early conquest and frontier tires

[JohnF]

The 99 didn't work out so now I'm looking at a 97 at a dealers. He tells me that the 24" frontier tires do no work on the early conquests. Why not? Is it the double 50 chains to the rear axles? If this is the case then can one update an early conquest to single 60s?

[Mike]

If you search this forum you will find lots of good information:

Here's one to get you started -
http://www.6x6world.com/forums/argo-...-conquest.html

[JohnF]

Hi Mike,

Thanks, yeah I've been all over the site; it's where I got the idea. I should have given a little more info...

RockDoctor says conquest+frontier tires = good.

I'm looking at used machines, many of which need new tires, so I figure I'll just start with the frontier tires. This particular machine has a BKT ATV tire on it so I asked the dealer if we could work a swap in to the deal. He told me that the frontier tire does not work on early conquests - not until about year 2000. (reference - the machine is a 97)

I don't know enough about conquest changes to guess why he would say that and he doesn't want to elaborate - this is just the way it is.

I don't imagine that there are dimensional changes - but could be.
I know RD has said that in 99 conquests went to single 60 to the back axles. (So this is my only guess)
Could be a hollow/solid axle thing like on the Maxs???
Could be a splined/keyed axle issue???

I haven't yet come across limitations to this combination and wondering why the dealer draws a line near y2k. (It is a consignment so he can't deal on the tires and he may just be selling a machine over giving good information.)

[JohnF]

Okay, more info.

This 97 is 300 miles away from me and due to the rest of the conversation with this dealer I made the trek to see the machine today.

It is in great shape and I will be talking with the seller soon.

Now about the tire/conquest combination. He had never actually tried the frontiers on the older conquests but was told by a contact in Alaska that they worked starting in the model year with the square tube frame.

So we lifted the 97 with a forklift and put frontier tires on it. They fit. There's what looked like maybe an inch between the tires but they do fit.

The tires on the machine are BKT AT-108 22x11x8. They will swim - not very fast - he said about 2mph - but they will swim. In his testing he has had a set of those directional tires that Argo was testing and they won't move in the water and the fastest tire by a good margin is the frontier. The advantage to this tire for him is that they last. In the granite up here the runamucks are used up in a season.

Oh, and the BKTs are superior track tires than the runamucks.

So there we have it - frontiers fit on a '97 conquest.
(And I have no idea about a square tube frame. 97 and 99 both have a round tube across the back.)

I am adding this in edit just in case someone in the future runs across this thread - I don't want to leave someone wondering.
I found the post in this forum that give the links for manuals download and thought I would learn a little along the way so I checked out the frames of a few different model years of the conquest. I stopped at 2005 and it had round tubes too so I am sure I misunderstood what the dealer was telling me. (again - sigh)