[La lamy]

I'm curious as to what golf cart models people may recommend for a Snowbird, leaving it in a very hot garage for many months. Is gas better than electric for leaving it idle and hot?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Here we go.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

Here we go.

What could possibly go wrong?

[JMintzer]

But to answer your question, it seems that the VAST majority of carts are gas powered, so one you extrapolate that to include both Frogs and Snowbirds. Hence, I would surmise that there isn't a problem with leaving a gas cart for long periods.

My only advice would be to get a battery tender (not a battery charger), that keeps the battery charged, rather than have to charge a dead battery, and adding a fuel additive like Stabil Fuel Stabilizer when you leave...

I've no experience with long term storage of an electric cart...

[tophcfa]

Batteries wouldn’t do well sitting idle all summer long in a hot garage. I would go with gas and be sure to store it for the season with a full tank of ethanol free gas. Remove the battery and put it in the house on a trickle charger and put jack stands under the cart to take weight off the tires so they don’t get flat spots. When you return, simply replace the battery and remove the jack stands and you should be good to go : )

[Bay Kid]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Batteries wouldn’t do well sitting idle all summer long in a hot garage. I would go with gas and be sure to store it for the season with a full tank of ethanol free gas. Remove the battery and put it in the house on a trickle charger and put jack stands under the cart to take weight off the tires so they don’t get flat spots. When you return, simply replace the battery and remove the jack stands and you should be good to go : )

Gas are so much easier to leave for long periods of time.

[La lamy]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

But to answer your question, it seems that the VAST majority of carts are gas powered, so one you extrapolate that to include both Frogs and Snowbirds. Hence, I would surmise that there isn't a problem with leaving a gas cart for long periods.

My only advice would be to get a battery tender (not a battery charger), that keeps the battery charged, rather than have to charge a dead battery, and adding a fuel additive like Stabil Fuel Stabilizer when you leave...

I've no experience with long term storage of an electric cart...

That's great advice, thanks!

[La lamy]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Batteries wouldn’t do well sitting idle all summer long in a hot garage. I would go with gas and be sure to store it for the season with a full tank of ethanol free gas. Remove the battery and put it in the house on a trickle charger and put jack stands under the cart to take weight off the tires so they don’t get flat spots. When you return, simply replace the battery and remove the jack stands and you should be good to go : )

Cool. Unplugging the battery and jacking would definitely be a learning curve, but I'm game! Thanks.

[MrFlorida]

Battery tender and gas additive would work.

[UpNorth]

For an electric cart with standard lead acid batteries, you would need to use a battery minder or just have someone come in and plug in your battery charger once a month to keep them as full as possible. With the newer and more expensive lithium-ion batteries, you can leave them at half charge for extended periods of time without re-charging. I believe they are more tolerant to hot garages as well.

[dadspet]

Speaking from yrs of experience, we were snow birds for about 10 yrs and would leave our battery Club car with a battery tender. We had no issues. Actually if I remember correctly we didn't use a battery tender for several of those yrs and still had no issue.

[Papa_lecki]

La Lamy - i have a ‘screw’ type thing on my battery - i unscrew it and the contacts dont touch each other - very easy. Villages Golf Cart installed it.

I ALWAYS fill the tank with ethanol free gas - i happen to add fuel stabilizer probably not necessary - but thats what i do.

[Michael G.]

Do the modern golf carts require ethanol free gas?
I know the reason for older 2-4 cycle engines using ethanol free gas,
but I would have thought that would have been corrected by now/

[La lamy]

Some great advice so far, thanks everyone.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

Do the modern golf carts require ethanol free gas?
I know the reason for older 2-4 cycle engines using ethanol free gas,
but I would have thought that would have been corrected by now/

It has nothing to do with the age of golf carts or the type of vehicle or engine. Ethanol does not store well regardless of the engine type. It absorbs water, and when it evaporates it leaves behind a gummy varnish like deposit that clogs up the fuel delivery system. Ethanol is not a problem for engines that are frequently used since it never has time to evaporate and leave behind the gummy deposits. However, if an engine is stored for long periods of time without use, the ethanol problems begin. A good quality marine grade fuel stabilizer will help prevent ethanol related issues, but nothing works better than simply using ethanol free gas.