Belt squealing on a 2016 8 wheel frontier.

[BLASTER]

Does anyone have any remedies for this?

[ARGOJIM]

What trans is in it?
How long has it been squealing?
That's pretty uncommon, did you get chain lube on the belt or clutches?
If so I'd clean them both and start again.

A possible culprit, is your parking brake stuck on? Can you push the machine by hand?

[BLASTER]

I have a hard time pushing it by hand with the Adair tracks on it but if I put allot of weight in it, it'll move.
I have the standard transmission in it. I was told it had the 3.3 trans. when I called the dealer and drove 3.5 hours to have them back peddle. They were confused and told me that the other machine they had there was a standard trans. and it pushed the Argo rubber tracks just fine. I decided to take the machine and I'm wishing I would have left it behind.
I'm sure the 3.3 trans. would be the ticket. I work in some tall grass and cat tails and the Adair tracks are so sticky in that stuff I need to be careful while turning.

[ARGOJIM]

The 34-100 trans should roll pretty free with tires but tracks are another issue, the admiral trans is actually very hard to roll due to the triple differential. Which is why I asked that.

Is there a chance the clutches are dirty? if not I'd bring back to the dealer as there may be a clutch or belt issue, the belt squeal is uncommon with most Argos as everything is fixed in place. Is it possibly a brake issue such as mis adjusted main or parking brakes causing drag? That was why I had asked about the rolling. Try to jack the machine up and see if everything moves decent while in the air.

[BLASTER]

Thanks Argojim, I'm new to the Argo thing and really don't know what to expect. I do know that it goes further than the Honda rancher I sold recently.
It's nice not having to drag a boat by hand when the wheeler cant go any further. Do you think there's market for a standard transmission with less than 10 hours on it?
I'm afraid I'll have to spring for a 3.3 high torque.

[jtb51b]

I have the 3.3 trans, and no tracks. I can squeal my belt also. It doesnt do it every time, but it does if I start in a turn, or have to hold the brakes on a hill and release them to move fwd.

Jason

[BLASTER]

Jason,
How does it handle tall swamp grass in a turn? Do you need to make several attempts to make a complete 180 degree turn? I need to make 5 to 7 short jerky attempts to get it turned around. I don't know if thats a regular characteristic of the machine or not.

Thanks

J

[jtb51b]

I have never had mine in that situation, however what you describe I have had happen to me before. My parking brake was on. Seemed like without momentum I couldnt get out of my own tracks. Once I realized I had the brake partially on I was able to move much much easier. You might want to check your parking brake adjustment.

Jason

[DerekF]

Hi J,

I can comment on this. I have both the standard and the 3.3 on my Avenger. They will both squeal at times. With tires not so much, bit even my brand new 3.3 with tires will at times if there is a lot of resistance on a turn. I usually just drive forward a tad to release some of the turning pressure and it doesn't squeal again. With track it squeal more often. In my opinion, it is simply a resistance thing while turning, unless of course, your clutches are in need of work, or there is some driveline issue.

FYI, my Avenger squealed alot when I got it used. I rebuilt the clutches and that helped a lot. But I doubt with 10 hours that this is your problem. Likley just hard turns are causing it.

my 2 cents.

Derek

[BLASTER]

Thanks for the input guys.

J

[ARGOJIM]

Looks as if I was unaware of the commonness of the squeal.

[BLASTER]

Derek,
Was there a big difference between the standard and the 3.3 transmission?

J

[jtb51b]

Mine is more of a bark, but then again once it does it I stop and regroup.. These EFI engines have so much HP and TQ down low with no throttle lag. I believe I could make mine squeal longer and more if I didnt let off the throttle..

[DerekF]

Derek,
Was there a big difference between the standard and the 3.3 transmission?

J

Hmmm, good question. I do miss the top speed when out on the lake in the spring when the snow is melted. But I would say the biggest difference is that the 3.3 is way easier on the drive train for what I do. I primarily hunt with it, and when you have a moose or elk in the back and are trying to sneak around trees and logs, climb out of holes, over logs, and up hills, the 3.3 just lets you crawl effortlessly with a big load. So I guess I like it better overall. But having said that, the standard would probably go the same places, just not as easy. What Id really like is the high range to be the standard gear and the low to be the 3.3. The biggest complaint I have with the standard is that the low range is too high. I think I could go 17+ kph. Too fast for a low range.

If you look at this video you can see at the 2:27 mark that the standard transmission with a moose (a big moose) and our gear just doesn't have enough grunt to pull itself up the hill. I rebuilt the clutches after this trip and that helped, but they weren't squealing too bad or anything. I thought the clutches were gone at the time, but in hindsight it was the gearing. The 3.3 would climb up the without a sweat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6jRbHbgNA

Derek