Golf Carts

[slckeys]

I've always been curious if the gas models are worth it? Or battery better to go? Use would be limited so it's not something that would get constant use. Ethanol free is all I use in all my gas powered equipment.

 

[scootr]

If it is seldom use... there are drawbacks to both. Gas varnishes and messes up carbs and fuel systems. Batteries typically don't store well unless lithium. Lithium has a awesome storage life. Monthly attrition is 1% or about equal to daily LA battery attrition.
I would say Lithium electric would be the easiest to keep overall.

 

[newbury]

When do golf courses tend to sell off old equipment?
/edit
And what happens when an electric golf cart gets flooded in a hurricane?
Are they easy to dry out and get working again?

 

[JethroB]

I was in the market for an electric model last year. Nearby Case/Mahindra/ Polaris etc. pivot irrigation dealer got in twelve 2019 models fresh off a Jacksonville Fla golf course. Three sold quickly ($4200 each) and the remaining nine were snapped up by someone from southwest Florida who would customize and resell them there. I missed my chance sadly to get one. Lithium ones were $7200 but already sold.

 

[newbury]

Nearby Case/Mahindra/ Polaris etc. pivot irrigation dealer got in twelve 2019 models fresh off a Jacksonville Fla golf course.

What time of year?

 

[RobertN]

Have thought about a cart. But for Sporting Clays. It's common on some courses to see people bring carts or UTV's and drive the course instead of walking.

Not sure about the golf stuff. Why golf if you can shoot clays? Much more fun

 

[sd455dan]

Anybody use a golf cart to run around their property.
These little electric or gas carts are popular for transportation, hunting, or checking stock.
The use of lithium battery packs has really made this a viable transportation solution.
I can help with cart problems.

Yep I have a 1970 Cushman Golfster -gas engine I re freshened and the wife bought her dads old Ez Go electric , batteries are tired and she is making noise about replacing them with the factory series 6 volt lead acid cells.

Told her if I am going to buy the batteries... either using a combination of 12 volt lead acid or preferably upgrade to lithium batteries and charger.

 

[/pine]

An advantage of an electric cart is instant torque...! (and stealth)

 

[tallyho8]

Thanks Gentlemen.
Reading these post make me want one (for my wife of course). Her birthday is a great opportunity.
Well probably less expensive then then the diesel side by side I was working up to. But I will need the fancy larger chrome wheels, lift kit, sun canopy, with the US Flag graphics. I think there is enough room next to her tractor and ZTR Mower.

Now the hard part - what model and year EzGo Gasoline or electric with lithium battery and charger combination.

I always recommend electric carts. You can get the best deal if you find one with batteries about 5 years ago that need replacing. No need to buy one with newer batteries at a higher cost if you are just going to throw the old batteries away to buy lithium ones.

PS I think she will probably buy you new drapes for the living room for your birthday.

 

[tallyho8]

When do golf courses tend to sell off old equipment?
/edit
And what happens when an electric golf cart gets flooded in a hurricane?
Are they easy to dry out and get working again?

Around here, golf courses used to buy their carts and sell them off as they starting giving more trouble than they were worth. Now they lease them all at once for about 4 or 5 years and get new ones from the lessor at the end of the lease. They are then brought back to the lessor, out of state, and auctioned off as a group.

In case of a hurricane you usually have enough days warning to move your cart to higher ground where it won't get flooded. If it gets flooded, around here, it is usually salt water which corrodes and damages almost all electrical parts and many mechanical parts making it very expensive to repair. Even fresh water flooding can cause extensive damage because when it floods it may be days or weeks before you can even get to it to start working on it. Gas carts have the same or worse problems.

 

[tallyho8]

Yep I have a 1970 Cushman Golfster -gas engine I re freshened and the wife bought her dads old Ez Go electric , batteries are tired and she is making noise about replacing them with the factory series 6 volt lead acid cells.

Told her if I am going to buy the batteries... either using a combination of 12 volt lead acid or preferably upgrade to lithium batteries and charger.

Be careful, 12 volt batteries are larger than 6 volt ones and usually will not fit in the same enclosure and if sitting on top of the brackets that hold it in place, the seat may not close all the way.

 

[shooterdon]

A decent golf cart was $6000 when I went to buy one. I ended up with a new Kawasaki Mule for $8200 with a three year warranty.

The batteries wear out regardless of how little you use the cart.

I do not like the noise of the gas engine but with the Mule we got a dump bed that comes in handy. Also it came with tires that make it more useful for our needs.

I believe the engine in the Mule is the same as what they put in their golf cart.

 

[JethroB]

What time of year?

Late summer of 2021. End of lease would be my guess.

 

[npalen]

I had an EZGO RXV Electric 48 Volt cart. Added a 3-inch lift kit 10-inch wheels 22-inch ties. Great run-around cart. Sold it and purchased a used 2011 Gas EZGO RXV 14 HP Kawasaki engine that is indestructible if maintained. I prefer the gas model for my uses. It sips gas. 5 Gal tank lasts months. The Battery cart was a pain to keep plugged in all of the time. If you want your expensive lead acid batteries to last, do not go below 50 percent state of charge and plug it in after every use. Found a good chart that shows how long batteries last based on how far they are discharged (Charge cycles) a fully charges 12-volt battery should be 12.7 volts. So a 48V cart should be 50.8 volts when fully charged. If not you have a faulty battery. Probably someone hooked up a 12V accessory/lights to one of the batteries and it will only fully charge if you hook a 12V charger to it by itself. No need to disconnect from the pack. Some suggest if you have a 48V cart that if you replace batteries, go with 6 8Volt batteries for more range. Here is the gasser, looks the same as the electric one I sold a few years ago.

I'm not even going to try getting on that cart.

 

[Spanky100]

I always recommend electric carts. You can get the best deal if you find one with batteries about 5 years ago that need replacing. No need to buy one with newer batteries at a higher cost if you are just going to throw the old batteries away to buy lithium ones.

PS I think she will probably buy you new drapes for the living room for your birthday.

tallyho8

So far she has not used my tactics to buy what I want for her Birthdays and Anniversaries. If it changes I could be in trouble. One year she did remark that that was not really what she wanted and went out and bought something to her liking. I was smart enough to say that is nice and not comment when the bill arrived. When I got her the Kioti CK27 and Exmark Lazer Z the retailers thru in a cap which I asked if they had a ladies version and they did. Most years it is dinner, cake, and flowers. Sometimes the kids and grandkids ask how many times mom/grandmother has used that item. The answer is always - never.

 

[sd455dan]

Be careful, 12 volt batteries are larger than 6 volt ones and usually will not fit in the same enclosure and if sitting on top of the brackets that hold it in place, the seat may not close all the way.

I always measure the dimensions, but am intrigued as far as an LI conversion.

 

[sd455dan]

I always measure the dimensions, but am intrigued as far as an LI conversion.

Got outvoted... and After rethinking about the weight difference of going to LI It actually made some sense to use the stock spec lead acid six volts for the extra traction, six new Crown brand cart batteries installed. Cart Gets with it now.

 

[kevin37b]

You Sir know more than 90% of the people owning a cart.
You are absolutely right about sticking with the big 3. These three have been producing carts for 30+ years. CC has an aluminum frame. That's good if you live in the rust belt. Personally I like Ezgo the best. Best ride, best throttle mechanism, easiest to work on. Currently we are running a couple of Ezgos. I just put a single lithium battery in one today. That makes 2 converted to a single lithium battery with on board charger.
Why you ask?
1st = no watering the batteries. I'm always too busy or forget to keep up with this like I should.
2nd = since the battery is sealed there is no mess and no corroded connections to keep after.
3rd = the warranty is 8-10 years Of course the cost is double+ but it sounds like we will get our money's worth of use from them.
4th = a little higher voltage like 51 or 56 volts versus 48 so that means more power and speed. Nothing crazy but I do like things zippy.
5th = 300 pounds. That's how much lead weight the cart lost = about 1/3 of the total cart weight
6th = longer runtime than wet cell batteries and quicker charging.

Here is a pic of the install today... and my helper Keegan

 

[kevin37b]

Love your helper . Kevin .

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Anybody use a golf cart to run around their property.
These little electric or gas carts are popular for transportation, hunting, or checking stock.
The use of lithium battery packs has really made this a viable transportation solution.
I can help with cart problems.

I just finished giving our 36volt 2007 EZGO a gallon drink a few minutes ago. We recently used it to move 400 bales of hay and I wanted to get all of the plates covered again with 1/8 inch of water. DG was out of distilled water but found 4 gallons yesterday finally. We got it in 2011 for Driver Ed training. Recently we received a complete break kit for $89. The wife uses it everyday to take care of the horses on the other side of the house because there's no lights over there and she uses the lights while she is working but she has her headlight. If something major happen to it we would just have to replace it.