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Older carts need more juice for hills

They also lack advanced braking to slow downhill

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizen.com

There’s a simple answer to why Peachtree City residents would want to put a higher-powered motor in their golf cart, according to J.C. Martin of Peachtree Golf Cars.

Without more power, many golf carts barely creep up some of the steep hills on the city’s cart path system, Martin said. It is a particular problem with older golf carts, he noted.

“If you’ve got two people and you’re going up a hill, one’s going to have to get out,” Martin said, pointing out that golf cart manufacturers have golf courses in mind — not Peachtree City’s cart paths — when they design new golf carts.

John Stern of John’s Golf Car Service said the most popular modification by far is adding a more powerful motor.

“People want to know how they can go faster, particularly to go uphill,” Stern said. “Some people say, gee, I could walk faster than I can get uphill in my cart.”

Carts can last for 30 years or more, if they are given the right care, Martin said. Many older models are still out there, and many are underpowered because they lack the current sophisticated driving system, he added.

Older model carts are sought as more economical purchases by new families in particular, Martin said. With their standard motor, however, they go around 12 miles per hour or a little more, he added.

Golf carts that can be driven over 20 mph are forbidden to be operated on the path system according to city ordinances.

Older carts have another disadvantage, which comes when they’re going downhill, Stern said. Most golf carts 1995 and newer have a braking system that compensates to slow down the cart when going downhill, Stern said.

With older carts the driver is required to use the brake manually to slow down, which doesn’t always happen, Stern says.

“Downhill they can do 25 mph easily,” said Roger Weston of Peachtree Golf Cars, referring to carts which don’t have the automatic braking system installed. “It’s still going to be the responsibility of the person operating the golf cart.

“All of them can be dangerous, including the slower-operating carts.”

Peachtree City has “thousands” of these older golf carts, Weston said.

More powerful motors are also necessary for golf carts with seating for six or more passengers, as they come from the factory with motors not large enough to handle the weight of six people, Weston said.

Stern, an 11-year resident of Peachtree City, said he is on the path system quite often in his golf cart, which is modified with a new body to look like a Dodge Ram pickup truck. He hopes the city police will increase patrols on the golf cart paths to identify those who are driving inappropriately.

Some folks just “fly” down hills and go too fast around corners, creating a dangerous situation, Stern said. Martin noted that carts with rear-facing back seats can also cause dangerous situations, particularly during turns because those passengers might be unaware of an upcoming turn or curve, especially if they haven’t been warned by the driver.

Some parts of the cart path system are so bumpy from root intrusion that it’s difficult to go fast on them safely, Stern said.

A Club Car model, for example, will come from the factory with a 3.2-horsepower model which is usually adequate to lift the cart up a hill, Stern said. Others, however, have motors which don’t have enough power and/or torque to get uphill at a decent clip, he added.

It can cost from $500 up to a couple of thousand dollars to put a higher power, higher torque motor in a cart, with the cost increasing “to do it right” and make sure other matching components are installed, Stern said. If a new motor is mismatched with other control parts, it could pose a fire hazard, he added.

Other modifications for golf carts include seat belts, which can be used to secure child safety seats and youngsters in particular.

Stern recommends seatbelts not be used for older children and adults, because if a cart rolls over it’s better to be able to jump clear of the cart.

Peachtree Golf Cars offers a modified back seat with longer handrails on both sides of the cart for passengers. The handrails turn at a 90-degree angle so they extend partly in front of the passengers, allowing rear-facing passengers to “catch” themselves, Weston noted.

“We’re concerned about the safety of the individual,” Martin said.

Turn signals, brake lights and side view mirrors can also be added to standard golf carts, which don’t typically come with such safety equipment, Weston said.

Golf carts that appear to be “jacked up” are typically just a few inches taller than normal golf carts, Weston said. Weston has noticed some carts whose height is “extreme” and he says the city should look at that issue when it determines the scope of its new regulations.

There aren’t many golf carts in the city with tractor-style larger tires, he added, and one of the more popular “larger” tires sold at Peachtree Golf Cars appears the same size as a standard tire though its rim is larger.

The tires can make a golf cart appear to be as much as six or eight inches wider than standard carts, Weston said.