I have an ez-go clays car, it is gas. I bought it used. Gas is pretty cheap and easy to get. I was thinking at big shoots where I would be for a few days it may be hard to get a place to charge up if necessary. Battery replacement is expensive, more than you will have in gas for years. I might use 10 gallons a summer.

Also if you intend on traveling make sure you have enough tow vehicle, the canyon in the background is not enough if you get into any kind of hill, it was only barely adequate on flat ground..... 5500 pound tow capacity my ***.. :evil:

 

Ditto on above. For electric, the less you use it, the more quickly you need battery replacement. I might spend $20 year in gas in my used cart. My Explorer drops from 22 to 14 mpg when towing it.

If you get a used, lifted cart ( or are gonna do it yourself ) make sure you have the right equipment. Use Buggies Unlimited for advice and parts.

 

I have an ez-go clays car, it is gas. I bought it used. Gas is pretty cheap and easy to get. I was thinking at big shoots where I would be for a few days it may be hard to get a place to charge up if necessary. Battery replacement is expensive, more than you will have in gas for years. I might use 10 gallons a summer.

Also if you intend on traveling make sure you have enough tow vehicle, the canyon in the background is not enough if you get into any kind of hill, it was only barely adequate on flat ground..... 5500 pound tow capacity my a$$.. :evil:

No worries about pulling it. I have a 2014 Ram Quad cab with a hemi.
So far I have found that I can buy alot newer electric cart for the same price as alot older gas. Maybe that is not the case everywhere but it is what I am finding around me.

 

Cooper,

We also own an electric Precedent with a lift kit. We trailer ours to nearby shoots and generally we are happy, BUT...

We live on the coast where the tallest hill is about 20' in elevation. When we shoot where there are real hills, by the end of the day we are looking for the nearest outlet to plug our charger into.

The quiet of electric is nice, but our next will be gas.

YMMV.

Demi

 

Also if you intend on traveling make sure you have enough tow vehicle, the canyon in the background is not enough if you get into any kind of hill, it was only barely adequate on flat ground..... 5500 pound tow capacity my a$$.. :evil:

That's because you run at 85mph!

 

Ditto the Clays Cart. I have an EZGO, wasn't a factory "Clays Cart" but a factory lifted model I modified for clays. I bought it used and set it up for clays for about half of what a new factory Clays Cart would have cost me.

 

Also if you intend on traveling make sure you have enough tow vehicle, the canyon in the background is not enough if you get into any kind of hill, it was only barely adequate on flat ground..... 5500 pound tow capacity my a$$.. :evil:

That's because you run at 85mph!

if there is an ant hill coming you **NEED**to go 85 so you have enough momentum to get up it.

I solved my towing problem and bought this...

Silverado 2500 HD with the Duramax, sure it's overkill but, why just kill it when you can overkill it ? :lol:

Going up that big hill heading towards Nemacolin I actually have to lift on the throttle.

With the canyon I had the pedal on the floor 55mph @ 5500rpm and it was slowing down about 2/3 the way up, I wasn't sure if the rods were going to stay inside the engine.

21-22 mpg highway not towing if the wind is favorable etc.. I have gotten 18+ mpg towing but it is usually around 15-16 mpg towing. If you have a gas truck expect 11-12 mpg towing.

 

I own a EZ-GO gas cart and love it. I wouldn't even consider an electric cart for shooting in Va. , let me rephrase that, the western portion of virginia. YMMV

 

I bought an electric cart when we first started shooting competitively. It works fine for one day shoots. They certainly start struggling quickly on Hills. Mine dies on he this day of our first Nationals. I sold it soon after and bough a Polaris. Bigger, faster, smoother riding, more storage.

If I Were forced to go back to a cart I would definitely go gas.

 

I had a gas cart for years. I was looking for a newer cart so I went electric for the quiet. Well it lasts for about a two day shoot and I had to find a plug. Pita. Sold it and bought a ez-go valor for $6k. Works great.

 

Re tow vehicle: I bought a Yukon Denali (2015) with the larger 6.2 V8. It has "Active Fuel Management" which drops you to a V-4 mode when the engine isn't straining -- and it frequently drops into this state when towing on the interstate at 75 MPH. I average 16 MPG towing on long trips, and as high as 18 towing on flat interstate; average 22 when not towing and driving 75. I've gotten as high as 24 mpg on long level highway stretches driving at what I found the most efficient speed of about 67-68mph. And it will light the tires up if you stomp on it from a dead stop.

 

Jack, I wish I had talked to you earlier. I had the Yukon in the 5.3 and it about puked pulling my horse trailer. It wasn't all that great pulling the Polaris either. I have a Toyota Tundra with the 5.7 and it pulls both just fine....for a gas engine. I debated going up to the 6.2 in the GM but decided that since the the Toyota was doing a decent job, I traded the Yukon for the Sequoia. I'm happy with the vehicle, but your mileage figures on your 6.2 are better than my 5.7. Live and learn.

 

TR,

I test drove the 5.3 and was impressed with how much more grunt the 6.2 has, glad I waited for it. Two buddies have newer Ford Explorer and GMC Acadia, both "boosted" 6's, and neither get the mileage I do, towing or not. The only local grades I can think of that are notable for most folks, are the Grapevine and Donner Pass -- either one I can easily pull my cart and trailer up doing 90 if I wanted to.

 

I use a 5.3 Chevy half ton pulling an aluminum trailer and Polaris Ranger. Truck gets 18 mpg unloaded versus 12-13 pulling my rig. I'm pleased with it considering the comfort, ride and cost.

 

For many of the noted reasons I would go gas in a golf cart. Protect yourself against ethanol with fuel treatment before you store it or it will sit very long.

I rarely use a cart as I typically prefer to walk using a rugged gear push buggy but I do own a Deere Gator that I haul a couple times a year to use. For steep terrain it can make a days shooting much more pleasant. If I am taking my wife to a larger venue we will also on occasion rent a cart. That is sometimes a much easier solution

I have had good luck trailering behind my half ton Silverado with 5.3. I get the same horrible mileage hauling my gator on my single axle alum trailer as I do hauling my 3000 pound compact tractor on my two axle steel trailer. Pulls either just fine but 11-12 mpg is pretty much it. I trailer 5% of the time at most so I can accept the limits of the smaller motor which is excellent without something hanging on the hitch.

 

I just pulled the trigger on an electric today. I will only be shootig in multiple days shoots maybe once or twice a year. The place I ordered my cart from gave me his pro's and cons of each. He really didnt care either way. He said 3 to 5 years ago he sold 2 to 1 gas to electric. Now he sells 2 to 1 electric. I chose electric for various reason that appealed to me. I am getting a used cart but the place I am gettjng the cart at tests the batteries before putting them in the cart. He charges them full and then they do a load test on them. From what he described it simulates full load or draw against the batteries until it discharges completely, as if you had the thottle all the way down. He said the batteries in the cart I am getting tested at 80 minutes. If average coarse is even 5 to 8 miles these should last multiple days easy. I do appreciate all the info. Seems I have went against the norm. I guess I will see if I made a mistske in a fee weeks.

 

Just plan ahead and be courteous when asking if you can charge your cart at shoots. I've never had a problem but I've gone out of my way to make sure I didn't burden the shoot or course with my need for electricity. Plan on bringing a heavy duty cord long enough to span some distance should you need to run your cord a long way. I also installed a separate marine deep cycle 12 v battery and fed it to a power port in the dash for charging phones, plugging in a fan for hot days etc. I also ran LED headlights to this aux battery. Don't try to use your battery pack for anything other than running around and you should be fine.

 

I actually am attending the Va state shoot. It is a two day shoot. I have already asked if I could plug in there and they said they would accomadate me. I am haveing them put an auxillary port in the dash. I have already thought about adding another battery for that if needed.

 

If average coarse is even 5 to 8 miles these should last multiple days easy.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

But seriously, congrats on the cart! {hs#

So being optimistic here for sure, but I hope it works out well for you -- and please get back to us on how it works out at a state or regional "multi-day" shoot...

Usually these are at a larger course where you have to run ½ mile South to get some quick practice in on their practice filed, then ½ mile back to club house; then an hour later you head 1 mile West to shoot your 5-stand -- good news is it's only ¼ mile to do the entire 5-stand -- then 1 mile back to the club house to eat, etc; then 2 hours later, you head 1/2 mile East to shoot the 1-½ mi long Super-Sporting course, then 2 drive miles back to the club house. Then you decide to go ahead and "scout" the prelim course since you shoot it tomorrow AM at 8. It's a 3 mile round trip. And that's just day 1!

Do you own a decent 3K-watt generator that will fit on your tow trailer?

 

My 48v electric cart lasted all 4 days I was at Nationals. Same for Regionals at Fossil Point but is is usually just me. I like the quietness of electric and the only time I have traveled to a big shoot it was at NSC and we rented a house so I had a place to charge it if I needed to.

If you live near saltwater look at Club Car as the frames are aluminum.

 

I had an electric cart and got rid of it. Battery life decreased over time and replacement cost is high.
A friend has one and must always find a motel room close enough to plug in the cart at night.
If you get a gas cart be sure to keep the air filter clean so dust won't gum up the carburetor.
Jim

 

EZGO STS gas with lift kit & AT tires - gets us everywhere on any course. Tow it with an Outback 6 cyl without breaking a sweat. Preventative DIY maintenance every 2 years - spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter, oil change & zirk lube.

 

Finally picked up a cart yesterday. It is a 2012 club car 48v. I had them put all new Trojan batteries in it. It will run about 17mph on flat grond with 2 people in it. I have found some pretty steep hills to try it on (20 to 30 deg.). It slows it down some but I love how quiet it is. It does have LED lights. Guess I will see how she does.

 

I have an older aluminum frame club car. It is a 2000 year model. I worked with Buggies Unlimited to order a lift kit, wheels, 23 inch Swampfox tires, and a a high torque/ speed performance package. Then I added 48 volt Trojan batteries. It will run 32 mph on flat ground, and will accelerate strongly up steep grades. I can easily shoot a 3 day event without charging. It will probably make it through a 4 day shoot, but I have not had the courage to go that long without charging. I spent a total of $3k on parts plus $1700 on the used cart. I have been using it for 2 years with only one problem. The 600 amp controller that was included in the performance kit fried after 6 months. It was replaced on warranty. No problems since. I love zipping by the guys in their gas carts. You can modify gas or electric carts to do amazing things. I have seen gas carts with 13 hp Honda engines in them that are pretty strong and trouble free.

 

Great looking cart.

My fault, I thought the poster was from TX which given the color would have meant the poster was a Sip and I was giving him a little good natured college rivalry ribbing, seems I mixed him up with another poster.

Gig'em