Golf Cart questions

[BigPapa]

My other thread got washed away with Snokings news, and rightfully so, so, I figured I'd start another one.

My parents have bought a place at a fish camp in Florida to spend the winters crappie fishing. They want a golf cart to motivate around the camp and I figured some of you may have some advice from your experiences. It is in Central Florida so it's going to be flat.

The first question is electric or gas? Daddy thinks he wants electric, but a friend that buys and sales them said they’ll be better off with gas. It may sit unused up to six months at a time. He definitely doesn’t want to be working on it all the time.

 

[endoscott]

Electrics use $500 worth of 6V batteries. Heat is not good for batteries. So in a hot climate every 2 or 3 years a new set. Inherited a Yamaha gasser a while back, even at over 20 years old we sold it sight unseen with no dickering on the price (to a guy who wanted to run around his property). They really hold their value! And it would sit for months and months and then fire right up. But the electric ones are quiet and many golf courses won't allow gassers anymore. For just running around property I would think a gasser has the edge. It would be pretty hard to hurt a Yamaha engine. Worst case is clean out the carb if it sat too long with no fuel stabilizer.Maybe the new ones not as good, no idea on that.

 

[SSage]

I'm thinking about getting one too and I keep leaning towards an old electric one and adding solar on the roof for my light duty use around the house. But either will work fine IMO, the gas types will go much farther, don't need to recharge every night. Just drain the carb bowel on the gas models when your away from it for months. I like the idea of electric using the old school GC2 batteries. But you do have to watch the battery water levels or get the expensive AGM batteries. Down in Florida I would run it off Rec 90 fuel, better shelf life. Good ones around here go for $2k or so.

 

[JR]

We have 48v Cushman (ezgo) carts at work. They run the complex (40ish acres) all week on a charge. I use them to drag the air compressors around to work on the cranes and occasionally a single axle 4" Godwin pump.
No maintenance, no dealing with carbs and old gasoline and no exhaust to smell. Battery costs are a concern - about $600 for (6) 8 volters - but they've not been an issue for us. Our 4 buggies have all been through a couple of sets of front tires. All Still on original batts.

 

[GroundSquirrel]

Used carts in the west are hard to find for fair prices; gas or electric. Maybe its different in the mid/eastern states. I have 2 EzGo carts, one PDS and a Series version. Could probably sell the PDS for $4k today even though I bought it for $1500 8 years ago.

I wanted a gas cart 100%, but after owning electric carts, I would not want a gasser. I enjoy the quietness, no choking, no smell, etc. Maintain the batteries and you're good to go for a looooong time.

 

[BigPapa]

So, no major cons to either gas or electric. Con on the electric is battery cost. Con for the gas is louder, smellier, and a possible carb clean. JR’s experience makes me lean to the electric.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Ozymandias]

Go Lithium, Problem solved.
Shocked to see that they still sell electric vehicles with these old-fashioned lead acid battery's that are totally not meant for this kind of usage.

 

[SnoKing]

Like I said, I have an electric Club Car in Arizona and a Yamaha gas in Washington. Flat terrane then electric, hills and lots of distance gas. Our Washington park has 22 miles of roads inside the 360 acer park, and we have a gas Yamaha. I like the gas cart best. However they are getting hard to find. Gas cart issue are easier to fix than issues with electric ones for the average guy that has messed with gas engines most of their life.

 

[p-Bar]

Have had 36v cart for years . Cheap rout go trojan 6v or as Ozy says lithium if you got the bucks.