Argocat or quad

[lear]

So I know this forum is aimed at bigger stuff but I just wondered... I'm shortly moving in to a house that has some land attached to it and I want something to tool around in/on offroad. As far as my wife believes this will be for carrying out maintenance, collecting wood etc but actually I just want it for my own amusement. The land is quite steeply sloped and wooded to the sides and can get quite marshy in the middle. I was debating between an old 8x8 argocat or a 4x4 farm/utility quad and just wondered if anyone has experiences of either that could help with the choice. Thank you!

[yellowstreak]

I have quite a lot of time on quads. Great if you just want to tool around and use quad specific accessories, but you will want to attack steep slopes head on as they can roll easily. You would need to pull a trailer to carry anything.

The argocat will be even better than the quad on soft ground, will be capable of carrying more stuff and can be had with a decent roll cage. If you have the coin and the space go all out for an ex-army 3 axle Supacat.

They have super low ground pressure, a 1.9 VW diesel engine from a passat, can carry 1000kg and from a cost to the army of £86k each (just what I heard) were available surplus at 9-12k. http://www.allterrainvehiclesolutions.com/18-supacat-vehicles

[bigblock]

I use a quad and an 8 wheeler fairly regularly although my 8x8 is a bit bigger than an Argocat.

If you don't have to cover a large area and your ground is boggy then the Argo would probably be more useful to you. They are fairly uncomfortable and slow when compared to a quad but they are safer on slopes and good on soft ground.

[yellowstreak]

The ATV in the top pic looks great Bigblock, what is it?

[lear]

Thank you both very much for your thoughts. It does sound more in favour of the Argo generally. I'll have about 14 acres so not a huge area to cover and a lot of it will be on quite soft ground or slopes. Plus I want to be able to carry fencing materials, wood and humans rather than needing speed. That 8x8 looks a beast - so does the quad for that matter.

[bigblock]

yellowstreak said:

The ATV in the top pic looks great Bigblock, what is it?

It is a Mk1 Octad, they were made for the military about 25 years ago by a company called Transcraft and were then superseded by the Supercat.

It has a Ford 1.8 diesel engine which powers a hydraulic pump which drives the wheels via duplex chains. It has a payload of 1000kg, skid steering and can do about 30mph on the flat.

It used to look like this...




Then I had it restored and the rear tipper bed added, it also has a 5ton hydraulic winch fitted ....




Now it has a rather bright green coat of paint .....

[brough74]

I would say an argo or something along them lines (6x6 or 8x8) i use a quad quite regulary and it can get a bit hairy on steep ground and can sink in wet boggy ground especially if you have a trailer to drag through it

[Fuz4x4]

Hi just thinking of purchasing a octad As there is one local to me but it’s missing the front hub and windscreen needs replacing does anyone have any ideas of parts stockiest for these?

[bigblock]

Fuz4x4 said:

Hi just thinking of purchasing a octad As there is one local to me but it’s missing the front hub and windscreen needs replacing does anyone have any ideas of parts stockiest for these?

They were originally made by a company called Transcraft Ltd based in Poole,Dorset. They were only made in very small numbers from the late 1980's to the mid 90's. Primarily designed for the military but not really fit for purpose due to their heavy weight and low ground clearance as well as their complex drive system.

There are three types the MK1, MK2 and MK3. They main differences are in the engines (Ford 1.6 and 1.8 diesels) and the shape of the cab went from rounded to square. The MK3 can seat three people in the larger cab. As far as I know the drive train remained the same with the engine driving twin Rexroth hydraulic pumps connected to the drive axles via a duplex chain drive. Power is controlled by a throttle for the engine with forward, reverse and skid steering controlled by two levers operating the hydraulic pumps.

I have an early MK1 which can do about 30mph on level ground and can negotiate most type of terrain. It has very low ground pressure which makes it ideal for soft boggy ground. I have adapted mine to have a tipping rear body and it has a 5 ton hydraulic recovery winch fitted.

The Octad was quite popular with commercial forestry outfits for accessing difficult areas and you sometimes see a few battered examples coming up for sale. I would say that this is really your only source of spare parts now unless you know a good fabricator.

[cbmotorsport]

If it's for amusement, then get a quad. Argo's are dull as ditchwater, slow, noisy, agricultural but a great workhorse.

Edited by cbmotorsport on Wednesday 20th March 15:35