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Amphibious Encyclopedia · ATVs and work machines

Argo amphibious ATV

Argo is a line of amphibious all-terrain vehicles with six or eight wheels, built in Canada by Ontario Drive and Gear (ODG) since 1967 [1][2]. An Argo has a sealed plastic body that floats, low-pressure tires that push it slowly through water, and skid steering like a tracked vehicle [2][9]. It is used for hunting, utility and industrial work, search and rescue and military support in wet, remote country [2].

  • ATVs and work machines
  • 1967 to present
  • Canada

History

Ontario Drive and Gear was founded in 1962 in Kitchener, Ontario, to make gears and transmissions for other manufacturers [1][3]. According to Riders West, the company was hired to supply transmissions to a new amphibious vehicle maker. When that maker failed, ODG was left with finished transmissions and no customer, so founder Ortwin Stieber hired engineers to design a vehicle of its own [1]. Wikipedia says ODG had built a special transmission for the Amphicat, a six-wheel amphibian of the period, and that this work led to the Argo [7].

The first Argo, a six-wheeler, appeared in 1967. Critics dismissed it as a "bathtub on wheels," but it sold well [1]. The company later moved to New Hamburg, Ontario [7], and an eight-wheel model followed in 1972 [1]. In 2016 ODG employed about 350 people at two plants in New Hamburg and built about 2,000 Argos and 200 of the extreme-terrain XT version a year, making about 85 percent of the parts itself [2]. The Argo stayed a niche product until 2017, when the brand added four-wheel Xplorer ATVs, followed by Magnum side-by-sides [3].

Ownership has since become linked with Arctic Cat. In April 2025, Argo president Brad Darling and an investor group bought Arctic Cat from Textron [3]. In October 2026 Arctic Cat announced that Argo XTVs would join its brand: US-market Argos are to be built in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, while the Canadian plant keeps supplying Canada and export markets [4]. Argo also agreed in 2020 to build and supply co-branded ARGO SHERP models for Canada and the United States [8].

Design and how it works

The body is made from two thermoformed polyethylene shells, each weighing about 160 lb (73 kg), fused together with 184 rivets to form a watertight tub [2]. All wheels are driven, and the driver turns by slowing or braking the wheels on one side, as on a tracked vehicle [7][9]. Afloat, the Argo moves by turning its tires, whose webbed tread acts like paddles [2]. As with other amphibious ATVs, an outboard motor can be fitted for longer distances on water [9].

Current models show how modest the water performance is. The 2027 Frontier 650 6x6 weighs 970 lb (440 kg), carries 370 lb (168 kg) in water, and has top speeds of 24 mph (39 km/h) on land and 3 mph (5 km/h) afloat [5]. The Frontier 750 8x8 weighs 1,210 lb (549 kg) and carries 740 lb (336 kg) and four people in water [6]. Rubber tracks can be fitted for snow and mud, but Argo warns that with tracks or a rollover structure some models are not fully amphibious and can only ford water about 26 in (660 mm) deep [5].

Uses

Argos are used in oil, gas and mining exploration, by utility companies, for search and rescue, by armed forces and by hunters and other private owners [2]. In 2009 search and rescue volunteers in twelve Nunavut communities each received an Argo Avenger [7]. The company's space and robotics work has included rover prototypes for lunar and planetary exploration developed with the Canadian Space Agency [1].

Sources

  1. The evolution of Argo, Riders West (2017-08-22). riderswestmag.com/atvzone/article/the_evolution_of_argo
  2. Argo: the story behind the hulking eight-wheeled ATV you always wanted, Canadian Manufacturing (2016-01-21). www.canadianmanufacturing.com/?p=159954
  3. What Is Argo/Ontario Drive & Gear? A Primer On Cat's New Partner, SnowGoer (2025-04-24). snowgoer.com/news-info/news/what-is-argo-ontario-drive-gear-a-primer-on-cats-new-partner/33335
  4. Arctic Cat Adds ARGO XTVs, Motorcycle & Powersports News (2026-10-26). www.motorcyclepowersportsnews.com/argo-joins-arctic-cat-family
  5. 2027 ARGO Frontier 650 6x6, Arctic Cat. www.arcticcat.com/argo/2027/frontier-650-6x6
  6. 2027 ARGO Frontier 750 8x8, Arctic Cat. www.arcticcat.com/argo/2027/frontier-750-8x8
  7. Argo (ATV manufacturer), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_(ATV_manufacturer)
  8. SHERP enters strategic co-branding deal with ARGO, SHERP (2020-11-20). sherpglobal.com/en/news/sherp-enters-strategic-co-branding-deal-with-argo
  9. Amphibious ATV, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibious_ATV

Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.

About the Amphibious Encyclopedia

WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.

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