Tuesday Matinee - A walk around the Arctic Cat expedition Quad

Submitted: Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 14:29
ThreadID: 139956 Views:8714 Replies:2 FollowUps:1
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If there is a positive side to our current isolation predicament, it’s the fact that we get lots of time to go back through terabytes of photos and video from trips past. In the absence of the real thing, at least it provides a bit of comfort in lieu of not being out there amongst it and enjoying the mysteries and splendour of the wide brown land.

We had a pretty big year in 2018 with three months out in the wilds and also exploring the spectacular west coast before ducking back inland to spend a couple of weeks ambling across Hann’s Track. A key element of the trip was part three of my R.T Maurice retracing expedition and another was real world testing of some prototype quads for the ARGO company. We also got to play with the ARGO XTV (8 wheel amphibious all terrain vehicle) shod with the airless Michelin Tweels.

Our mate Grant from My Aussie Travel Guide also shot a little piece of video with yours truly giving a walk around of my Arctic Cat Superduty diesel quad and just what we had done in the way of mods and accessories to make it an expedition ready platform capable of supporting us for extended periods. It also includes a little bit shot by Gaby in the minutes before Scott and I headed into the Great Sandy on RTM Part III which gives an overview of the machine loaded for our eight day journey.

I have built this 2015 model quad based on my experience with Big Red, my '07 Diesel and with the input of mates who have also invested in an Arctic Cat Superduty and accompanied me on previous expeditions. It has served me well but continues to evolve as we gain further knowledge during each and every excursion.

I had a bloody big year planned for 2020 but unfortunately, this as as close as I'm going to get!

Cheers, Mick

Apologies for the wind noise in the video.






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Reply By: Life Member - Duncan W (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 15:12

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 15:12
Hi Mick, interesting viewing. Look forward to seeing more of your archive footage and vids yet made.

Dunc
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Reply By: equinox - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 20:49

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 20:49
Hi Mick,

I like the light mounted on the side of the rear box.
Dual Battery? I have isolator with spare in the slot under the seat.

With the front bar I thought it could have been lower down - help knock the top of whatever!!! :-)

Looks like you carried a bit of fuel - you're right about the safer volatility of diesel.
The compressor and the tank are a proven success.

I have the 10 ply rubber (I think), not as soft but can hold their own when it counts.

I'm thinking of getting her ready for a run around the goldfields - some of the bush there is bloody shocking! Fair Maid gets nervous.

Cheers
Alan



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Follow Up By: Mick O - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 22:23

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2020 at 22:23
I'm looking at fitting the Tweels in the near future Al to see how they go. They are larger diameter and heavier but bullet proof. Pretty happy with the 8 ply's though. I think yours are 10 or 12 but they are so stiff they look like a run flat lol.

I've also wound the fuel screw around 1.5 turns and that makes a lot of difference. The power increase is amazing and I'd recommend doing it. If I was confident enough to re-weight the clutch like Jaydub did, I'd do that as well just to get it to hold the gear a bit longer under harder acceleration (like climbing those bloody mountainous dunes!). Might have to talk to Larry about that one.

I'm carrying one of the 20K milliamp jump starters as a battery back-up. Much lighter than the 17 A/H auxiliary and I can't afford one of those special racing lithium.

Re the lights, I reckon a single flood in an elevated position would be best and will work on that for the next trip. Those lights are good for the vicinity of your tent where the quad is usually parked as a wind break etc so you need to move it over closer to the campfire if you want light (or stop early and cook in the evening light :-)

I'll look at a custom box for the front which is underutilised at present. I've got most of my weight to the rear so really want to shift the water to the front to even things up. A 25 litre tank can cover that front rack and still only be 4 cm high. It's still well under the load limit at both ends but would provide for a more even distribution.

The other benefit of the diesel is economy. I carried 60 odd litres to Scottie's 90 ltrs of unleaded for his ARGO. If that thing had caught fire, you'd have seen the explosion from space!!

I'd just like to get anywhere that isn't home at the present. Bush preferred.

Cheers
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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