Installing a Brush Guard on Your Argo XTV

When you make the most capable off-road vehicles on the planet, it makes sense to equip them with brush guards. After all, even the best driver will occasionally get a little too confident and slide the front end into a tree or slam a headlight into a branch. If your Argo didn’t come with a brush guard from the factory, you can install one yourself. Here’s how.

Tools You’ll Need

To install a brush guard, you will need a set of SAE wrenches and sockets, a ratchet, and a drill with SAE drill bits. The sizes you need are listed in the instructions below. You will also need a grinder to install a brush guard on a 2019 Aurora.

Avenger or 2019 and Earlier Frontier

1. If you have a winch, remove it from your XTV. It’s held in by a pair of quick release pins. Next, remove the four bolts holding the receiver onto the body: there are three bolts on top of the receiver, and one on the bottom.

2. Place the brush guard against the front of your vehicle with the welded mounting tabs against the underside of the bumper. Make sure the guard is even left to right. Drill three mounting holes at the center of the brush guard using a 3/8 inch bit.

3. Install three 3/8-16 x 1.5 bolts, placing washers on the top of the rubber bumper side against the bolt heads. Thread three nylon locknuts onto the bolts from the underside of the bumper.

4. If you have a winch, mount the receiver bracket with the top mount underneath the upper tab on the brush guard. Use the 3/8-16 x 1.75 bolt on the lower part of the mount. This bolt is long enough to go through both the mount and brush guard.

5. Use the 5/16-18 x 1.5 bolts, small washers, and 5/16 lock nuts to attach the side tabs to the bumper. Push the nylon plugs into the holes at the bottom of the brush guard tubing.

If the hood can’t open all the way, place a shim between the body and the brush guard top mounting tab.

2019 Aurora

1. Grind the ends of the 3/8-16×3.0 bolts to a sharp point.

2. Find the two nuts welded on the inside of the winch support brace. Thread the sharpened bolts into these nuts until you see bumps on the outside of the hull. Remove the bolts, then use a 3/8 inch bit to drill through these bumps.

3. Remove the nameplate hardware. Open up the two holes with a drill bit.

4. Slide the brush guard onto the vehicle. The studs on the guard should go through the holes on in the nameplate mount. Loosely install washers and nuts on these studs.

5. Install the remaining bolts, washers, and nylon spacers on the lower mounting holes. The spacers should fit between the hull and the winch support brace. Tighten down the rest of the hardware. Install the winch.

2020 and Later Aurora and Frontier

1. Remove the winch, disconnecting the wiring harness, then pulling the quick release pins. Remove the two bracket mounting bolts on the outside of the vehicle.

2. Place the brush guard against the vehicle and mark the holes for the center mounting tab. Drill 3/16 inch pilot holes through the winch bracket, then widen these holes with a 3/8 inch bit.

3. Mark the side support holes. Pull the rubber bumper away from the hull. If there are rivets in the way of these marks, these will need to be drilled out.

4. Slide 3/8-16×1.75 bolts, 3/8 split lock washers, and flat washers into the top mounting hole of the brush guard. Place four spacers on the end of each bolt, then slide the bolt into the winch bracket. Screw-in loosely.

5. Install two 3/8-16×1.25 bolts, flat washers, and 3/8 inch lock nuts in the lower mounting holes on the brush guard. The washer and bolt head go on the outside of the vehicle. Screw-in loosely.

6. Position the outer mounting tabs so they sit evenly side-to-side on the bumper. Drill holes for the mounting locations using a 5/16 inch bit.

7. Bolt down each outer mounting tab using a 5/16-18×1.5 bolt, two washers, and a 5/16 lock nut. The small washer goes on top of the bumper and mounting tab, while the larger washer and nut go on the bottom. Tighten the other bolts on the brush guard. Reinstall the winch.

We Have the Parts and Accessories You Need for Your Argo

Shank’s Argo is one of the largest dealers in this part of the country. That means we probably have the OEM parts and accessories you need for your amphibious ATV in stock. Not keen on drilling holes into your Argo? Our service department can install a brush guard for you. Visit our shop and showroom at 4900 Molly Pitcher Highway in Chambersburg, PA. You can also visit us online at www.shanksargo.com.