Older Western Cart.....What's the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly??

SoCalAngler

Found this one for sale locally. It is fully registered in CA with plates and registration. This is a BIG deal for those of us that want to use a GC in state parks.

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...048583223.html

It is an older cart....according to current owner....he believes it is a 1986.

According to current owner.....It was registered as a 1996 as the numbers on the VIN placard are hard to read and it appears original owner registered it as a 1996 instead of 1986 as is more likely the correct year of the cart.

Questions:

1. What type of motor does this have?
2. Is it reliable?
3. Power to climb hills, with 3 people?
4. Are parts available?
5. Can it be modified for additional power (ex. convert to 48V)?

My uses....

CA State parks

Campgrounds, RV parks, etc., primarily in Southwest (CA, NV, NM, AZ, etc)

Around my neighborhood to teach my 15yo son with Autism how to drive (he will never be able to get a driver's license but this would be cool for him to learn to drive.


Thanks!

BGW

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meimk

Western's were based on EZGO platforms. Mechanically it's just like my '87 EZGO Marathon 36 volt. The downside is that it's the older style control system: Step switch for accelerator, resistor coils to actually do the speed controlling. Parts are still available, simple to figure out and repair, you can diagnose about anything on it with a voltmeter. The downside is the poor power efficiency, lack of power for your hill climb with several people aboard. Oh, and it will be slow under almost all circumstances. It looks very well kept up, so it would be worth doing upgrades to a variable throttle and speed controller. You could go to 48 volts, even with the same motor - but would need batteries, solenoid, controller and charger to deal with that voltage.

SoCalAngler

Looks like it may not be a mid 80's after all. Current owner believes it is a 1986 as VIN placard is hard to distinguish between the 8 and 9.....original owner registered it as a 1996...this is what the current title and registration state.

Research tells me it is a Western "Legend" model....which makes it mid 90s.
Does this sound correct?

If so....does this motor still have the inefficient power as described in post above?

Is this cart worth the $1500 I can get it for? I don't want a cart that can't pull 4 adults around in mildly hilly area.

Thanks

meimk

The mechanicals are mid 80's. The problem isn't the motor itself (36 volt series motor) but the rest of the drive system. It has the step switch style accelerator so it's only got preset "steps" instead of a continuously variable throttle. Those steps in the accelerator send the power through resistor coils under that meatal "box" between the batteries. It's drawing "full power" out of the batteries any time the pedal is pushed at all. At the lower speed settings it is discharging most of that power into the atmosphere as heat off of those resistor coils. You'll see many here refer to those as "toaster" carts - because those resistor coils will heat up like the elements in an electric toaster. So even at it's slowest speed it's using the same power off your batteries as going full blast.
A controller cart will have a variable throttle and send only the power required for whatever speed you are going. Much more efficient use of the power stored in your batteries.
Is it worth the $1500? Depends on you. Old resistor carts (good running) can be had for under $1000, but that's without the fancy bodywork & without the title & registration this one has. You won't be happy with the performance "as is". So figure on upgrades to 48 volt battery pack, controller, solenoid, throttle and a charger. You'll end up close to $2k in upgrades, but could get some of that back in selling your used batteries and charger.

golf cart man

If you're set on a western (I love westerns and have and have had several) personally I would look around for another western. I see you are looking on the orange county Craigslist. Switch over to Palm Springs craigslist and you'll find tons of westerns for sale at very similar prices but they will have solid state controller drive systems. Many will already be 4 seats with a flip down rear tailgate. Much newer and more updated looking for around the same money. The red cart you are looking at now will be rather slow with that electrical system in it especially at 36 volt resistor like meimk said above.

Just for example. See the one below in the link. I know nothing about this cart but judging by the photos and my knowledge of westerns i would bet this is a solid state controller cart built on an ezgo marathon chassis. It's important to look at it to confirm but it's my very strong guess. It looks like an early 90's cart maybe a 93 or 94. It's a 4 seater and the same price as the one you are looking at. In fact if I were closer I would go and get it can't go wrong at that price.

https://palmsprings.craigslist.org/s...054421257.html

Lochlin

I don't know Westerns at all but know resistor carts very well as I own and have restored a bunch of them now. If that cart was within 300 miles of Pittsburgh I would already be on the way to get it.

Pretty much, all resistor carts are the same. I love them but for mostly nostalgia's sake. For sure, they don't perform as well as modern carts. Most electrical components on resistor carts aren't really cart specific and parts can easily be applied across manufacturers.

I don't believe that your issue would really be with the resistor nature of the cart but rather with the 36v. 36v is good for a standard 2 seater cart but the roof, back seat, and extended body of that particular cart adds at least a person's worth of weight. Add some people and 36v just isn't enough.

Personally, I would get that cart and throw 48v in it. The motor can almost certainly handle it as-is but you'd have to upgrade the resistors to 48v and perhaps upgrade the cables as well. Obviously, this would also involve a new charger so things would get pricey. That's a cool cart, though, and wish I could find one here.