"Newbie" - Rear Folding Seat ????????

[mikesmotortoys]

Buggies sells c r a p. That is the wrong place to find the "best" seat as you originally posted. Check our website

[Meat Man]

Originally Posted by 4vertical

there are going to be a LOT of opinions on this. i personally like the all aluminum(lighter weight, no rust) unit i have. it is from m&m manufacturing. it is very solid. i have the one with a folding footrest option as well. i have loaded far more firewood than i should have and it still works just fine.

some things to consider when looking at them as price varies greatly. i have seen some that look to be made of wood for the cargo area. i wouldn't think those are going to last very long? also look at the size of the seat itself. i have seen some that my fat a$$ is not even going to fit in much less be comfortable back there.

i had to order the struts with it.

hope this helps a bit?

this picture shows mine folded to a cargo position.

Where did you get the long top that covers the rear seat area ?

[Radicalgolfcarts]

M&M makes the best aluminum seat out there!! For steel there are a hundred dirrerent companies that make them. For around $350 you will get a good steel seat and for $450 and up you will get a good aluminum seat.

[bdmonist]

Originally Posted by mikesmotortoys

1 - All Factory kits are steel - There's got to be a reason for that.
2 - Most aluminum kits I see in the shop are usually bent / twisted out of shape from normal use.
3 - Aluminum is not as strong as steel when you're dealing with flat bar and angle iron.
4 - I haven't seen an aluminum kit to date that will change my mind...

Mike - New to carts here as well, but from an engineering perspective I would disagree with you.

1 - I would guess they come with steel come from factory because it is cheaper, but that's just a guess.

2 - Are the aluminum kits you have seen built to the same standard as the steel kits you are comparing them to? i.e. - Are they designed to withstand the same forces? Or are they just the same thicknesses? If they are the same thicknesses then they certainly wouldn't handle the abuse compared to the same size steel.

3 - Aluminum is stronger than steel based on weight/strength ratios. Since weight is a big factor in our carts, I would think aluminum would win here. However, you can't compare 1/8 steel bar with 1/8 aluminum bar and expect them to compare the same. Steel's modulus is greater than steel, so it's generally stronger size for size. But if you have two systems designed to same standard (i.e. both designed for 1000 lbs let's say), then the aluminum will generally be lighter than steel.

And if steel is so much better, then why do they make the CC frames out of aluminum? I would guess that it's because the weight required to handle the loads are much lighter using aluminum vs steel along with the corrosion advantages.

You certainly have much more experience with the carts/seats etc than I do and I have no idea how back seat frames have been designed. If all back seats are designed to the same dimension whether steel or aluminum, then the steel should out perform as you have experienced. But if the aluminum is designed to withstand the loads, I think it would be the better choice.

Brian

[GLEEMO]

Hey smogdog where are U located ? mighr help if you have a Golf Cart shop near
U , the shipping on these is $$, the better the quality the more the shipping !

[JRay]

I have had 4 different rear seats, 3 steel ones and they were the cheap ones, now have an M&M aluminum rear seat. Nice seat, you get what you pay for.

[4vertical]

Meat Man, extended tops can be had at any golf cart dealer. they are really espensive to ship, so they buy them in bulk as they have to be trucked.

-Aaron

[Smokedog]

Originally Posted by bdmonist

Mike - New to carts here as well, but from an engineering perspective I would disagree with you.

1 - I would guess they come with steel come from factory because it is cheaper, but that's just a guess.

2 - Are the aluminum kits you have seen built to the same standard as the steel kits you are comparing them to? i.e. - Are they designed to withstand the same forces? Or are they just the same thicknesses? If they are the same thicknesses then they certainly wouldn't handle the abuse compared to the same size steel.

3 - Aluminum is stronger than steel based on weight/strength ratios. Since weight is a big factor in our carts, I would think aluminum would win here. However, you can't compare 1/8 steel bar with 1/8 aluminum bar and expect them to compare the same. Steel's modulus is greater than steel, so it's generally stronger size for size. But if you have two systems designed to same standard (i.e. both designed for 1000 lbs let's say), then the aluminum will generally be lighter than steel.

And if steel is so much better, then why do they make the CC frames out of aluminum? I would guess that it's because the weight required to handle the loads are much lighter using aluminum vs steel along with the corrosion advantages.

You certainly have much more experience with the carts/seats etc than I do and I have no idea how back seat frames have been designed. If all back seats are designed to the same dimension whether steel or aluminum, then the steel should out perform as you have experienced. But if the aluminum is designed to withstand the loads, I think it would be the better choice.

Brian

Can anyone confirm whether or not the aluminum frames are designed to handle the loads as compared to steel? Based on this post it seems that due to weight loads, which will drain batteries faster, that aluminum would be better if and only if it has been designed properly.

Not looking for an opinion here but rather specs on thickness and design of aluminum compared to steel and would be outstanding if someone posted a link or two.

Thanks Guys

[Smokedog]

Here are two seats with aluminum frames and both are $459.00. Looks like I see an additional support bar from the foot rest to the safety handle. This might be the ticket!

http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-235...ard-white.aspx

http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-592...und-white.aspx

[mikesmotortoys]

These are very strong and good quality flip seats...

https://www.onlinecatalogsystem.net/...Toys/17699.htm

https://www.onlinecatalogsystem.net/...Toys/17700.htm