Lets talk golf carts.

[Rayrla]

I have owned electric carts since 1998. At one time owned three, a 1998 36 volt EZGO, a 2006 48 volt Club Car, and a 2008 48 volt Club Car Carryall with a dump bed. Use the EZGO and Club Car at the golf course and the Carryall on my 20 acres. I used the Carryall to transport me and my tools to my barn which is 300 yards from the house and general yard maintenance. Batteries on the carts used on golf courses generally last 6-8 years while the Carryall still has the original batteries from 2008. All three have been very dependable vehicles. The Carryall is used for mostly short runs, does not get used everyday and often does not go on the charger for two or three weeks. The golf course cars are often charged two to three times a week. The key to long battery life is to buy quality batteries and proper maintenance. Check batteries regularly and don't overfill. Keep the terminals clean(once a year). The negative for me is ride. Golf courses are mostly smooth if you keep the ball in the fairway. Acceptable ride. My twenty acres has plenty of rough terrain, so ride is harsh.

 

[tallyho8]

I have had electric golf carts for over 20 years now. So much more convenient than trying to crank up the 4-wheeler and so much easier to mount and dismount as old age creeps up. Being rather thrifty, I usually advertise on Craigslist that I want to buy a non-working golf cart and get one for about $50 that needs new batteries and usually something else. Sometimes it is as simple as a 50 cent switch, sometimes a broken wire. I started out with EZGos but most of the old ones had too much rust around the batteries so now I only get aluminum Club Cars.
Since my house is over 1/4 mile from my barn they get daily use and I have one for me and one for my wife. Hers is a regular Club Car 10 years old that I got 8 years ago that had been abused and only needed new batteries. I have done nothing else to it since. Mine is a Carryall with a dump bed that is so handy I will never get anything else. It's 20 years old now and has never had a problem worse than a bad wire and I pull a lot with it and have mud tires on it and go places that my old 2 wheel drive 4 wheeler could not go.

My property is over a mile in depth and fairly swampy in back. I put my mud tires on backwards so that it has more traction going backward than forward and that way if I ever drive so far in the swamp that I get stuck, I just put it in reverse and back out. The trick to maintaining the batteries is to put them on the charger at night after you use it. This takes me about 10 seconds. Keep the batteries clean and check water levels often and use rain water to fill them. Keep the terminals clean and tight and use terminal protectorate.

Since they started using gas with ethanol in it I have preferred electric tools over gas in most cases and now only buy non-ethanol gas to use in my generators, chain saws, weed eaters and any other gas powered machinery that I use only occasionally to keep the fuel lines from disintegrating.

 

[alexebdra453]

I didn't want to screw up the other Edisto thread. I saw in that other thread that golf carts are now under a new set of rules? If you are renting a house, let's say for spring break, can you not bring your own golf cart?
Thanks in advance.

golf carts

 

[Pixguy]

We just bought our first golf cart 18 EZGo with lithium batteries. We're told we can leave plugged in for the 8 months we're not at the house. We'll see.

 

[aczlan]

I didn't want to screw up the other Edisto thread. I saw in that other thread that golf carts are now under a new set of rules? If you are renting a house, let's say for spring break, can you not bring your own golf cart?

Thanks in advance.

That sounds like a good topic for a thread on the particular location you're talking about, this threat is pretty much on golf carts in general.

Aaron Z

 

[Sberry]

Golf carts with a box.. I would trade 2 of those gators for 1 good running cart. Club Cars are about the best. I am kicking myself for not buying a new one every year a while back.

 

[deezler]

I tried to buy a golf cart for a while. After a couple test drives of cheap beaters, I realized a 36V cart was NOT gonna cut it for me. Just so dang slow, especially when headed up hill. I got close to snagging a couple 48V project carts for under $2k, but the sales kept falling through before I got 'em. People are flakes.

Now just a few years later, even a beater 48V cart is over $3k, and nice ones are at least 5. Never mind..... oy.

 

[sanrifolka]

I tried dozens of golf carts, but most of the golf cart batteries dry after few years of use, so i think i might need to choose the costly golf carts. Anyone here tried Yamaha golf carts? are they durable?

golf push carts

 

[mikester]

I've had gas golf carts for 25+ years. My second one was a 4 seat club car that I converted the rear seats to a flat bed. I also put on a 6 inch lift kit and 25 inch ATV knobbies. Last spring I sold my 20 year old cart for more than I paid for it and bought an RTV-XG850.

Golf cart Pros:
* barely used any gas, 5 gallons lasted a summer
* capable of towing 1,000 lbs
* I really liked the stop start feature
* lower to the ground and lots of leg room made it easy to get in an out of the seat, ideal for garden work vehicle
* top speed 50kph
* if you do the maintenance they will run forever
Cons:
* limited cargo capacity and no dump box
* two wheel drive only good in up to 6 inches of snow, limited mud
* not good in plowed fields, bumpy ride on rough terrain
* no front brakes

RTV-XG850 Pro
* lots of power for towing, hill climb
* 4WD goes through 12 inches of snow, handles soft mud well, plowed fields, smooth ride
* 4WD High and Low speeds + diff lock, great in deep mud
* large dump box, easy to dump fully loaded
* good onboard storge, racks for tools etc
* high bed height good work bench for chainsaws etc
* very low center of gravity, very stable on hills and bumps, feels glued to the ground
* very fast 70kph, hard acceleration
* built like a tank
* good farm vehicle that doubles as a fun run-about
Cons
* gas guzzler will drink 7 gallons of gas in 80 km (aka 1 week)
* limited leg room, hard to get in and out of machine, bad for frequent in-out of machine
* no start stop, engine always on
* noisier two banger subaru gas engine vs club car
* have to wait 5 seconds after start up before shifting into gear
* high bed level harder to load ie. pitchfork needs to be at shoulder level
* very fast, accelerates hard

Over all I occasionally miss my golf cart as a garden vehicle, the RTV puts a smile on my face until I have to fill the gas tank.

BTW I did want an electric golf cart but changing all the batteries every 3-5 years was a no go for me. Potentially the unit will sit 6 months a year in our long winters.

 

[kcflhrc]

I have a Yamaha Electric and the 1st set of Batteries lasted 7 years. You have to maintain them just like anything else. Mine is a 48 volt and runs very well. New batteries this year. The only reason they would go dry is if you don't keep distilled water in them.