Golf Cart as an Alternative

[Mark4510]

All,
I am need some sort of vehicle to do some minor errands around the place. Most of it will be running feed between the barn and lower pastures, taking the garbage down to the street, running up to the barn at night for one last check around and moving tools around to the various places I might be working. Most of driving involves roads but some are pretty steep.

I have been looking at ATV's, Gators, etc but they seem to be heavier duty than I need. Does anyone have experience with used golf carts for the work I am thinking of? Bad idea? Any idea on what a used one might go for? Brand preference? Can I get by with an electric one?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[yellowsocks93]

You would be a prime target for the Gator CX or CS. They would work good for your light duty application. One has 10 hp Kawasaki and the other a 8. They are 5 grand new. I don't know if this will help you any but you might want to check into it. They go 15 mph.

 

[cowboydoc]

I agree with Nick. This model was created specifically for this niche.

 

[jinman]

If your primary reason for the vehicle is to transport up to two people, light loads of 250 pounds or less, and travel on relatively smooth ground (roads or grass and mowed lawns), then I think you would be happy with a golf cart. Electric is quieter, and some people really like that. I worked in an aircraft factory where we had hundreds of golf carts and they performed very well as long as you paid close attention to keeping the batteries charged. If you buy a gas golf car, the noise is more, but you have more freedom.

If you want to go on rougher ground or up and down steep hills, I think you will need a utility vehicle. The choices here are staggering. You need to shop around and see what is available.

 

[CTyler]

Been looking for the same kinda thing for a while. IMO a golf cart is a viable option if going used. If buying new I wouldn't get a cart. You get more vehicle in UV for about the same money.

 

[Mark4510]

Thanks all. As usual good replies. I have a JD riding mower that I could use but I really hate to fire it up just to run up to the barn, grab a couple of flakes of alfalfa and then run to a pasture. I was thinking of a used Golf cart since most of my travel will be on either paved or gravel roads.

I will look at the smaller JD that Richard mentions as a good comparison.

If I go the way of a used golf cart what should I be looking for? Any brand better than the next?

 

[shvl73]

A few years ago we had a Yamaha gas cart w/ the aluminum utility body on the back. A pretty handy machine, it was two stroke w/ oil injection, so no mixing. It was also pretty quiet as most gas carts are, by design. If you don't expect to put much more than a couple of square bales or a couple of bags of grain in the back it would work just fine. On ours, someone had tweaked the govenor, so it was no slouch. I know we paid around $800 used, it was a bargain.

 

[Mark4510]

Great. That puts it into perspective so I think I will start looking around. Thanks to everyone that responded.

 

[shvl73]

An additional thought, if you stay with the golf cart idea, a lot of courses lease their carts from a dealer. There is a dealer near me that usually has anywhere from a few hundred to what appears to be close to a thousand, depending on the season. I know they sell off the older units & usually have a few with the utility body, kind of like a little pick-up with a tail gate.

 

[Golfgar4]

Here's a link to the Club Car site. They have a number of different styles available, including utility carts. It might give you some ideas. I think any of the manufacturers would have similar setups.

Club Car