Tires that are worn out, seats that have tears, cracked windshield and lights that don’t work. These are not unexpected expenses. These are things that you can see just by looking at the golf cart. These are 3 things that if you don’t do, then your golf cart will not be all that it can be. These are not cosmetic things; these are things that if you do them your golf cart will be faster, your batteries will last longer, it will be smoother, handle better and save you money in the long run. Batteries. The first thing you look at is the age of the batteries. If they are over 2 years old, you will need to replace them within a year. On the top of the battery post will be a letter and a number. The number will tell you the year of the batteries: 09=2009, 10 = 2010. The letter will tell you the month. Ex; E = May, C = March. These batteries have been constantly used for the last 3-4 years. They have been constantly charged and discharged. There are only so many times you can charge and discharge batteries. Golf cart batteries from golf courses age much faster than private use. If you need to get new batteries, replace the battery cables with 4 gage cable instead of the 6 gage cable that is there. Your golf cart will run much smother with less stress on the batteries, motor, your whole system. Keep in mind, If you only replace one or two batteries, your new batteries will only be as good as the worst battery that was left in the cart. The unexpected expense to replace your battery cables will be about $80-100. Front Bushings. I would recommend replacing them right off the bat. Your golf cart has spent its life on a golf course. Golf courses have cart paths that are made from concrete, asphalt and gravel or a path. On most golf courses the concrete will run the first 25 yards or so from the tee and the green leaving. Think about how many times this golf cart bumped up or down on this concrete. Replace the bushings. Even if they look fine, you still need to replace them. Your golf cart will handle so much better with new bushings. Such a small item with a really large impact on the way your cart feels and handles. The unexpected expense of replacing your front bushings will cost about $90. Foot Pedal Assembly Housing. This is an enclosed part that you cannot tell if it is good or bad by looking at it. They just wear out over a period of time. If you were buying a 2007 golf cart that came off the golf course it has been used for 4 years. That’s a long time for a publicly used golf cart. Abuse of speed is not uncommon with golf cart users. As any golfer will tell you, he who has the fastest golf cart has the best lie. Everybody likes to get there fast. The run pedal gets a lot of work. When it goes out, your golf cart will be all out of whack. Barely, if at all run. It will seem like something electrical to the untrained. But a lot of the time it’s the run pedal assembly. The best thing to do is replace it now and save you time and money in the long run. Not including the aggravation. It will cost about $185 at your dealer.
This article was written by Terry Donahue of Bigdog Custom Golf Carts. We customize 100-125 used Golf Carts a year. I can be reached at terry@bigdogcarts.com
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Tires that are worn out, seats that have tears, cracked windshield and lights that don’t work. These are not unexpected expenses. These are things that you can see just by looking at the golf cart. These are 3 things that if you don’t do, then your golf cart will not be all that it can be. These are not cosmetic things; these are things that if you do them your golf cart will be faster, your batteries will last longer, it will be smoother, handle better and save you money in the long run.
Batteries. The first thing you look at is the age of the batteries. If they are over 2 years old, you will need to replace them within a year. On the top of the battery post will be a letter and a number. The number will tell you the year of the batteries: 09=2009, 10 = 2010. The letter will tell you the month. Ex; E = May, C = March. These batteries have been constantly used for the last 3-4 years. They have been constantly charged and discharged. There are only so many times you can charge and discharge batteries. Golf cart batteries from golf courses age much faster than private use. If you need to get new batteries, replace the battery cables with 4 gage cable instead of the 6 gage cable that is there. Your golf cart will run much smother with less stress on the batteries, motor, your whole system. Keep in mind, If you only replace one or two batteries, your new batteries will only be as good as the worst battery that was left in the cart. The unexpected expense to replace your battery cables will be about $80-100.
Front Bushings. I would recommend replacing them right off the bat. Your golf cart has spent its life on a golf course. Golf courses have cart paths that are made from concrete, asphalt and gravel or a path. On most golf courses the concrete will run the first 25 yards or so from the tee and the green leaving. Think about how many times this golf cart bumped up or down on this concrete. Replace the bushings. Even if they look fine, you still need to replace them. Your golf cart will handle so much better with new bushings. Such a small item with a really large impact on the way your cart feels and handles. The unexpected expense of replacing your front bushings will cost about $90.
Foot Pedal Assembly Housing. This is an enclosed part that you cannot tell if it is good or bad by looking at it. They just wear out over a period of time. If you were buying a 2007 golf cart that came off the golf course it has been used for 4 years. That’s a long time for a publicly used golf cart. Abuse of speed is not uncommon with golf cart users. As any golfer will tell you, he who has the fastest golf cart has the best lie. Everybody likes to get there fast. The run pedal gets a lot of work. When it goes out, your golf cart will be all out of whack. Barely, if at all run. It will seem like something electrical to the untrained. But a lot of the time it’s the run pedal assembly. The best thing to do is replace it now and save you time and money in the long run. Not including the aggravation. It will cost about $185 at your dealer.
This article was written by Terry Donahue of Bigdog Custom Golf Carts. We customize 100-125 used Golf Carts a year. I can be reached at terry@bigdogcarts.com
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