geared , I guess I will need the serial number from it , it is blue in colour which I think may be why it's still for sale Apparently the green and camo are more preferred I've been trying to decide between the 06 avenger (26hp) or a 2001 conquest for 10,000$ can with all options available ( heater, bilge, tracks,canopy,winch, etc.....

[SHOTGUN]

Hi Core222, you would not be located in central sask would you? If so I know both machines you are talking about.

[wrench9]

Don't bother with the conquest the avenger is far superior and the plastic tracks are garbage compared to the rubber the axles and new stule bearings are about 175 for each corner and the trans upgrade is only the price of the new larger snap ring and a little machining the grove wider on the old shaft or new shaft which is inder 100 dollars. If you are not going to run tracks you do not need to do any of these upgrades it will last for years as is. I sold my 06 last year with all options you listed and a soft top and rubber tracks for 11500 and it had over 1000 hours but was very well maintained. The price is probably close to top dollar for your machine but the hours are very low here in NB it would probable fetch very close to his asking price. I have 8 good old style axles from my avenger that I swapped out for the newer HD style I would let go real cheap if you purchase the machine and do want some spares. The heater kit is basically worthless in my opinion the windshiels and winches are almost manditory in my books

[Old Tucker]

The Conquest is a little workhorse, But you must do the up grades Like the HD axles and bearings to run with tracks. Having all the option is nice but you may put a big $ into the conquest to bring it up to benign that tough little work horse. Then it depends on what you are going to use it for..If its for the sunday drive to church and back you should be ok. The Argo plastic track you will not be happy with. I have used them also and plastic and ice do not mix. I my be more inclined to go the avenger, more HP A little newer but you could be putting some $ into it to. Six of one an half a dozen of the other. It up to you and what you are looking for and going to use it for. I am running the 2002 conquest but I up graded all axles and bearings. To run with the channel track.

[Buzz]

I've owned/driven multiples of both. If set up the SAME way to include the same style tracks, the Avenger gets through some situations easier and has more "bouyancy" floating. The conquest will go the same places but sometimes has to try longer or harder to do it. The conquest burns less fuel and can be had for less $$.

Now, a conquest set up properly can outclass an avenger that is not set up properly.

Like everything, it just depends. I wouldn't want to have a total investment more than $9000 into a conquest to include HD upgrades, good tires, windshield top, and aftermarket tracks. If it's more than that, you're probably better off to find a budget Avenger, then spend a bit on it to set it up properly as well. A good analogy is it's like having a built-up jeep vs. a stock jeep. The bigger-tired/wheeled machine is more capable. But, this isn't always necessary, and everyone has a budget. Of the Avengers, I prefer a fairly priced 700 avenger w/upgrades as the best bang for the buck performance-wise.

[thorn]

I have had several Argos over the years. My last machine was a 2006 Avenger and I sold that and bought a 2004 Conquest. The Avenger was the most troublesome of all the Argos I have had. It was plagued with vapor lock issue in the Summer and was a gutless wonder with tracks (even w/o in steep high altitude terrain). It was also the only argo I have blown a bearing in. The conquest I have now has served me far better. The biggest difference for me was how the machines were set up and you have to look at what transmission ratio each machine has as this was probably the biggest factor for my uses.

All of the track systems seem to have pros and cons, but there are much better tracks available today than both the plastic or rubber Argo tracks. Rubber tracks are hard to turn and can be hard on the drive train (chain wind up, bearing stress) and plastic tracks give good floatation, but have the least amount of traction. Do your research on this site there is a ton of info that you can learn. If you could swing it I would also look at a new 8x8 Frontier with the 23 HP EFI Kohler, it seems like a lot of machine for the $$$$.

My Avenger had a HU or high geared tranny and my Conquest has a GU marked or ultra low tranny. This makes the biggest difference in the amount of heat (=work) the engine has to do especially with heavy loads and when using tracks in deep snow or mud. I thought the 26 HP in the Avenger would overcome the transmission difference=Wrong!! I live and operate my Argos at high altitude also so this takes a toll on HP as well. Carb jetting and the way your clutch is weighted or sprung also is a big factor.

[Core222]

Thanks for all the info gents ! I ended up buying the 2006 Avenger, it's all stock original,with 117 hrs,,has the low geared 3:3 trnny, 4000# winch,,and windshield it's never been serviced, but holy moly there sure is a lot of grease under the floor pans, tranny oil was at low level mark as well as rad coolant reservoir I previously owned a 1987 magnum, IT WAS A TANK ! Had so much fun in it I decided to buy a newer argo What should I do to this avenger to make it trouble-free, I have heard a few suggestions as to upgrading the axles if I decide to put tracks on, as well I have heard that the steering pins that actuate the hydraulic brakes break ! Should I , and can I upgrade those too ? Thinking about hooking another battery up in series to make sure I always have enough voltage What types of spares should I keep in the machine other than spare drive belt and plugs ? I was suprised to see so much oil on and near the tranny, I suspect there may be a leak somewhere. Interested in knowing what others have done to the 26 hp kohler engine to ensure reliability. I plan on taking all electrical connections and applying die-electric grease Any suggestions on what type of engine and tranny oil to use ? Thanks in advance

[Old Tucker]

Thanks for all the info gents ! I ended up buying the 2006 Avenger, it's all stock original,with 117 hrs, 4000# winch,,and windshield it's never been serviced, but holy moly there sure is a lot of grease under the floor pans, tranny oil was at low level mark as well as rad coolant reservoir I previously owned a 1987 magnum, IT WAS A TANK ! Had so much fun in it I decided to buy a newer argo What should I do to this avenger to make it trouble-free, I have heard a few suggestions as to upgrading the axles if I decide to put tracks on, as well I have heard that the steering pins that actuate the hydraulic brakes break ! Should I , and can I upgrade those too ? Thinking about hooking another battery up in series to make sure I always have enough voltage What types of spares should I keep in the machine other than spare drive belt and plugs ? I was suprised to see so much oil on and near the tranny, I suspect there may be a leak somewhere. Interested in knowing what others have done to the 26 hp kohler engine to ensure reliability. I plan on taking all electrical connections and applying die-electric grease Any suggestions on what type of engine and tranny oil to use ? Thanks in advance

What ever you do (DO NOT HOOK UP ANOTHER BATTERY IN SERIES) You will blow every thing. That gives you 24 volts. And the system is only a 12 volt system. Do,s it have a alternator kit in it? If so, you should have lots of juice. Maybe do a draw test on the battery and that will tell you what shape it is in. If low just replace it. As for all the oil. They are greasy no matter what you do. Because of all the open chains and gears. But change your oils and clean things up a little. Hopefully you do not find to many things wrong. If you are going to run a track. It may be wise to look into the axles. And there are some excellent tracks out there now.. Have fun and enjoy

[thorn]

Thanks for all the info gents ! I ended up buying the 2006 Avenger, it's all stock original,with 117 hrs,,has the low geared 3:3 trnny, 4000# winch,,and windshield it's never been serviced, but holy moly there sure is a lot of grease under the floor pans, tranny oil was at low level mark as well as rad coolant reservoir I previously owned a 1987 magnum, IT WAS A TANK ! Had so much fun in it I decided to buy a newer argo What should I do to this avenger to make it trouble-free, I have heard a few suggestions as to upgrading the axles if I decide to put tracks on, as well I have heard that the steering pins that actuate the hydraulic brakes break ! Should I , and can I upgrade those too ? Thinking about hooking another battery up in series to make sure I always have enough voltage What types of spares should I keep in the machine other than spare drive belt and plugs ? I was suprised to see so much oil on and near the tranny, I suspect there may be a leak somewhere. Interested in knowing what others have done to the 26 hp kohler engine to ensure reliability. I plan on taking all electrical connections and applying die-electric grease Any suggestions on what type of engine and tranny oil to use ? Thanks in advance

Congrats on the "new" machine. I am glad to hear it has the low tranny. Change ALL of the fluids including the coolant and brake fluid as well as the fuel filter, air filter, and plugs. Basically start with a clean slate. You should also check the torque on the bearing housing bolts, which is recommended after the machine is broken in and grease the bearings. Enjoy!

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[Core222]

Thanks Tucker, it does not have an alternator , I will be useing the Argo for fishing small calm water lakes as well as exploring new lakes, I will be going through very rough bush country in Northwestern Ontario, I have bought a small inflatable, as a back up to getting back home as I will be crossing many lakes and be going where no man has gone before 😃 I guess I will bring a spare battery with me, just in case, I have a 2.5 yamaha 4 stroke that will pretty much stay on the machine. I plane on getting the brush bar and handrail kit soon. The machine looks good, Ive given it a bath since it got home and have found no suprises this far how big of a job is it to upgrade the snapring on the tranny ? CHEERS😀

[maicolover]

If it doesn't have an alternator, it may not be able to keep two battery's fully charged if your using a lot of amps. Put a voltmeter on and see what output is. You can put two batteries in it and have 12 volts if you hook them positive to positive and negative to negative and have 12 volt. If you hook them positive to negative then you have 24 volts! We use big batteries hooked in series for trucks, tractors and big equipment all time! You could put a disconnect on them and use separately also. Or put one larger high capacity battery in it?

[ARGOJIM]

The machine looks good, Ive given it a bath since it got home and have found no suprises this far how big of a job is it to upgrade the snapring on the tranny ? CHEERS😀

If you have a local dealer call them or the Factory and see if your trans is one that was affected by the early parts and/or if the repair has already been done. No sense spending money unneedingly.

[wrench9]

The 06 do not have the larger snap ring it starts mid 07 you do not need to change it if you are not going to run the rubber tracks it is only for low gear and the rubber tracks put a lot of strain in the components.Mine lasted uver 500 hours befor eit gave me any problems and that is putting half of those hours on with tracks.