golf carts?

Anonymous Poster · Jun 5, 2001

Couple of my neighbors use golf carts, or so I thought till I got a closer look at one of them. It had six wheels and R E A L wide tires (short but wide) nice surrey top. They were using it as a work vehicle had t-posts, wire, etc. and two riders. No trouble going up and down grassy slopes.

Patrick

Anonymous Poster · Jun 5, 2001

Wingnut, you guys are killing me/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif just got through "hunting and pecking" (read as typing)out my post to Branch, only to come back and see yours.

One of my concerns is that... I know almost nothing about carts... I'm learning though.. and I may buy a piece of junk, that I could have avoided if I knew what to look for. I'm glad to hear that you've had such good luck maintanance wise with yours. Maybe there tougher than I thought they would be. I was guessing golf courses get rid of them before they become a maintanance nightmare, and that's what was out there for sale. Maybe it's not such a roll of the dice.

Wingnut · Jun 5, 2001

Shorty ... based on my Club Car ... they don't get much simpler .... couple of electric traction motors for the back wheels and then a bank of batteries. I've even seen the batteries lately at Sam's so I'm not concerned about replacing them ... but they seems to last a long time based on what I have. Maintenace ... well, keep tires inflated, clean the gunk off the batteries .... grease the places that have zerks ... very few. So .. can't get much lower maintenance.
My brother-in-law and sister are real golf nuts ... all summer long and then golf vacations ... he tells me (and it makes sense) that the courses prefer gas ... since they only make money when the cart is rented .... not on the charger.
For our use ... can't be beat ... wide tires make good floaters ... don't ruin the "road" or the pasture ... haven't needed traction tires yet ... although the only times I've used it on hills is on the golf courses.
There's little to break on the electric ones ... and they also have the advantage of the weight ... which is why chains on the back end in the winter work ... so much weight available that the chains bite real well.
She hasn't wanted a cart behind it but it would be no big deal to put a simple hitch on. As it is ... the club tray in the back hold a gang of tools ... and the bag straps keep shovels and other implements of destruction in place and immobile.
I mounted lights on the front so it's useful after dark .... all around I'd say ... don't immediately rule out electric ... might be cheaper to buy and run if your situation will benefit form electric. Unless you plan to use it constantly for a 12 hour day, I'm sure a change will last just fine.

too bad that common sense ain't

Anonymous Poster · Jun 6, 2001

Check out cartparts.com for an idea of what parts cost. Club Car and EZ Go make excellent utility vehicles on a golf cart base.If a fellow was short on cash he could make a nice utility vehicle out of a gas powered cart.they all have some type of hitch on the back. I'm a mechanic at a golf course.

Branch · Jun 6, 2001

Shorty,
I didn't want one originally because it seemed like a fragile mode of transportation, nothing could be further from the truth. The first one I bought was a 72' Taylor Dunn with a Ford 9" rear end that would pull stumps if it could get traction. I paid $500 for it and used it for the first year but it needed a re-build on the motor after 27 years and the metal body was rotting through from sitting outside for so many years. A charge on it would be good for constant use all day long and that was on a cart with ancient technology. The Club Car I bought last year is a huge leap forward in technology. The batteries should last 5 years,replacements are about $40 each and you need 6 of them. As others have said, grease it and water it and flog it. They just keep on running.
The tires I bought were $90 or so for 4. I used my FEL to break the bead on the old ones and re-mounted new with a couple big screw drivers. Took me about 45 minutes start to finish.
Ground clearance isn't really a problem for me since I use my box scraper a lot for trail work.
The amount of power out of it is more than adequate. Unlike a gas motor that's 30-40% efficient and uses belts or chains, the electric motor is in the 70% range and is attached directly to the rear end. Power loss is fractional compared to a gas motor.
My brother in law held the worlds speed record for electric vehicles at Bonneville with a 219mph pass. His motor is rated at 15hp but puts out 100hp at 312 volts. He puts 770 amps to it for 90 seconds. As I remeber it fries the tires at 150mph. Electric vehicles are sorely under appreciated in potential.

Branch

cowboydoc · Jun 6, 2001

Shorty,
I bought my Mule 500 used, about four years old, for $3200. You cannot beat that thing. It's automatic, four wheel brakes, trailer hitch, dump bed, posi or no posi traction with the flip of a lever, real tires, excellent clearance, roll cage, etc. The one I bought was just like brand new. For any kind of a decent golf cart you are going to pay $2000 or better. The Mule is ten times the vehicle that a golf cart is.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 6, 2001

patrick that six wheel cart might be something like a John Deere gator.

Wingnut and Branch, your experiences with the carts sure do help. I looked at a couple of carts today, one was a very used elec cart, and the other a nice 1997 ez-go elec. I drove both and there was not much difference in how they drive(on pavement) The power seemed equal and no noticable noises. I'm going to look at a couple of gas powered carts tomorrow or Friday. One is a 1992 ez-go for $1300. and the other is a 1990 w/rebuilt engine for $1500. What I've found is newer Elec carts(1996-1998) are around $1700-2000.

Thanks Kioti, I bookmarked that site. Mabe I'll change my name to "Shortoncash". Any tips on what I should be looking for in a used cart?

Cowboydoc, I did a quick search on traderonline.com(i'll look a little better tonight) and the few I found were $3500. on up. I'd like to find something along the lines of a mule or gator but they seem to be more than I can spend.

RobertN · Jun 6, 2001

Northern has them used, in thier latest, just got it in the mail, "Master" catalog. Might be worth taking a peak on-line...

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

Wingnut · Jun 6, 2001

don't disagree with you at all, CowboyDoc .... I'd love to trade in my ATV and the golf cart and move up to a Mule 700 .... but ... like the wife says ... everything we've got is paid off and works .... Can't complain though ... when I was shopping for 'botas and looking at the 2500 to keep costs down, she talked me into the 3710 "if that was what I really wanted"

too bad that common sense ain't