One of the most efficient ways to tow your golf cart is by attaching the trailer to the towing device, placing your cart inside the trailer, and then towing it. In a few moments, we’ll talk about how to tow a golf cart in detail.
Anyone who owns a golf cart has experienced the necessity to tow it at some moment, whether it was to get to the course, go to another course across the state, or bring the cart in for service. Knowing how to tow can be of great help in such cases!
It’s better to know before we start that each component of towing comes in a variety of sizes and configurations, so we’ll only concentrate on the most common ones for general application.
Let’s start!
How To Tow A Golf Cart?
Moving your golf cart only requires a few simple steps and may be done with any sort of cart, be it an electricity-powered or a gas-powered one. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Attaching a trailer to the towing device
First, place the trailer coupler slightly over the hitch ball of the towing vehicle. The metal socket on the trailer’s end that will connect to the rear of your car is the trailer coupler. Once the coupler is directly above the hitch ball, open the latch on the trailer coupler.
Lift the latch upward to unlock it after removing the latch pin from the trailer coupler. This will enable it to rest on your car’s hitch ball. Once the coupler is firmly set, reverse the process of unlocking the coupler latch to lock it in place.
Crosswise fasten the safety chains to the rear of your car. One of the safety chains should be positioned below the coupler and hitch ball, and it should be fastened to the hitch ball’s opposite side. While you’re driving, if the coupler somehow separates from the car, it will fall and land on the crossed chains rather than on the pavement.
Lastly, plug in the trailer wire to the towing vehicle. Near the trailer coupler, there should be a loose wire with a plug on one end. This facilitates the operation of the trailer’s headlights, blinkers, and brake lights.
Step 2: Preparing the ramp for the golf cart
The cable harness from the tow vehicle to the trailer must then be connected. Make sure to lower the trailer’s ramp gate by removing the side latch pin, so that the cart can go in. Make sure the trailer should be in the ‘Park’ or ‘Golf Cart Tow’ mode.
In case there is no gate, place two ramps along the edge of the trailer then simply drive your golf cart inside.
Step 3: Place the cart on the trailer
Push your golf cart into the trailer. To make sure that your golf cart is mounted on the trailer securely, use a ratchet or tie-down straps. It is recommended to remove the windshield before towing as it has the possibility of breaking off while towing.
Step 4: Closing the ramp
The final step is to close the ramp and fasten it with latch pins.
Now you are ready to tow the trailer speeding slightly below the legal limit. Drive with caution to keep the cart’s parts from damaging while taking sharp turns or down steep.
Measures To Take While Towing Your Cart
You may securely and damage-free tow your golf cart by using the methods below.
- Before towing the cart, fasten all the delicate components like the seats or windshields of the cart tightly
- Turn off the key switch and remember to set the forward/reverse key to the neutral position
- Never carry passengers inside while towing the cart
- Speeding up too much can overspin the motor and damage it, possibly destroying the motor by shattering its interior components. So, drive the cart at a moderate speed, ideally between 5-15 mph. Or at the same pace, you would if the cart had power.
- Remove the battery connections from the terminals of the battery pack. If you need to tow the golf cart over a large distance. This protects the motor, the controller, the rear axle, and the batteries from harm during the towing operation.
- Deactivate the parking brakes. Before pulling the golf cart, check sure the EM brake on the motor is unlocked mechanically
- When making sharp turns, or going down steep hills, use the brake to limit your speed.
Is It Safe To Tow A Golf Cart Yourself?
Yes, it is safe to tow a golf cart as long as you have a trailer ideally designed for the type of towing you are undertaking. You must have insurance and driver’s license in order to tow. Also, you might want to think about renting a tow dolly or trailer if you don’t have a car that can handle the weight on your cart.
You can tow your golf cart by pulling it behind another automobile with a chain or tow strap across short distances at extremely modest speeds. But, while you are on the highway, you need to have a trailer designed for the highway. Before driving on the highway, make sure the roof and body panels are securely fastened, and the wind pressure isn’t causing any of the golf cart’s components to come off during the pull.
With the gear shift in neutral, tow your gas golf cart. As for the electric cart, set it to the tow position, in order to prevent damage.
What is Tow Mode On A Golf Cart?
Sometimes, while purchasing a second-hand golf cart, or even after buying their golf cart from an authorized dealer, owners might not be made aware of the vehicle’s towing mode. What is a tow mode actually?
A golf cart’s ability to move in reverse while using the power of its motor is known as the tow mode. In case you need to tow your golf cart or work on its circuitry, you can engage your cart in this mode.
When in tow mode, your golf’s computer is deactivated, which cuts voltage to sensitive electronics of the cart. It’s crucial to turn on this mode while your golf cart is being towed to prevent your automobile from automatically engaging its roll-away prevention feature.
A tow/run switch is typically used to engage a golf cart’s tow mode. The battery compartment is probably where you’ll find the tow run switch for your golf cart.
This feature is pretty effective when your cart will be left unattended for a long period of time without being charged, say 2 weeks or more. In this case, you should first fully charge the cart and then set it to tow mode. This way, your golf cart won’t continuously drain power from the batteries.
Final Thoughts
Hope you have got the idea of how to tow a golf cart. Before ending today’s article here are a few additional tips for you.
There are a few ways to tow a golf cart, like with a rope, but the best way to do it is with a trailer, one between 5-10 feet is good enough for an average cart. Also, it is strongly advised you to fold your windscreen or remove it entirely before transferring the car.
Safe driving!