Traveling with golf cart & camper

[2manytoyz]

We just returned home from Disney's Fort Wilderness. Camped in our 25' travel trailer, and put the golf cart into the bed of the truck.

When I bought this truck, I made sure it had the max tow package, etc. Capable of towing over 11,000 lbs. Payload of over 1800 lbs.

The golf cart is about 900 lbs, add another 100 lbs for the 9.5' ramps (Long Ramp brand). The trailer is 5000 lbs loaded.

Rode smooth. No bouncing, swaying, etc. Handling was very good.









I won't take the golf cart with us often, but some parks are very large, making the cart ideal for traveling within the park.

Short video of the ramps in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYuxXOTarNk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYuxXOTarNk

[Outlawcart]

Did you leave your tailgate down while towing or remove it completely?

I am looking at golf carts and will have the same issue towing in the truck bed with the rear seat and foot deck hanging out.

Any problems turning or backing in sharply?

PS: I see now the top picture loaded showing the tailgate removed. How close does the cart get when turning?

[Pitbull Joe]

Looks like loading/unloading goes smoothly. I was thinking about getting a set of ramps for when I want to travel with the cart. I was concerned if ramps would be too steep for loading since my truck is lifted about 10". Also, how wide of a tire will the ramps accommodate?

[fastcarsspeed]

Most people with Rear seats and 6' beds use something to put the cart up a little higher in the rear if its not lifted. That gives you plenty of room over the propane tanks so sharp turning is not too much of an issue. Also even with 8' beds some carts still need to have their rears jacked up in order to keep your tailgate on. In my instance I just bought a Toy Hauler LOL. Makes it easier to deal with the golf cart.

BTW Don't you love Disney's Campground. One of the nicest campgrounds LOL.

[Outlawcart]

I have a toy hauler with a 10 foot enclosed garage area in the rear. The problem I see with that is the cart roof.

The hauler ceiling is about 12 foot tall but about 3/4 of the garage area has an enclosed lowered portion where a bunk is above it.

My problem would be solved if I can make a roof support for the cart that allows me to lower it like an ez up post with the pins. Anyone ever done that?

Sorry to thread jack toys...nice looking set up you have there.

[2manytoyz]

Originally Posted by Outlawcart

Did you leave your tailgate down while towing or remove it completely?

I am looking at golf carts and will have the same issue towing in the truck bed with the rear seat and foot deck hanging out.

Any problems turning or backing in sharply?

PS: I see now the top picture loaded showing the tailgate removed. How close does the cart get when turning?

Before I put the rear seat kit on it, it would fit in truck and I could leave the tailgate on. I did have to relocate the tongue jack on the trailer though. Look close at the pics, you'll see where it used to be mounted. Unless I jack knife the trailer, the tailgate doesn't come close.





But now the rear seat is installed, the footrest hits the tailgate when it's raised, long before the golf cart rear tires would hit. So rather than risking it, I removed the tailgate for this trip.

But that caused another issue. Once the cart is in the bed, the rear tires are still sitting on the lip of the ramps. I used a 12V Harbor Freight jack (very handy!) to lift the back of the cart so the ramps could be pulled out. Just make sure to put a strap around the cart or it might roll backwards since the brakes are only on the rear tires!

So the last phase of this mod will be to make the footrest flip up when not in use. The footrest will also drag when climbing the ramps unless I use a couple of boards at the base of the ramps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iou4F11tuCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iou4F11tuCw

"I" can't see what the heck is going on when driving up the ramps, so I made these videos to help me figure out what was dragging, by how much, and if the boards made enough of a difference.

Just be sure your truck has enough capacity for hauling a heavy golf cart. My buddy has a newer Dodge but it has coil springs in the back. He had to add air bags to the back to even tow his camper. Not sure his truck would do well with the added weight of a golf cart too.

[fastcarsspeed]

A friend of mine did that with his cart and huge lift. he ended up making plugs for the roof supports so he could just take the roof off and slide it to the side in the garage. I have looked at the idea of setting my roof up like an ezup tent so I can just raise and lower whenever I want. I have a side load garage and only 6' high clearance getting in.

Originally Posted by Outlawcart

I have a toy hauler with a 10 foot enclosed garage area in the rear. The problem I see with that is the cart roof.

The hauler ceiling is about 12 foot tall but about 3/4 of the garage area has an enclosed lowered portion where a bunk is above it.

My problem would be solved if I can make a roof support for the cart that allows me to lower it like an ez up post with the pins. Anyone ever done that?

Sorry to thread jack toys...nice looking set up you have there.

[2manytoyz]

Originally Posted by Pitbull Joe

Looks like loading/unloading goes smoothly. I was thinking about getting a set of ramps for when I want to travel with the cart. I was concerned if ramps would be too steep for loading since my truck is lifted about 10". Also, how wide of a tire will the ramps accommodate?

Here's where I bought my ramps:

http://www.longramps.com/golfcartramps.html

These are 15" wide. I bought the 9.5' ramps. Intended for trucks with up to a 4" lift.

They also sell 11' ramps, for vehicles with more than a 4" lift.

You might want to measure the height of the bed of your truck, then contact the company to see if their longest set will work with your setup.

Though these are expensive, at no point do I feel like I'm pushing my luck driving up/down the ramps. They don't flex at all, but the truck does move some. Just be SURE to attach safety straps on each ramp, to the frame of the truck. Prevents a ramp from kicking out from under the cart.

[Springbok]

I just use some 2x8s and some bolt-on aluminum ramp attachments for my cart (standard series in the pic below). I only load/unload in grass, so I haven't bought the bottom attachments yet. The ramps stay in place with no issue during loading/unloading. I must have loaded/unloaded my cart at least 50 times this year already. Works great! Total cost of about $60. Here's my loading vid:

Loading the Golf Cart Into the Truck - YouTube

Loading the Golf Cart Into the Truck - YouTube

[Outlawcart]

I'd love to see if anyone has pictures doing something with an adjustable or quick remove option for the roof.