Lets talk golf carts.

[John White]

Do any of you use a golf cart and find it practical? When we built our house 12 years ago there was not room to build my shop right next to the house (past house all I had to do was walk about 30' and that was it) so I had to build it in the back of the lot behind some trees and it is about 150 yds away. At first I didn't mind it too much, making a dozen trips a day back to the house to go to the bathroom, get a drink, answer the phone etc. But now it is getting old and my wife does a lot of flower gardening and does the same. We have a UTV that we use to ride the back co. roads and haul our drinking water from a spring. But a UTV is not practical for yard work when you start and stop every 5 minutes. We have a recycling center about 1/4 mile away and I don't like to get the Kubota out just to do that as it never even gets warmed up. I was thinking about getting a used 48 volt golf cart. Have any of you used them. Don't want a gas, just another motor to work on and maintain.

 

[Diggin It]

I find paragraphs to be more useful than a golf cart.

Electric may not mean an engine to fuel or maintain, but it does mean batteries and expensive motors, charges etc. In my experience they don't do hills well if you try carrying much of a load. If it happens to run out of charge while away from a building, you can't carry a gas can to it. Using one as a personal taxi between buildings seems a bit expensive. If it's only for that purpose, maybe a bicycle or tricycle if you're physically able?

Off road vehicles are not permitted on roads for general or recreational use, even back country roads. There are some exceptions in some places about farmers using them to get between their own fields on the same road, but generally only for short distances.

 

[rhunt]

John, I have an EZ GO golf cart model 54 gas. It is a great cart and have owned it new in 2015 to today. It has had absolutely no problems since purchase. I would not have a electric vehicle period. Batteries need to be replaces periodically at great expense and must be charged on shut-down along with hoping you have enough charge to make it from a to b. Just my thoughts. Gas is the way to go. Bob

 

[thepumpguysc]

Great question as I'm in the same boat..
I have a 48v lifted ez-go.. its great for buzzing out to the shop & back 50x a week.. My shop is 100 yards away.{football field}
BUT as others have said, the batteries are a drawback.. 100.00 a piece x 6.. & u gotta plug it in.. OR WALK.. lol
& the electricals are no fun either.. my solenoid went out the other day & it wasn't any fun to change.. but after the change, she runs like a scalded dog..
I DID HAVE a 1 cyl Yamaha GAS cart.. it got caught up in a fire I had a few years back.. I LOVED that cart..
Just push the go pedal & off u go..
I like both but the gas was more reliable..
IF u like to tinker..?? I got mine from a golf course when I was fixing 1 of their mowers for an upcoming tourney..
They were so pleased I got the mower running, they asked if there was ANYTHING I needed.. free golf?? tickets to the tourney.??
I said u gotta an old GC u wanna get rid of.?? They pointed to an old Yamaha cart they had pushed out back & out of service..
& said, U can HAVE that one..
I showed up the next day w/ a trailer & took it home.. Sandblasted the spark plug, put it on a charger, put some fresh gas in it & it started..
I drove it for years w/ no maintenance..

 

[mikester]

Im on my second golf cart and prefer them over ATVs because of the easy entry, extra storage and easy stop-n-start. My rear seat is now a flat bed box, I have a 6 inch lift kit, ATV tires,and an 1 7/8 ball hitch. With the gas engine it will tow 1500 lbs. Its great for gardening with a wagon dump box or towing sprayers.

I originally wanted an electric for my second GC but was talked out of it by my neighbor. Batteries are only good for about 5 years and they are not maintenance free. You also lose on the towing capacity on the electric. The gas engine just needs a little gas and fires up whenever I need it even after sitting 6 months over winter. With the ATV tires it will drive through 6 inches of snow no problem. Ive run this machine for 17 years now and Id be on my 3rd set of batteries if it was electric.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I'm sure I'm on the other side of the fence on golf carts. I've has gas powered carts assigned to me for use in chemical plants. "When they run", they fine. They're faster than the electric powered carts, and perhaps are more powerful. But they always seemed to break down when I needed them the most.

Electric? Quiet, Instant 'On'. Cheap to operate. Everyone seems to be bent out of shape on the cost of batteries. Sure, they' close to $100 each, less at Big Box Stores, but they last forever - usually 7 years or so. So far I've had to replace one set.

I've had 3 on the farm here so far. Use them pretty much like 4-wheelers. The first one I destroyed by pulling a trailer with 1200 pounds of trees, limbs, and other things, up and down steep hills. That one was 20 years old when I bought it, and used it for 5 years. Not bad for an $500 tool.

Next 2 carts, both over 15 years old and bought CHEAP, have held up nicely. I do use my Honda Pioneer 500 to pull heavy loads rather than my electric carts. But the electric carts are just plain handy for the 20 short trips per day to the barn, pick up tools, mail, feed, and whatever. No muss, no fuss. Repairs over the past 5 years have amounted to about $200 total. Repairs, with the extensive help on Youtube, have been simple.

So, I'm not saying that the gas carts are better or worse than the electric carts - your preference. I do enjoy the silent sound of the electric cart when driving out through the woods, or simply running here and there around the place. Jump in, mash the pedal, and it goes. Reliable as a clock. YMMV.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have both: electric and gas. Trailer hitches on both. Pull cart(s), garbage containers, go for dog walks (even the puppy prefers to ride on the floor rather than run), and for tending to the trees, carry a saw and pull the wood chipper. I get the mail and take trips down the road to visit the neighbors.

I prefer electric for winter (traction and instant start) and then gas for summer (runs all season on a few gallons of gas). I have a Dietz rotating emergency light on the gas cart (12v starting battery) hooked up to my driveway sensor. When its lights up, EVERYBODY knows I know they are here day and night.

Plus the kids and Mom can easily operate both types of carts. You jump on and press the pedal. I also replaced the rear seats with work platforms to carry any kind of stuff (even 4 bales of hay as necessary).

Range on the electric can be an issue if no one remembers to plug in the charger when the obvious happens. But, we can snag it back home by pushing it with the gas job.

Good used carts are $1500 to $2500 for gas. Electric prices depend on battery condition. Batteries from Costco about every 6 years [6 at $109 per). Cheap tires loose air, but quite a few on Craigslist for cheap.

I don't recommend a lifted cart if your property is hilly. Kids and amateurs will roll them over.

 

[EddieWalker]

I started out with ATV's and enjoyed them, but then when my brother moved here, he brought his golf cart and I found that to be a lot nicer for getting around and hauling stuff. When he bought his land and took it with him, I started looking for a golf cart to buy. The more I looked, the more I started to lean towards buying a UTV. They where a little more money, but had a lot more features. Eventually, I took the advice given to me by people on here and raised my budget significantly and started looking at brand new UTV's. I bought a brand new Kawasaki Transmule that can sit 4 people comfortably, or haul more then any of the other UTV's that I looked at back then. It's been awesome and it has become one of those things that I don't want to live without. One of the factors that sealed the deal for me was their financing. It was for five years at $80 a month after putting down $2 grand. I paid it off in less then 2 years, but enjoyed knowing that if I didn't have the extra cash, that all I needed was $80.

 

[Industrial Toys]

THAT is where my E-GATOR shines. My Diesel Mule hasn't been touched in a month! I hate to admit, when things get busy, I use the Gator, the two hundred feet, between shop and house all the time!

Golf Cart Drivetrain, with a Bed that holds a thousand Pounds (I believe). And not the Stigma of a golf cart. lol





And, QUIET!!! That's what we like the BEST.

 

[snymat68]

I find paragraphs to be more useful than a golf cart.

Electric may not mean an engine to fuel or maintain, but it does mean batteries and expensive motors, charges etc. In my experience they don't do hills well if you try carrying much of a load. If it happens to run out of charge while away from a building, you can't carry a gas can to it. Using one as a personal taxi between buildings seems a bit expensive. If it's only for that purpose, maybe a bicycle or tricycle if you're physically able?

Off road vehicles are not permitted on roads for general or recreational use, even back country roads. There are some exceptions in some places about farmers using them to get between their own fields on the same road, but generally only for short distances.

Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed today. Sheesh.

John,

I used an electric golf cart for years. (36V w/ 1HP motor) Used to take the thing out on the trails and everything. Could run for hours on a full charge. (Six 6V batteries). The thing about electric is, the slower it goes, the more torque it has. So while sometimes slow, it can almost always pull the load if you're using it for that. Electric is also quiet, which is nice.

I also have used gas golf carts. They are nice because you don't have to worry about running out of juice, but they are louder, and have less torque. They do (usually) go faster though.

I wouldn't rule out either type. It comes down to personal preference for your needs. If going electric though, I'd get a new (or at least good) set of batteries up front. It will hurt to buy them, but even with constant use, you should get ten years out of a good set of batteries.