How to lift a Golf Cart? Why should you lift a golf cart? For some people, lifting a golf cart is a great way to increase clearance, or achieve a different aesthetic appeal. Increasing the clearance on your golf cart can make it easier to navigate on rough terrain, but it does have some drawbacks.
Why Should You Lift a Golf Cart?
There are a few benefits to lifting your golf cart that you cannot ignore.
First of all, lifting your golf cart will give it more clearance relative to the ground, meaning you will be able to drive your golf cart through rougher terrains. For example, it will be easier to drive on bumpy roads or in the woods.
Next, with more clearance, you can install bigger wheels on your golf cart. What are the benefits of having bigger wheels? First of all, your golf cart will be faster. For one spin of the motor axle, you will carry more distance, since the wheels are bigger.
With bigger wheels, assuming the motor can follow, you will have more torque, meaning your golf cart should be able to pull heavier loads, like a small trailer.
Why Should You Avoid Lifting a Golf Cart?
Although lifting a golf cart has tangible benefits, it also comes with its fair share of downsides.
First of all, a lifted golf cart will have a higher center of gravity. Having a higher center of gravity means a lifted golf cart will be more likely to flip over. Especially when you are driving fast or turning corners, a lifted golf cart can definitely be a safety liability. A golf cart flipping over can cause moderate to heavy injuries.
Next, if you install larger wheels, like you would typically expect on a lifted golf cart, your engine or motor will need to work harder to provide the power required to turn the wheels. This can cause wear and tear and your engine or motor. If the wheels are too big, the engine or motor might simply not be able to turn your wheels.
Another issue that can arise is that with bigger wheels, since your engine or motor are working harder, your fuel or battery charge will last less time, which could be a major annoyance if you get stuck somewhere. Nobody enjoys needing a tow truck back to a gas station or a charging station.
Next, the cost of lifting a golf cart is not cheap, although it can be worth the price. To account for the lift kit, and hours paid for a professional installation, you can expect to be out 300-600$.
A lifted golf cart can become hazardous, especially for shorter humans, to get on and off. In fact, it can be pretty easy to fall off the cart and injure yourself badly.
Finally, some golf courses will not allow lifted golf carts because of the safety hazards, affecting your safety, and the safety of others. If you have wheels installed that are not designed for golf courses, then you will definitely not be allowed to drive on a course. You should not drive a golf cart with wheels that damage the grass of any golf course.
Types of Golf Cart Lift Kits
There are different types of golf cart lift kits with different price points, installation difficulty, and features.
Drop Axle Lift Kits
A drop axle lift kit replaces the axles on your golf cart with longer axles. When you turn your golf cart wheels to make a turn, you need side-to-side clearance so the wheels don’t touch the cart frame. Lengthening your golf cart axles allows you to install larger wheels, and still be able to turn without rubbing the tires against the cart frame.
Replacing your golf cart axles yourself at home is a difficult task, so seeking a professional’s help is highly recommended.
Block Lift Kits
A block lift kit simply adds material between your wheel-suspension system, and the cart cabin. By increasing the space between those two elements, you can fit bigger wheels and still have a decent turning radius.
You might be able to install a block lift kit yourself, but you would need some heavy duty tools capable of holding the weight of the golf cart cabin while you install the blocks. Purchasing a lift kit, then hiring a professional is definitely recommended.
Suspension Lift Kits
Suspension lift kits do exactly what they sound like; they replace the stock suspensions of the golf cart with new, independent suspension. You can higher or lower the new suspensions, according to your preference. It allows for better clearance relative to the ground.
This is one of the more expensive lift kit options on the market.
Spindle Lift Kits
A spindle lift kit is very common because it simply replaces standard spindles with new ones. The new spindles are longer and larger. These allow you to place bigger wheels on your golf cart, thus lifting your golf cart.
The spindle lift kit is one of the cheapest and easiest to install lift kits on the market. If you have the right tools and are knowledgeable about golf carts, you might be able to install this kit yourself.
How To Lift a Golf Cart?
The best way to lift your golf cart is to purchase a lift kit, and bring your golf cart to a professional, who can install the kit in a few hours.
For most people, lifting a golf cart is too complicated and dangerous a task. Kit installation requires tools, equipment, and good technical knowledge of golf carts.
Unless your golf cart lift kit is a passion project, your time is better spent doing something else than frustratingly trying to install a golf cart kit. If you do not already own tools like jacks, then purchasing those tools will already cost more than the professional installation fees. Even if you buy the required tools, you might still get stuck, unable to complete the kit installation.
For the sake of your safety, your time, and your emotions, bring the lift kit and your golf cart to a professional who can take care of you quickly.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you now know that lifting a golf cart requires the use of a lift kit. Lift kits are too hard to install for the average person. Therefore, letting a professional install a lift kit is usually the way to go. If you do not even own the tools to install a lift kit yourself, do not hesitate to let a professional install the kit.
Have you tried lifting a golf cart yourself before? Let us know how it went, down below in the comments!
