I am thinking about selling my 2013 ranger and getting a modified golf cart instead. Is this a bad move? I basically hunt 3 different properties each about 150 acres. I know I would not get the same power out of a golf cart but do I really need it? The only time I ever really need pulling power is when getting big logs out for firewood.

Looking for opinions on this.

They ride very rough, and battery maintenance is annoying

It's really cool what you can drive up on in an electric golf cart. That might be the one and only benefit.

It really is. We have 3 electric golf carts on our lease. It’s 3.5 miles to the back of the ranch and they get there and back no problem. Yes the suspension sucks but it’s worth it to me to get to stands quietly.

Our terrain is sand minimal hills no rocks.

Golf cart works well for us. They are quiet, but that said on a dead still morning they can be heard from quite a distance.

I have a 2013 Ranger and a 48v hunting buggy (upgraded golf cart). They both serve their purpose.

For doing work it's the Ranger. Yes I've also hunted with it plenty, but it's loud. I'll take the electric buggy any day over the Ranger for hunting, yes it's rough riding but it sure is quiet. You can also upgrade the power train on your golf cart if you need more torque for pulling stuff.

As long as steep hills and mud aren’t involved it should be fine.

It is until their there is a short on the post and you have a big boom under your seat, on a 21 degree evening and you are 4 miles back from camp and no cell.

I love fact you can literally drive up on deer, but you need to have appropriate roads for them. This one had an upgraded controller and motor and would easily do 20mph, in fact torque wise, you could almost wheelie it. It just wasnt made for enough roads though. Jaring takes its toll on aluminum welds and battery connections

That's why I bought the torquiest upgrade kit I could find for my electric buggy. Pig hunting at night, that wet black clay would plug up my tires adding weight. The regenerative braking system that comes stock with the cart could not handle the constant creeping and stopping while sneaking up on pigs in the farm country with the extra weight especially. The motor would get hot, overheat, and shut down leaving you sitting out there until it cooled off.....and almost caught on fire one night. Anyway, upgrading and doing away with the regen motor solves that problem. Way more torque, no more overheating, mud and hills no longer a problem.

Mine is far from stock but climbs steep hills no problem. I’ve only been stuck in mud once and so did the four wheel drive truck that tried to get to where I was stuck.

As everyone has stated they each have their purpose. I hunted with my upgraded Golf cart for several years only started having issues with wiring last year. It was able to get up some hills around Medina, Tx fully loaded with corn no issues. Hardest thing is keeping batteries charged if there’s no electricity on site. Purchased a ranger this summer haven’t hunted out of it but I enjoy the suspension compared to the golf cart just cruising around the ranch as well as additional seating.

My electric buggy is down right now, batteries died. I want to put lithium batteries in it, but good Lord they are expensive (looking at $5-6k for the ones that I want). Probably not going to go that route. Buggy will also be around 300lbs lighter with the lithium's, which may be a bad idea because you can pop wheelies with this power train upgrade with the heavy lead acid batteries in it. It may be pretty dangerous 300lbs lighter with my kids driving the buggy. Hit the accelerator too hard one time, and it may flip over backwards.

I will stay with the UTV.

This is the truth. I have three...Bad Boy Buggy, Pioneer, and Ranger. The gas buggies get all the work, and the suspension on the Bad Boy is rough. I'm also on my 3rd set of batteries in 5 years. If you don't have it plugged in all the time or can charge it consistently the batteries will only last about 2-3 years, at least for me. I typically leave mine at my property year-round in a container and the heat and cold kills the batteries. From now on I'm gonna keep it at home except November and December because I'm tired of spending $1600-$2k on it every 2-3 years.

That being said, it is awesome to sneak up on animals at night or during the day, and it is what I use to drive to and from the stand or hunting with thermal.

It’s got enough torque to pop the front tires up off the ground. Gets a little scary when you’re climbing uphill with the back seat dropped and loaded. Love the golf cart though. Considered getting rid of it but I enjoy it for checking things out when I’m not in a rush. Been fortunate with batteries only on my second set first set lasted 5 yrs could’ve prob kept them I thought they were going out, turned out to be a bad connection on the controller.

Yelp, torque makes even the HD 10 and Polaris 1000xp’s look weak.

Just wish they had a real suspension

I wouldn't do a Golf cart for the reasons Doc laid out as it pertains to batteries. If my Pioneer has sat for a few months and it has gas, it's good to go as far as the gas will carry it.

I do think the whole discussion around sound disturbing hunts is interesting, I personally think we make too much of it. We shoot hogs with deer standing next to them and most don't care about the gunshot. Guys drive to their blinds with road feeders and attract deer (yes there's corn, but it was noisy and had a vehicle involved when dropped). I've idled up to within 30-40 yards of many hogs in my Pioneer and shot them without ever getting out. Moon and wind have mattered alot more than vehicle noise. I just don't think the slight advantage silence has in cart outweighs the battery hassle.

Charlie

I'm a golfer, and I have had the electric and gas powered carts that I tried to dual purpose. I know own a 900 ranger crew. Golf carts are a terrible idea, as the ranger is 10x the machine unless you only drive on asphalt roads. Ranger has power when you need it, towing ability when you need it, reliability, much comfier ride, and are surprisingly quiet if you keep your foot out of the throttle.

I have a golf cart I had fixed up for hunting and I think I used it 3 times and I got stuck on the last trip and that was all I wanted of it. It rides like a brick, always concerned if the battery will get you back home and they will get stuck in a wet paper sack. Give me a Ranger all day every day.

The only advantage an electric golf cart has is quiet.
They ride smooth on golf courses.
If you must use one, get some good knobbies on back and it will go lotsa places it wasn't designed to go.
If you run it down and charge it every day, the batteries go south quickly even with good maintenance.

Flip side: Gas ain't getting any cheaper and California has outlawed small gasoline engines starting in 2024.
With that being said, California is a sewer and filling up fast but the feds are trying to outlaw vehicle maintenance/modifications and any recreational use of and/or racing of all types of internal combustion engines.
It's probably gonna suck.

Yep, put a lift and knobby tires on that cart and it's hard to get it stuck. Mine has only been stuck once after finding a sink hole, but popped it right out.

Standard lead acid batteries are a pain to maintain. AGM or lithium batteries are maintenance free and last longer. A battery indicator meter is easy to install so you can keep an eye on your available power.

Place I was on a few years ago, the deer were very skittish even with the normal use of a tail gate feeder. No one ever saw deer driving a truck, ATV, or UTV. Take my electric buggy out and you would see deer. It was super quiet on those sandy roads, and not ruff riding at all. I wouldn't use one in rocky country though, would beat you to death.

LOL, maybe for your purposes but certainly not everyone's. Mine works great for what I bought & fixed it up for. Depends on where you're at and what you're doing with it. Just another tool in the box. I've got a Ranger, a 4 wheeler, and an electric buggy. They all serve their purpose for me.

I have used an ez go trail hog since 2009 and have worked the heck out of it. Very little trouble with it besides regular battery maintenance. As said by many on here, it sure isn’t a smooth ride. It is broke down right now though. The left side leaf spring broke and I’m having a hard time finding one. If anyone has a 4 leaf spring on an old retired rig, give me a holler.

Different strokes for different folks.

and expensive when you replace them.....