How to load a golf cart into a pickup truck

atomic1

I have uploaded some pics to my website (http://www.thetimbertaylor.com/golf-cart/). Sometimes a picture really is worth 1,000 words.

My Cart
o 2004 Precedent,
o 6-inch lift,
o 23x10.5x12 tires,
o All four rims have a 2+5 offset. What is offset you ask. Check out this post:
o The widest part of my cart is the wheels = 54 inches,
o Length of my cart as measured from the front of the front tires to the center of the rear tires = 78 inches.
o Estimated weight of the cart with me in it (someone has to drive it up the ramps) is 1,200 pounds.

My Truck
o 2005 Ford F150,
o Bed is 79 inches long (does not include tailgate),
o Bed is 60 inches at the narrowest point and 50 inches between the wheel wells,
o It has standard tailgate and associated hardware.

My Ramps
o Model 712 from 5 Star Ramps,
o 7’4” long,
o 1,500 lb load capacity,
o Aluminum, they only weigh 25 pounds each.
o These are great ramps, but can be hard to find. Beware; Northern Tools sells the 712BL ($169.00) but these are only rated for 1,000 pounds.

FYI, I put this in the “Lifted Golf Carts” section because you can get away with using shorter ramps with a lifted cart. If your cart is not lifted, you may need to buy longer ramps to get the necessary clearance.

How I load/unload it
• Set the truck’s parking break while loading/unloading.
• Use the safety straps included with the ramps.
• Be committed. Once you make up your mind to go, GO!
• Don’t hit the brakes while on the ramps!
• Given my tires are 54 inches wide, I have to drive over my truck’s wheel wells which are 50 inches apart. This makes loading a little tricky. I just hang on tight and give it gas!!!!
• Once the cart is in, I wrap the cables over the tailgate “ears” (see pics) to keep the tailgate from bouncing around (I think I got this tip from someone on this forum, but can’t find the post. If it was your idea, contact me and I’ll give you proper credit).
• Once it is in, strap it down so you are comfortable (I won’t offer any advice on how you should strap down your cart…sorry).
• With my cart/truck configuration, all the weight of the cart is in the bed once it is loaded (see pics). No weight is on the tailgate.

Weak Links
The weakest links in this entire system are the tailgate support cables. If anything is going to fail while loading/unloading, it will likely be the cables. To mitigate this a bit, I replaced my cables. I plan to replace the cables each year for as long as I haul my cart this way. This is not a perfect solution, but I am aware of the risk and am willing to accept the consequence of cable failure…

About trailers
I wish I had a place to store one…

Other things of interest
I also have a set of “deer lease” tires. The fronts are 22x9x10 (no offset on the front rims) and the rears are 22x11x8 (the back rims have a 2+5 off set) (see pics). With these tires on, the front wheels are 50 inches wide, so the cart will actually squeeze between my truck’s wheel wells.

Hope this helps!

Disclaimer:
A lot of the information I post comes from a variety of sources. Unfortunately I don’t always remember where I get the information. If you believe something I posted is someone else’s idea, please feel free to contact me so I can give credit where credit is due.

Also, if you find inaccurate information in any of my posts, please contact me directly so I can edit the information.

BGW

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BeerBuggy

Nice post... good info for those without a trailer. I’m thankful I have a trailer... a few actually. My son has been putting the golf cart on the trailer himself since he was probably 6 years old... advantage of having a trailer with a drop gate.

If you get a trailer you won’t regret it. I’m sure loading in your truck isn’t that bad, but not sure how you do it when you go to the deer lease. Heck, I have the truck loaded down with so much gear when we go to the lease I probably couldn’t fit a bicycle in the back... for sure my cart! Oh, and my boys take their 4 wheelers so a trailer is a must for me!

kgsc

atomic1,

Good writeup. As for the tailgate, I just take mine off when I haul the cart. It comes off easily and then no worries. If you don't know how, take the support cables loose and then lift gate to about half way closed and pull on the right hand side in the direction of the gate. Slide fitting on the right and a pocket on the left. Now go put it somewhere so it doesn't get scratched up.

Easy peasy

KoogarKiller

Put some butter on it!!

Thats an awful lot of typing for something that takes 30-45 seconds

Attached Images

cart.jpg (116.0 KB, 0 views)

slonomo

I've had some pretty heavy atv's in the back of my pickups over the years, up to 800 lbs plus the weight of the rider. Never had a tailgate fail or cable break. The cable and hardware isn't the weak point of the tailgate, those parts have shear strengths in the thousands of pounds. The weak spot is the actual tailgate itself. If you load the tailgate at it's furthest point from the bed it acts as a lever because the attaching point is on the very end. This is where the damage occurs is where the tailgate attaches to the truck, those little itty bitty round sheetmetal brackets. The only ones I have ever seen give way have been rusted out. So I'd say if your tailgate is not rusty, you'll be okay.

But....taking the tailgate off sure is easy!

kgsc

slonomo,

I agree those cables are strong but I have seen them fail. Three of us sitting on a tailgate talking trash to the ladies and bam, on the ground We heard one pop and before we could get off the gate, the other let go.. bent the crap out of the tailgate. I can take mine off in like 30 seconds so I always do.

gmg1

I have been trying to figure out how to carry the cart and travel trailer? With the gate down I lose to much turning radius.

thecurti

my truck has a 6 inch lift with 35 inch tires and I usually haul mine in the truck. Steep ramps, but no problem and I always strap my ramps so they dont kick out

kgsc

I do this with no problem on mine. What are you driving/pulling ?

2manytoyz

I have the same issue with my truck & travel trailer.

I have a 2010 F150 and tow a 2007 Rockwood 25' travel trailer. F150s have a deep bed, which makes for a long tailgate. The tongue jack on the trailer is directly behind the coupler at the front of the frame.

I can drop my tailgate to about 45 degrees before it hits the jack. I will likely put in a heavier piece of steel where the battery sits, turn the battery box sideways, and mount the jack next to it. About a foot back from where the jack is now.

Just got a 2009 RXV this week, and haven't put it into the bed of my truck yet. A buddy has a set of heavy duty ramps I'm going to borrow to try it. My truck has a 6.5' bed, but also has a RollBak metal cover. When the cover is retracted, it goes into a drum at the front of the bed. I've lost a little bed depth because of it. Consequently, I'll have to leave the tailgate down for the cart to fit into the bed.

If I wasn't still new on this forum, I could post a pic of what the problem looks like, and how others have solved it.