Centaur opinions

[Robinhood02]

so ive got an oportunity to buy a 2005 Centaur for 10k ,just wondering if the centaur is all it is hyped up to be ?? any words of wisdom from Centaur owners would be appretiated, thanks

[North Country Tough]

so ive got an oportunity to buy a 2005 Centaur for 10k ,just wondering if the centaur is all it is hyped up to be ?? any words of wisdom from Centaur owners would be appretiated, thanks

Robinhood02 dont own one have inquired myself about them,I know one thing I want one and if a 2005 was sitting within a 300 mile reach of me for 10K I would be on the road trailer in tow.N.C.T

[Robinhood02]

well thats kinda what i was thinking too, concidering they are 50-60k new, and they do seem to be very toughly built, but if it turns out that the Centaurs are a hunk-O-junk then it really don't matter how cheap it is LOL, what do you know or have heard about them ?? I haven't heard diddly squat about them good or bad.

[North Country Tough]

My sources out of Sudbury Ontario that are using them say they are tough as can be very little issues,that said you can break a M1 tank if you care to,given the price of my Avenger I would not hesitate to try one.N.C.T P.S If you see it and its not beat to death and dont want it give me a shipping quote and your commish on that and send it back to Ontario.

[Mike]

Speaking with Ken Bost, my local Argo dealer, Centaurs have very few issues when compared to the Avengers. I have looked inside a couple of them and everything is ridiculously oversized. The chain makes #60 chain look puny. I don't know much about the differences in Centaurs over the years and whether they all have the oil bath design but Ken was explaining that the oil bath for the moving parts is really what helps Centaurs remain in such great condition over time. That definitely helps keep moving parts from wearing out over time. I too would grab it. Worst case, if you don't like it you can surely sell it and get your money back? :dontkonw:

[Robinhood02]

Yup Mike i think it looked like #80 chain to me but had no #80 in hand to compare it to, another thingy i noticed was the enclosed Brg housings with tappered rollers (like automotive spindle Brgs) some kind of Assian 3 cyl motor and what apeared to be an internally operated hydrostatic transmission,
It has a beat up plywood deck with no railings but i would build a new one from aluminum checker plate with some sort of cargo rails and attachment mount, it looked like the tranni had an unused output shaft maybe for live PTO (handy place to put a hydrolic pump to run attachments) I'm thinkin of picking it up for gold mining , if it is a PTO output i think it would have enouph HP to run a drill earth auger to take soil samples in the Klondike this summer , my D8K is nearly repaired after my little 35k fire i had under the seat, darn, i sure had better places to spend 35k,
North Country if i dont get it i'll put you in touch with the outfit that has it, i'll know on monday, and of course i'll help with linning up the transport, but i won't be takin no commissions or anything

[Bazooo guy]

Heres an older one with tracks & a blade.
2001 Argo Centaur 960 - Alberta ATV For Sale - Kijiji Alberta Canada.

[MaxRules]

The Centaur is built very well and at that price it's probably a good deal. Just make sure it hasn't been commercially used 24/7 like many of them have. It will be beat down to nothing if that's the case.
The only complaint I have about the Centaur is the fact that the cab is very noisy. It needs more sound dampening between the engine and cab. Later models and different engines may also change that. My experience is with the diesel model.
The Centaur drives and steers very good. The Avenger is probably slightly more fun to drive just because of it's lighter weight it gets around a little more nimble. Also keep in mind the Centaur is not very amphibious. It requires counter weight in the rear to keep it even close to safe in the water.

[North Country Tough]

Thanks MaxRules did not know that they required counterweight, thought with a mid mount motor it would be better.

[SiliconTi]

I have heard that they do not like deep water. If your needs require deep water crossings, it may not be the machine for you. They do look cool though.

[North Country Tough]

I have heard that they do not like deep water. If your needs require deep water crossings, it may not be the machine for you. They do look cool though.

Hmmm yes water crossing is a must for my purpose,have to give this some thought,would have liked the tougher machine than the Avenger for pulling a snow trail groomer.

[Robinhood02]

when i was talkin to the fellow that owns this Centaur he said that Argo has lost their amphibious status on the Centaur because of too many sinkings carrying even a small load, i think they are probably pretty heavy for the displacement of the tub concidering the steel cab and top frame, maybe if one went to the trouble of replacing the steel cab with an all aluminum cab maybe they would be truely amphibious again

[spankbomb]

Correct, the Centaur is not an amphib.

[philipatmaxfour]

would mounting duallies on 1 or 2 axles help it float?

[glen1971]

A word of caution on a Centaur though.. Make sure you aren't getting something that was owned by an oil and gas or utility company that has been bagged.. Quite a few companies use them but they don't realize the extra maintenance that goes along with some pieces of equipment.. One company down here was going to sell their old one for $10K (I think).. They had to send it back to Argo for repairs as it was leaking diesel and they couldn't figure out why.. When they had a mechanic look at it, they found a drive chain broke and had hit the tank.. They used to do donuts with it in the winter to see if it could...
I heard from the guys that used to run it that it would float like a crowbar, because they added a square tubing storage box to the back of it...

Do your research and make sure it is the right machine for your needs and that the past owner did some up keep on it..