Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Pros and cons of gas powered golf carts

Ok everyone, I have been using a BATTERY powered 1987 golf cart with a utility bed on the back for years. It has really done everything I needed it for EXCEPT it only carries 2 people and I want to carry at least 4 + a utility bed area. Does not need to tilt but would be ok if it did. I want GAS POWERED now so no more charging and replacing batteries. Just this weekend I went and priced Polaris,kawasaki,john deere, and Kubota and some Chinese brand ATV"s and honestly I just don't have any intentions on spending 10-20,000$ on one. Looks like gas golf carts are a LOT LESS expensive!! Any suggestions, pros and cons. I am going to sell my Ford 3000 diesel tractor and my golf cart to help offset expences. Just don't know who might be using what I am looking for and may have some advise. I need to do something very soon. My batteries on my cart are about gone. Thanks in advance

I know a couple of guys who have tried the Chinese and they didn't hold up at all. And for less than $10,000 I doubt that you will find a 4 wheeler. I'd probably look for a gently used golf cart.

Dave I definantly did not like the Chinese ones. I have experience with getting parts for them. Bad experience. Thank you Zep for the listings. I actually drove a used Polaris ranger yesterday. A 2015 model with 500 hours and 1500 miles. The belt was slipping but I can buy it for $7000. What do you think? They said water got in on the belt. What I have found used in a Kubota diesel have been $14,000 but its really what I want.

I’d wonder how water got on the belt.

Dave, They said they had put a new belt on it and the gasket must have leaked. We did just get another 2 1/2 in rain but that does sound fishy. I have been a mechanic most of my life. Even owned a small engine repair shop for over 30 years but I did not work on 4 wheelers or motorcycles so don't know a whole lot about them.This was was fully loaded in camo color,hardtop,windshield,winch,seatbelts,etc. Looks like it would clean up to look like new but if I have motor problems a rebuilt Polaris engine is about $2500. My thoughts was that would be a worse case scenario and would still be a lot cheaper than $18,000 for a new one like it. Just thinkin. I have a Polaris dealer I am going to this week to look around and another Kubota one. Also found out once I get into the duell bench seat gas powered golf carts with a utility bed,they are as expensive as the ATVs. That sucked.

Flame, after owning two Polaris side by sides I believe their motor is a good motor. I have never had a motor issue other than when they built them with the motor under the seat. Over heating was a problem in our hot summer months with that model. I don't think they make that model now. Most of my expenses have been for things like axels, bearings, axel boots etc. Now, as far as Kubota with the diesel engine, I own that tractor but I still don't like diesel's. You ever stick a diesel powered truck in the mud? Just go ahead and call someone to pull you out because that diesel truck won't get you out without a winch. And diesel's are expensive for fuel and upkeep. We have a Honda but it's too new for much of a report other than when comparing it to the Polaris. It's like comparing the ride of a Cadillac to an old model T ride. The Honda being the Model T. I will say the Polaris has been fairly expensive to keep up but we use it as a work vehicle and put quite a bit of hrs on it. This is all just an opinion and we know everyone has one of those

Thing about a UTV is they can either be treated kindly and last a long time (if they are any good to begin with) or be driven like holy hell and abused to no end. A previously abused one might be something to avoid. Any chance on getting a phone number of the previous owner? He might give an indication of its former life.

I really like my two Polaris Ranger 900's but as I have stated before I kind of baby them. If the water is over about 10" deep in my creek crossing, I simply wait for the creek to go down. I know some the guys that will drive througuh water as deep as the machine will go through. That is fine if that is what they bought it for - their machine, their money, their usage. But if I were to buy a used one, I want one that comes from someone like me, not someonen who pushes the machine to mechanical limits.

Now when I pass them down to farm use they get used harder, but any serious abuser of equipment around our place quickly finds themselves out of a job. I like stuff to last. So the machines simply do not get driven to hell.

Point is, when buying used, its previous life has a lot to do with how much life is left in the machine. I really like our Polaris and will buy another in a couple years. But my experience does not reflect reliability of a machine run in excessively demanding circumstances.

Tracy...that's surprising because I am a huge fan of Honda just about anything....but still interesting and helpful.....smoother ride is important to me.

Flame:

Since you said a golf cart did everything you wanted except you wanted 4 seats and gasoline powered, consider what I saw inside a Bass Pro store last night:

$8000 new : https://ezgo.txtsv.com/personal/express-s4

Back seat will fold down to make a platform to haul tackle box, chain saw etc.

I have a Polaris Ranger myself and love it, but I make it do a LOT more work than a golf cart can do.

Red

I was pretty much anti Polaris (because of reliability issues of some of the early models) and pro Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki Mule. I had all of those brands and had been well satisfied with all of them. Only on suggestion of an employee that currently had a Gator but previously had several Polaris suggest I try out the Polaris did I even go to the dealer (that retired employee now is back to a Polaris and his son has the Gator).

I have had three back operations and still have to be careful of what I do. One drive of the Polaris was all it took. One drive of my wife and electric power steering became a necessity rather than an option.

Red is the Polaris Ranger not really a gas powered golf cart? The reason I ask is I bought a souped up 4 wheel drive hunting golf cart last year....tried it for a few weeks and sent it back.....it looked great....but the ride was rougher than hell and the roof squeaked no matter what we did. Are there relatively smooth riding side x side UTV's? The hunting golf cart I had was much rougher ride than my Honda ATV's. Is just the nature of a side by side UTV going to be a rough ride even in a semi normal gravel, twigs, small bumps setting? One guy told me that some UTV's are built more on at ATV frame and have better suspension than the golf cart type UTV's. I guess my question is....is there a real difference in say a hunting golf cart and a ranch UTV?

Zep, like John, I have the ranger 900. The ride with power steering is so smooth I don't think you will find a smoother ride. But I guess I am one of those ruff riders John talks about. I take mine everywhere and my bottom land can get pretty wet and muddy this time of the year. And that most likely why I am replacing axels, bearings and such. I have a real problem keeping the axel boots from being ragged. lol I would be the first one to tell you I use mine for everything including disking food plots where I can't get my tractor to.

That is good to get those kind of reports on reliability under tougher use. I just wanted to be clear that I was not a good source for that information.

Our older 900 does get lots of use picking up rocks, checking crops in sometimes muddy fields, fire control with a heavy water tank and pump on the back, etc. So it does get some hard use. But not what I would call abusive use which a UTV might encounter being used as a hunting transport for instance where it might be crossing creeks full of water, getting winched out of mud holes, etc. Nothing at all wrong with that usage if that is what a person buys it for and good to know how well the machine holds up under such conditions even if a person does not intend to use it in that manner.

You might check after market parts. Seems like I saw some better bolt on boot protectors to help with the rubber boots getting torn.

That is something I am very cognizant of when traveling in freshly harvested corn fields with the stalks sticking up. I try to run where a wheel track is because that constant poking of stalks I could envision ripping the rubber boots open. Once the boots are torn, water could easily damage internal parts if the machine was driven through water.

No, the Ranger is much more capable off-road than a gas powered golf cart. Smoother riding, mud, HP, speed, water, etc. But you're gonna pay for it!

The axle boots need to have trash guards - on my 2008 Ranger they were standard. I think on some of the newer ones the guards are optional.

Edit - I love my Ranger and will probably always have one. I am in an 800 duck club with lots of swamp and also have my own 120 acre hunting tract with my newish 2 acre pond. But if I build a cabin on the 120 acre place I will probably get an electric golf cart as a quiet mode of buzzing around the place to the deer stand and dock.

John, I am betting you are diving in the Carb. right now. We spent some vacation time down there every year for about 20 yrs and now I can't seem to get my wife away from the grandkids. So I spend a lot of time at the farm and it's cold at the farm right now. Happy for you!!

I had 2 of the Chinese dune buggys a few years back. The worse part about them is the wiring. They use really small gauge wire so it works at first then becomes a nightmare. After a one or two winters it cracks and then you have a motor and frame. Beware if you like nightmares go ahead my advice is to stay clear of them. Buy and good brand that you can get parts for. I would rather go with a used good brand than a new junk.

James the son in law has the Kubota side by side and it has to be the smoothest ride of any I have been in, the diesel is loud and not fast but very durable.4 seater with hydraulic dump bed in Cano runs 16,000

Thank you to everyone!! I have a lot to think about. I will let ya'll know what we end up with. Thanks again

You guessed right. Daughter down for a couple weeks. Just got done diving and having a little lunch in the open air kitchen.

Thanks for rubbing that in john

If you do not mind driving you can find large volume dealers with much cheaper prices on new ATVs and UTVs. For example, take a look at www.brookhavenhonda.com and a little far for you www.abernathys.com. It is not unusual at all to see people travel 10-14 hours one way to Abernathy's.

I highly recommend Polaris full size rangers for all the reasons above. That being said I would advise buying the Kubota you really want. Price is important the day you buy something, but long term satisfaction comes from how it fits your needs and desires. UTV hold their value very well, cost per year of ownership might be less than you think with a UTV. Golf carts tend to depriciate rapidly around here.

Flame,
Don’t know if you’d consider used, but that’s what I did. I found a 2012 Honda Big Red. It only seats 2, but I put a second seat up in the bed that folds up out of the way when not in use.
It is shaft drive as opposed to belts, fuel injected single cylinder 650 cc engine used on their motorcycles for many many years. It has proven to be very (Honda) reliable. Goes anywhere. At least I haven’t been able to get it stuck yet, and hauls everything I need. Not all that fancy to look at though.