Golf Cart Discussion

[JMorton]

We have a Yamaha gas car. It has a nice option - a fold-down backward facing seat which when folded down gives a nice flat-bed behind the driver and passenger forward facing seats. In addition, the fold-down windscreen and a fiberglass roof are nice.



We got our car from Yamaha Golf Cars of California, in Livermore (they have a shop in Orange also) it was a lease return car which had been used at Stanford Medical center for several years.


I got ramps at Harbor Freight to be able to load it into our pickup truck, it just barely fits between the wheel wells of our fleetside RAM. It is a bit of a white knuckle experience to drive it up the ramps. A cheap electric winch would be a good idea to be able to get it into the truck in the event of drivetrain trouble.


We use out golf car at a 500 site membership campground we are members of, it is great for that. I would not really consider it for trips as golf cars are not usually legal to run on public roads. We usually tow a Jeep Cherokee which is great for getting around when we stop. The Jeep can carry more groceries more safely as well as carrying a spare tire for the bus on it's roof ( Just got a set of new shoe$ for Shadow!) and is more comfortable with heater, AC, rainproof (mostly) windows etc. I had a mechanic remove the steering wheel lock from the Jeep so that I do not have to have the key in it while towing.



The Jeep is not particularly small, I had a 3 door Hyundai accent with a 5 speed which I think would have made a good toad. I think there are a few small vehicles that would make good toads, and electric cars might be an intriguing possibility. A Ford Ranger sized electric truck would be a very interesting possibility.

[wandermore]

Helped a friend hotrod a Yamaha to a huge 72v lithium pack and most powerful AC controller/motor possible. He then put a 6 inch lift on it with big tires. It is honestly the scariest thing I have ever driven. (This includes aircraft and extremely fast cars, boats, and bikes.)

Top speed is unknown because you can't keep it between the curbs using both lanes of the road! We got into the golf cart version of a tank slapper (when a motorcycle's handle bars oscillate lock to lock) coming down a hill to the house and it was pure luck he got control back.

Trying to convince him to sell it is the task at hand now.

Golf carts are great, but I learned keeping them near stock is probably the best way to go.

[Dieselbird01]

Hi Timothy,

I was parked next to a fellow with a Prevost a few years ago who had an Aspire-SS golf cart that was collapsible in both height and length. He also had a wired remote control on it that allowed him to drive it up and down the ramps to get it in and out of his pickup truck without having to be on the seat of the cart. It was pretty neat.

https://www.kangacruz.com/aspire-ss.htm

[vettehead45]

There is also another foldable brand called a cricket, although they are small and lighter and easier to load and unload they are SMALL... lol hard to get to people on as well.. and they are usually still 36 volt carts so not super strong

[isp2952]

I'm sure many have seen me haul my golf cart in my pickup, behind the coach. I have a Club Car Precedent. I went with electric for one reason only. They are allowed in about any RV park that I can think of. Gas carts not so much. I purchased mine from the Covered Bridge and Champion's Point Golf Courses owned by Fuzzy Zeller in southern, IN down by Louisville. They apparently sell their golf carts and replace with new, when the batteries are toast. So in '19 I bought a '16 cart for $2200. I paid another $900 for 6 new 8v Trojans, when I brought it home. So for $3000 I had an almost new cart. I subsequently added a rear seat, light kit, turn signals and horn, to conform to most street use requirements. I think that was about $500 additional.

My pick up is a short bed, which still allows me to put the cart in the bed, but the tailgate has to stay down to accommodate the rear seat footrest, but the weight is all on the bed. I do have to remove my toolbox, that sits across the front of the bed when we aren't hauling the cart. I purchased 1500 Lb ramps from TSC for less than $200 on sale. You do have to be careful and secure the ramps with straps to the truck to insure they don't move while loading and unloading. It is even easier if you have a small hill you can back up to, to load and unload, which I have done a number of occasions. Pine Mt. has such a hill to get it done. You do need to make sure that the cart is secured with sufficient straps. You also need to check it at each stop. Rough roads will bounce it around and make the straps a little loose from shifting. I don't always take the cart on a trip. It just depends on where we are going and if we are staying for a while. If we are only going to be stopping for a day or two, before moving to another destination on a trip I'll leave it at home.

I have considered getting a 22' or 24' trailer to pull behind the bus and put the cart and the Jeep on that. That way I have options to take other vehicles and the cart, besides the truck. But for now that is nothing more than a thought.

[Shawnthegrasshopper]

Originally Posted by vettehead45

Morning guys maybe I can help by answering a few questions.. First off it all depends on what you want to use the cart for and from what i have just read everyone would like to bing a cat with them on the road...

Yamaha
Club Car
Ez-go

those are the three major brands

I for one Will NOT be bringing My CAT with me on the Road, Dog Yes!
What Say Ye Mark?

[chiplamb]

Originally Posted by Shawnthegrasshopper

I for one Will NOT be bringing My CAT with me on the Road, Dog Yes!
What Say Ye Mark?

He did say "bing" a cat - Badda bing?
8-)

[hexspeed]

Originally Posted by Dieselbird01

Hi Timothy,

I was parked next to a fellow with a Prevost a few years ago who had an Aspire-SS golf cart that was collapsible in both height and length. He also had a wired remote control on it that allowed him to drive it up and down the ramps to get it in and out of his pickup truck without having to be on the seat of the cart. It was pretty neat.

https://www.kangacruz.com/aspire-ss.htm

On their “contact us” page - not sure why they keep the site up since they say they no longer monitor it.

“Due to the USA imposed tariffs, we suffered a major losses and then added to that, the COVID-19 pandemic which completely shut down operations and cash flow. This combined with an uncertain recovery time, unfortunately, forced us to sadly make the decision to shut down operations indefinitely and liquidate all assets, back in May of 2020, making us a business statistic of both the USA tariffs and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

[Randy Dupree]

if i was looking to buy a lawn mower i would buy it from Mark.

[jberger]

I've got an EZ-GO RXV at home, 48V with an aftermarket Navitas controller. It's a hoot to drive around the course and will fly if you turn up the acceleration.

We've been looking at the Cricket/Mantis models to have something to bring along on RV trips. I think it was Bryan that had one of those at the WOG rally a few years ago and it looked like the best option. I'd like to find one of those with bad batteries and then turn it into an LFP powered cart. That would make it lighter and even easier to pack and store.