weekender

We are looking very hard at toy haulers and have narrowed it down to 2 floor models in the Heartland Torque 5th wheel line.  We like both of them, but really like the 39' model the best due to 3 slides vs 2 and the island in the kitchen.  My truck will tow both, but the 39' model will be right at the max of what I personally want to tow by the time it is loaded (around 14K #).

My questions are:

1.  If we go with the 39' model vs. the 36' model will it tow differently due to the added length?

2.  How difficult is it to tow a 39' 5th wheel?  Most of our travel will be interstate, but certainly there will be times we will tow through some smaller towns on occassion as we go to the beach and some local campgrounds. 

3.  Will the added 3' limit my options of campsites at most places? 

If anyone has experince or advice I would love to hear your feedback. 

Great to know all of this just in case so thanks for sharing.  While I do not have experience of staying at the Fort during a hurricane we did experience a TS on our Disney cruise.

We took a Disney Cruise years ago and coupled it with a few days at the park, but Tropical Storm Rita was forming east of the Bahamas.  As a result our first day was spent at sea to avoid the storm and like others have siad the weather was amazingly beautiful.  That night the ship turned behind the storm and went to Nassau a little late on the 2nd day.  We spent the next day at Castaway Cay with only a few showers.  By the end of the 4 day cruise everything had passed over FL except for a few showers here and there.  Once we got off the ship we headed over to Disney and found that the park was essentialy empty since alot of people had cancelled/changed their reservations due to the storm.  This was an unexpected surprise.  If you can work it out timing wise to arrive after everything has passed (assuming it was not bad) you can almost have the park to your self.  We walked on almost every ride with no wait.

Good luck for those travelling and of course stay safe.  

Well I got the cart home today and must say that it was nothing less than terrifying to load and unload this in/from the back of my truck.

At the dealer I was just into the bed of the truck and the ramps got kicked out and slamed on the ground.  I did not like that one bit.  I will make sure to secure my ramps!!!!  Once I got home I tried a pair of 7.5' arched ramps and that was even more scary.  The angle was far too steep and the cart did not clear the back foot plate.  Luckily I was parked on the edge of the grass and unloading into the grass.  As a result we were able to lift the back of the cart slighlty and slowly allow the cart to come down the rest of the ramp.  I immediately returned those ramps and have now ordered some 10' ramps off of Amazon.  They are also wider.  Hope the 10' length will do the trick. 

Thanks for all the advice on insurance.  I called my carrier USAA and put the cart on my policy.  It only cost a little over $100, but has all the same coverage as my auto.  It was the only way to do it and I am sure I could have probably found some cheaper, but I trust them.  

Thanks for the advice also on the cable with lock.  That was a thought of mine as well.  Will get some and will start locking it up to keep the honest people honest.  Ha Ha. 

Congrats!

 

Yes, we insure our cart for liability.  One of the campgrounds we frequent requires it.

 

We have folding ramps to load our cart.  They are aluminum. I found them on the internet, but I forget where.

 

I could give you tips on how to prevent theft on a Club Car, but I don't know anything about Yamahas.

We carry insurance on our golf cart and it isn't very expensive. Some campgrounds require insurance. We bought our ramps at Tractor Supply.

Thanks for the info.  Do you get this insurance from your auto policy company or some other company?  Also I will look at the ramps at tractor supply.  For an electric cart is 1500# ramp enough?

Well after my craigslist golf cart search that ended in it not being real I decided to search out a local, reputable golf cart dealer.  Found 3 within 45 minutes of our house and went to check out the carts in person.  After seeing the possibilites (basically the sky is the limit) we set our budget.  The best deal I found was the last dealer I went to. They had a 2011 Yamaha - electric, custom paint (blueish/green color), 10 inch upgraded wheels, 2013 Trojan batteries, new windshield, new 5 panel rear view mirror, and folding backseat.  The seats were standard golf cart seats, but were in very good condition.  Also the dash area and trim were very good as well.  Talked to the wife and she agreed to go for it.  The deal is done and we can pick it up tommorow if I want to.  We are so excited to have one and are looking at another Fort Wilderness trip! 

Now I need the groups help with a few questions since we have never owned a golf cart before.

1.  We are going to put this in the back of our F-250 so any recommendations on folding ramps to load the cart?

2.  Do you insure your cart?  If so for liability, collision???

3.  If possible what is the best way to prevent theft since all golf carts can be rolled onto a small trailer and most have the same key?  At home we will keep in our garage.

Any other advice for a newbie???

I read all the comments before responding and wondered when I would see you were getting a run around. I see things all the time on Craig's list like this. Example someone had a pop up toy hauler listed last week for $2k. These are $7k campers and they claimed it was mint. Unfortunately craigslist doesn't have a security system like eBay where you have to b4 legit by providing a credit card to get another account. There are scammers everywhere. I recently got an email recently someone was trying to hack my acct and I needed to log in on their secure site and change my pw via this page. Of course I did it. I entered the username goeffyourself and pw was goeffyourselfagain. My acct is still working lol. I've bought and sold a lot off of craigslist. If someone is serious about selling something they will have no probably talking via phone.

I had a feeling it was not legit either.  Amazing that people have time to play around like this.  I like your username and password!!

Check your local golf courses. Members are always upgrading their personal carts for new ones. And sometimes the course might have one they are selling.

Good luck.

I never thoguht of that.  How difficult and expensive is it to upgrade a 2 seat golf cart to a 4 seater then add the lights and maybe a few small extras? 

Thanks to all for the responses. 

Well it turns out that something is up here as the seller responded one time to me, but when I asked some more questions they never responded.  I also inquired to another craigslist ad and got the same response of how they are not selling the cart, but their brother is and to email them.  My spidey senses say that this is not right for 2 ads to have different emails, but the same verbatim repsonses to contact their brothers. 

At the price of $1500 I agree that something is not right here.  That cart should list for well over $2000 if not closer to $3000 given its age and all the extras on it. 

I will continue my search, but am going to shop at a local golf cart dealer in my area for a deal.  Like they say if it is too good to be true it probably is. 

It sounds to good to be true. Make sure of the date of the cart some people put on different dates and also make sure you check the date of the batteries

I know.  I was going to check the date and have looked how to find the tags on Club Car.  Will also check the batteries.

ha ha no worries I was just kidding, I wouldn't buy it out from under another Fiend.

 

I don't blame you I'd be sure and check it out real good because it does seem like a great deal.

 

WBI

Thanks.  Was just joking as well!

I agree it seems like too good of a deal....where is it located :)  I've been wanting a golf car.

 

WBI

It is in Georgia.  Can't give you my source yet.  I hope the deal closes today.  Given it is such a good deal I am a little nervous and is why I want to make sure it is not too good to be true.

We have a 2011 4-passenger Club Car Precedent.  The base price on it was $6,000.  I think $1500 is an unbelievably good deal!

Thanks Gwen.

I found a 2012 Club Car Precedent for $1500 and think it is a good price, but can anyone confirm that this is a good deal.

The golf cart has a clean title, strong 48v electric powered by six (6) Oem 8v batteries (1 month old), no scratches or dents and it looks and runs like new. Has brand new street legal light package, brand New SS chrome wheel covers, Oem flip windshield, brand new club car factory high speed code 4, with updated MCOR throttle controller. Runs up to 19 mph.  Also has custom 2 color seats.

It is not fullly customized such as the wheels or lifted, but given all the equipment on the cart it seems like a great deal.  Anything I should check when I go look at it besides the batteries and appearance?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. 

We have some friends that will be travelling to/from the Florida Keys with their 5th wheel later this summer and want to stop for an overnight off the Turnpike around the Orlando area.  I know their is The Fort, but are there any other good campgrounds close to the turnpike that will not cost them a fortune?  They will be tired and will not be doing much other than plugging in, having dinner and getting some sleep.  My sister recommended the KOA in Kissimmee.

Any other recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Wow you are not trying to start any fights are you??  LOL. 

For me I would consider a 2011 or newer F250 or even and F350 depending upon your current towing needs and possible future needs. This will put you in the 6.7 Diesel and they tow very well.  Of course the Crew Cab set up for all the room.  As for 2WD or 4WD that is based upon your needs.  I live in NW Georgia and while I am not using it for snow I do use it everytime we park our camper at my wifes aunt's house.  We park it in the grass and you would not believe how slick grass or Georgia clay can be.  My first truck was an F150 2WD and there were many times that I wish I had the 4WD option.  You may also want to look at the RAM trucks as they run some great deals on them.

Now with all that said most of the newer trucks on the market (Ford, Dodge, Chevy) will do well for you.  However, look at what you are towing now and what you may tow in the future and figure out your payload capacity becuase that is the 1 weight that you will usually max out long before the tow capability of the truck.  I have learned this lesson and have traded a great F150 to buy a F250 and now wish I had gotten the F350. 

Good luck and have fun in your search!

Great trip report so far and sorry for the bad luck.  The good thing is that it did it while you were at the trailer, but imagine being at the park and coming back to that issue!  Quick question.  How do you tow with the golf cart in the bed of the truck.  It appears that your tailgate is down a bit in the picture above.  Does that interfere with your tongue jack?  I have looked at getting a golf cart, but cannot figure a good way to carry in a 6.5' bed of an F250.

OK. I have it at home. I'll send it later today. 

Thanks and no hurry.

BTW... I can give you the info about where we bought our cart. I shopped SEVERAL Georgia dealers and stalked Craigslist for months before we bought. I think the place we bought from has the best deals in the area.

 

I also like the guy. Our cart came with a bit of a warranty, and our charger went bad after that time frame. He replaced it at no charge any way. 

Please send me the information.  I greatly appreciate it.

All great feedback and things I would have never thought of or would know. Rust should not be an issue where we live, but may camp some at the beach so will look at Club Car as the better option for the aluminum frame. 

If we buy we will use it whenever we can camping which is a couple times per month. 

We looked at renting, but over the course of 1 - 2 years we would spend far more in the rental cost vs. purchasing one. 

As for transporting our goal is to upgrade to a toy hauler in the future so that will not be an issue.

The best/cheapest way of getting one is to know some on at your kola golf course. They get new carts every 3,4,5 years. And then they are sold at auction by the company they are leased from. But if you know someone they might sell you one. Then you buy the backseat and out it on yourself.

Batteries will last 5-6 years. But if you make sure the batteries always are topped off with water. Also people will buy the cheap Everstart batteries and sell it with "new" batteries. Well I guess technically they're new batteries but they won't last very long. The best batteries IMHO are Trojans. (Insert joke here).

Good tips here.   Also did see where Trojan were better batteries, but glad that someone confirmed that.

Are you getting the Solar golf cart banner ad popping up for you at the top of this thread?

I got a Golf Cart ad, but not solar.

New batteries!

 

We got electric because some places don't allow gas. 

Make sure it has relatively new batteries.  That is the biggest maintenance expense on an electric cart.

How long do batteries in the golf carts typically last before you have to change them?   5 years?

One more thing we are considering for camping is purchasing a used 4 seat golf cart.  We are leaning towards electric since some other campgrounds we go to do not allow gas powered carts.  Any tips, advise necessary equipment we should have on the cart to use at many different campgrounds? 

Also are carts allowed at Panama City Beach?

All feedback is greatly appreciated.

Well I can tell you first hand that most people will fail the "How many days is this ticket good for" question if they have multiple tickets.  I know this becuase we have multiple no expiration tickets and Disney no longer tracks specifically how many days remain on each ticket.  They stack them in your profile and they can see a total.

I know this becuase last time we were there in February we tried to find out what we had left on our tickets and no one at the park could give me a straight answer like in the past.  In the past they could scan a ticket and could tell you exactly what was left.

Yes I see some frustrated guest and cast members!!

Thanks to all who have repsonded.  It sounds like a Toy Hauler is well worth it if we want to haul a golf cart and still have bunks while our teen daughter still camps with us.  Also it appears that the patio option is not worth it.  Great to know from those who have already been there.