Free Golf Cart

[tallyho8]

My wife and I like to use an old junky golf cart around the place to bring feed to the horses, put out the garbage, repair fence lines, etc. It seems like everytime I am on the back pasture with it, she needs to use it, so we decided to become a 2 golf cart family.

The golf course up the road retires their old carts when they get too beat up to use anymore and sells the best ones and if some are too bad for anyone to want they give them away. I went and got one.

It didn't have any battery charger or batteries and the brackets that hold in a couple of the batteries were completely rusted away. It had a few dents and dings which was good because I always feel bad when I put the first ding in a piece of equipment and the way we use these around the barn they get messed up quick.

Now I had to figure how to get it running cheap and quick. Six new 6 volt batteries cost $500 which is too much to put into an old cart. But the two batteries in my Ford diesel pickup were 3 years old and the one in my Ranger was 3 years old so it was time to replace them anyway. I hate to be stranded somewhere with a dead battery so I change them before they go bad. So, I bought 3 new batteries for my trucks and put the 3 old 12 volt batteries in my cart.

That way I didn't have to fix the two rusted out battery brackets because I didn't even use them. I use the battery charger for my first cart on this one too and I only charge the battery about twice a week.

This one is about 200 pounds lighter than my one with 6 batteries in it so it is a lot faster. I know that six 6 volt batteries hold a charge a lot longer than three 12 volt one but I've had it a couple of weeks now and used it quite a lot for a couple days in a row without the batteries going dead. If I have to charge it every 3 days instead of every 4 or 5 days it is no big deal.

It's not the kind of cart I would bring to a Sunday School picnic but the best part about it is, IT WAS FREE!

 

[Tororider]

Free is good

 

[Bird]

Sounds like a bargain to me.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Hard to beat that price!

I'm interested on how the 3 12v batteries hold up or hold out for endurance???

 

[Bird]

I'm interested on how the 3 12v batteries hold up or hold out for endurance???

This might not be real valid test, since it's old batteries to start with. But using those batteries for whatever length of time they do last seems like a good idea to me.

 

[tallyho8]

When those batteries go out I will try to remember to post again, but don't be surprised if it a couple of years from now.

 

[NSBound]

If and when it does give up, you can always use the roof to make a nice sunshade for your tractor!

 

[jinman]

It's not the kind of cart I would bring to a Sunday School picnic but the best part about it is, IT WAS FREE!

If you brought it to a Sunday School picnic, you might have people standing in line for a ride. Your batteries would sure get tested. It looks like a great vehicle. You should see the old 3-wheel Jacobsen dumpster I have in my barn. Since we got the Kawasaki Mule, it hasn't moved an inch. I need to roll it out and get it going so I can sell it for a decent price. It has an 18 hp Onan and a three speed manual transmission. A picture is attached and it's also in the dictionary under "ugly."

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Yea free is always good

That's really not a bad looking cart for it to be free.

I went to a place that sells junk golf carts and parts for them, and saw a cart that i wanted to buy. I ask the guy what do you want for that one, and he said $300. It didn't have no wheels, canopy, batteries, seat and was rusted real bad... I offered him $70 and he said that he would take a huge lost at that price ... I now wonder if the 2 local golf courses was giving him those junk ones... because he works on golf carts for them also.

yea you got a great deal.

PS,

Would you take $70 for it.

 

[/pine]

just curious how long the 12 volt batteries will last? unless they are deep cycle how will they hold up under constant drain and charge cycles?

 

[scgargoyle]

We use (3) 12 volt batteries in the carts at our plant. You're right- they're noticeably faster. I was told they will only travel about half the distance on one charge, which makes sense.

 

[impdaddy]

I just got a new (1978model) club car electric to use around the cabin. I belong to another forum buggiesgonewild.com that discusses colf carts in excruciating detail. Kinda like we do here about tractors and stuff. There are a lot of opinions about switching from the 6 batteries to the 3. Check out that forum. you will love it. I hope this doesn't violate any rules . If it does delete this post and accept my apologies.

 

[LBrown59]

If and when it does give up, you can always use the roof to make a nice sunshade for your tractor!

Now that's an idea.

 

[jayste]

If and when it does give up, you can always use the roof to make a nice sunshade for your tractor!

That's what I'd do. Another member on here has a thread on build it yourself I think it's titled $60 canopy. He made a frame for his and mounted it to his ROPS. I've checked around for one of those $25 used canopies and no one has any. Great idea though. Kubota is proud of theirs at $350 out the door.

Jay

 

[tallyho8]

I've been using this cart a lot for the past week and have noticed that I have to charge the batteries every other day instead of every 4 days like I do in my cart with six 6 volt batteries, but the good part is it only takes half as long to charge them.

One thing that I like about using 12 volt batteries is that at Walmart the most heavy duty 12 volt batteries they have are cheaper than the cart batteries and the cart batteries are only guaranteed for 1 year and the 12 volt batteries have a 3 year replacement guarantee. If the batteries go bad in 2 1/2 years, they will give me new batteries with a new 3 year guarantee so I might never have to buy batteries again.

There are also a lot less battery cables to clean or replace.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I've been using this cart a lot for the past week and have noticed that I have to charge the batteries every other day instead of every 4 days like I do in my cart with six 6 volt batteries, but the good part is it only takes half as long to charge them.

I assume theyre not deep cycle - - but regardless, Iwould charge them after every day you use them. Shallower cycles = better. Just keep an eye on electrolyte level.
larry

 

[radioman]

If and when it does give up, you can always use the roof to make a nice sunshade for your tractor!

Now, that is a great idea !!!!!!! Tally ho- maybe u can pick up another free one for me and Ill pay you to ship the top to me ? I could use it to make a cab for my BX. Ill even give you credits when I post on making a cab for the BX!

 

[tallyho8]

Now, that is a great idea !!!!!!! Tally ho- maybe u can pick up another free one for me and Ill pay you to ship the top to me ? I could use it to make a cab for my BX. Ill even give you credits when I post on making a cab for the BX!

I've had a few people ask me if they had any more carts. They only have 2 left that have motors, wheels and many other items missing and are rusted beyond repair.

They will give me the cart but not parts off of it. It would be very hard for me to get the cart since it has no wheels to roll it onto my trailer and they won't let me take my tractor onto the golf course.

They just bought all new Yamaha carts so it will be a long time before they get rid of any more of them.