It’s not every day that you see someone using a golf cart for towing a truck or a trailer, which makes sense because golf carts aren’t really designed to tow anything.
But what if I told you that you can actually tow a boat or a jet ski using a golf cart? This brings about the question: what is the true golf cart towing capacity?
The answer to this question depends heavily on the quality, brand, and construction of your golf cart. In today’s article, we’re taking a closer look at the towing capability of golf carts.
So, if you’re considering towing some weight with your trusty little vehicle, keep reading!
Typical Golf Cart Towing Capacity
Let’s be honest, a golf cart probably isn’t the first vehicle that pops into your head when you’re thinking about towing solutions.
However, when the need to move small projects or items from one place to another arises, the golf cart comes in very handy. In fact, the smaller size of a golf cart allows for better handling of small towing tasks compared to a bigger vehicle.
To answer the question at hand though, the typical towing capacity of a golf cart is approximately 1000 pounds.
Outside of the average, some models can support as much as 4000 or 5000 pounds without issues, while others can tow up to 3 similar golf carts at one go, falling in the 3000-pound capacity range.
If you want to find out the exact towing limit of your golf cart, you should look it up in your user’s manual. If you can’t locate this information in there, try calling your golf cart dealer and give them the specs of your model. They should be able to tell you how much weight your vehicle can afford to tow.
Gas Golf Cart Towing Capacity
As opposed to conventional electric golf carts, gas golf carts are generally more powerful due to their engines. Best case scenario, an electric golf car will carry a 4.4 HP engine. Whereas some gas models are fitted with 13.5 HP engines, reach a top speed up to 19.5 mph.
But this doesn’t mean that gas golf carts are capable of dragging a lot more weight. Using a gas golf cart, you’re working with a towing capacity between 3000 to 5000 pounds under average conditions.
Of course, there are some exceptions such as the carts specifically designed to pull heavier items. These will have the necessary equipment and traction to support heavier weight, towing just under 10,000 pounds with ease
Once again, you can find the exact number of pounds your gas golf cart can pull listed in the user’s manual.
Towing with a Golf Cart
By now, it’s safe to say that you can use a golf cart for towing tasks. But how do you even do it? Well, you’ll need to have a hitch or a tow bar mounted to the back of the golf cart.
If you’re getting an aftermarket hitch, you should buy something that mounts to the bumper. Or, you can go for a custom hitch that’s installed right into the frame of the little vehicle.
If this sounds a bit complicated, then you’ll be glad to know that some companies manufacture and sell universal trailer hitches for golf carts. These hitches can attach to any golf cart regardless of its age.
Not only does this save you from having to modify your golf cart to tow different items, but it also gives you great flexibility to easily tow smaller items without resorting to a larger vehicle.
Can a Golf Cart Tow a Trailer?
Yes, you can use a golf cart to tow a trailer. But how large and how heavy of a trailer we’re talking about will depend on the specs of your golf cart, most importantly, how much weight the batteries can handle at one time. Ideally, you should use a 48-volt battery or a series of batteries.
That being said, you’ll need a particular hitch to get the job done because a standard RV farmer trailer hitch is too big to use. There are smaller hitches out there that you can mount on your golf cart to tow single axle trailers.
The type of hitch you’ll need to use also depends on the frame hole. A ⅝ inch size hole gives you more options to pick from.
Can a Golf Cart Tow a Boat?
Many people use golf carts to tow boats, but these boats are usually not very huge. They’re not tiny either; some boats are big enough to comfortably accommodate 6 individuals. They also differ in construction materials, ranging from fiberglass and aluminum to steel.
The weight of the boat you can haul will vary according to the towing capacity of your golf cart. As we mentioned above, some golf carts can easily tow 1200 pounds, while others max out at 5000 pounds.
Moreover, make sure you’re using the right hitch and that it’s compatible with your cart.
Can a Golf Cart Tow a Jet Ski?
As a rule of thumb, if the weight capacity of the golf cart is at or under its total tow weight, then you’ll be able to use the golf cart to tow a jet ski. Keep in mind that jet skis don’t come with their own wheels, so you’ll have to figure out the weight of the trailer before you can hook it up and take off.
The main issue when dealing with a boat may not be the towing capacity since some golf carts can pull up to 3000 pounds as a standard weight. Instead, you should worry about the surface grades you need to go up or down.
If the down-grade is too steep, you may not have enough power to make it up, and your brakes may lack stopping power.
Wrap Up
There you go, a breakdown of golf cart towing capacity. Ranging from 1200 pounds and up to 3000, 4000, and even 5000 pounds, golf carts prove to be a reliable towing solution when your larger vehicle is too large or too powerful to meet your needs at the time.