A golf cart is a valuable vehicle to own as it can be used for a variety of things.
However, plowing snow is not typically a golf cart feature that comes to mind for most golf cart owners.
If you live in a colder climate and your golf courses are covered in snow during the winter months, you may still be able to put your golf cart to some good use in the off-season.
The snowplow is a unique addition to a golf cart and will take a bit of knowledge and time to set up, but many golf cart owners are glad for everything a golf cart snowplow can offer.
Let’s take a look at whether a golf cart can plow snow and everything you need to know about it.
Can A Golf Cart Plow Snow?
A golf cart can plow snow.
Luckily, golf carts have enough power and force to be able to move snow and quickly clear your driveway.
The process of setting up a golf cart to be able to plow snow can be a bit involved.
You will have to work a bit to get these golf cart snowplow kits to function, but once you have your system in place, you should have no issues setting up and putting your plow away.
Golf cart snowplows can sometimes do a better job than a large truck snowplow simply because they can get into some smaller spaces.
For working in tighter driveways or down paths and walkways, the golf cart snowplow is a great choice.
The best thing about using the golf cart as a snowplow is that you already have the cart, so you may as well use it for as many different purposes as you can.
Golf carts can plow snow, but the most essential part of this process is ensuring that you have the right accessories and setup.
How To Set Up Your Golf Cart To Plow Snow
In order to properly be able to clear the snow from your driveway, you must have the right setup.
Of course, you are going to need a plow, but there are some other basics involved with this process that are very important to understand before you start plowing.
1. Gas Vs. Electric Golf Carts
A gas golf cart is typically known for having more power than an electric cart.
Gas powered golf carts are better at giving higher bursts of power when necessary, as opposed to an electric cart that keeps the power rather stable throughout the run time of the cart.
This is not to say that you can’t use an electric cart for snowplowing, but you may wear the battery down quite a bit faster.
For those who own electric carts, you are well aware of the time it takes to charge the battery back up.
This is why it is important to consider the alternative.
If you have a big snowstorm coming or you live in an area where it snows throughout the winter, you may want to think about getting a gas cart.
Of course, gas carts have their negatives as well, with always having to keep gas on hand and some increased maintenance, but power is undoubtedly one of their benefits.
Gas golf carts also typically do a good job of hauling, pulling, and pushing, and there tends to be quite a bit of that involved in plowing snow.
2. Tires
Tires for golf carts come in a variety of sizes and styles.
The tires that you have on your typical golf cart are probably not going to be the best choice for plowing snow.
Luckily, you can purchase some adaptations for these tires to make them better in the snow, or you can simply replace two of your back tires to give the golf cart the extra traction that is needed for plowing snow.
For light snow and taking care of just your home or a friend’s, the tires really don’t need to be changed out, but if you plan on turning your plowing into a business, you will want to consider another tire choice.
Remember that if the snow has brought a layer of ice along with it, the golf cart would have a hard time stopping and staying in control.
This can certainly get a bit dangerous.
Just because a golf cart can plow doesn’t necessarily mean it will handle itself all that well in the snow and ice.
Try to be aware of this while you are plowing, and you will end up with a much better finished product and less damage to your driveway and your golf cart.
3. Snowplow Size
The size of the snowplow you purchase typically will be a bit smaller than a snowplow on a truck would be.
Most of the snowplows for golf carts are around 48 to 50 inches.
This is a standard size for a smaller plow.
The great thing about the snowplow size being smaller like this is that it is also a bit lighter in weight.
The golf cart does not need the heavy weight of the plow to slow it down or weigh it down as it is working on clearing your driveway.
The snowplow size can get bigger if you have a stronger golf cart, UTV, or ATV that you want to use to help you with your plowing needs.
However, for smaller electric golf carts, it is important to limit the size of the plow that you are using.
4. Winch
To properly plow with a golf cart, you are going to need some type of a winch system.
When you purchase a plow for your cart, chances are it is not going to come with the winch.
You may get an adapter kit to use, but the winch will not be part of it.
If you are going to need to change the level of the snow that you plow, the winch is necessary.
A winch can be adjusted both up and down to clear off different areas of snow.
The winch allows the cart operator to move the plow up and down and get the driveway or walkway perfectly cleared off.
To install a winch on the cart, you are going to have to make some wiring and power adjustments.
For many golf cart owners, this is not going to be worth the effort.
There are likely local golf cart manufacturers and repair centers that will gladly help you install this on your cart, but you will need to be prepared for it to cost quite a bit of money.
What many golf cart owners will do is create their own winching system where they can pull the plow up and down using a strap that is located near the driver’s seat in the golf cart.
This is typically going to be a handmade system that allows you to move the golf cart plow with a tie down strap.
There are plenty of videos in which you can see different golf cart owners who have perfected this strategy and saved themselves quite a bit of money.
Although with the snowplow kits for golf carts, you are still going to need the mounting kit and the push bars, you may be able to save yourself some money by not having to purchase the winch.
Certainly, the winch will add quite a bit of cost, and it will also increase the requirements of a specific cart as it is essential to get the cart to a point where it still puts out a large amount of power, even with the winch held in place.
5. Electric Cart Battery Issues
One of the most common questions that golf cart owners ask about golf cart snowplowing is about the issues that can come up related to the electric cart batteries.
Electric golf cart batteries are expensive, and they can be a bit fragile when it comes to certain situations.
One of those situations is the cold weather.
If your electric cart is left uncharged and sitting in your garage during freezing temperatures, the battery can freeze.
If this happens, the casing will crack, and your battery will no longer be useable.
Therefore, it really makes no sense to let this happen to your golf cart battery.
Luckily, there are things that you can do to ensure that you will be helping your golf cart battery to remain in good shape all year long.
The best thing to do is to make sure that, during the colder months, you are properly charging your battery.
If the battery is being charged or used, it does not have the same chance of freezing as it would if it were just sitting there.
So many people make the mistake of thinking they are done with their golf cart for the season, and they will simply put it in the garage and forget about it.
This can cause you to find a major mess when you are ready to use your cart again in the spring.
Don’t be worried about taking your electric golf cart out in the snow as long as you are not going to just leave it without it running or charging.
As long as the cart is being used and moved around, the battery should not have any issues.
In addition, although the snowplow may wear your battery down quickly and you will need to charge it, it’s a good thing that the battery is getting some use throughout the year.
Batteries tend to last a slightly longer time when they are not left for long periods of time.
6. ATV VS. Golf Cart Plow Kit
When looking for a golf cart snowplow, you will find that there are many options out there for ATV golf cart plows.
Many golf cart owners can get the ATV kits to work for a golf cart.
However, there will be some work that you need to do with the proper mounting bracket and to get things into place.
Overall, the golf cart snowplow kit is not a widely sold item, and you will probably have to pay quite a bit of money to get something that is custom-built and ready for your own golf cart.
Instead, piecing together the snowplow kit with products from a few different companies and some other options is going to be the best bet.
Overall, you can probably expect to spend $500 or more on the entire golf cart snowplow setup.
However, when you consider the cost of having your driveway plowed just once or twice, then you may realize that this is not that bad a price to pay.
Is A Golf Cart Snowplow Kit Worth It?
There are a few ways to determine if the golf cart snowplow kit is a good investment or not.
Let’s take a look at how you can decide if this is something that you should get involved in or not.
Golf cart snowplow kits can be well worth the money as long as you consider all aspects of the decision.
1. How Often To Use It
If you live in Florida, a golf snowplow kit is not worth the money.
However, when living in areas where there is quite a bit of snow, and you may need weekly plowing.
When you consider the hassle of shoveling or the cost of having a truck come and clear out the driveway, the snowplow on the cart will likely be well worth the price that you pay.
Try to think of how many times in a year that you have your driveway cleaned off and whether or not the snowplow will even be used all that much.
Of course, we have no way to predict the weather, but you should have a good idea of how often it snows in your general area.
2. Initial Setup Costs
The initial setup costs of a snowplow kit can be quite high.
The pricing is related to all of the different pieces that you need to add to the cart.
In addition, the installation costs can also be high.
However, to decide if the initial cost is worth it, you will need also to consider how often it will be used.
Although a kit may cost you $500 or more, you may be able to use it for the next ten years.
Purchasing a higher quality snowplow will ensure there is little rusting, and the plow will last for quite some time.
3. Potential To Make Money
Golf cart snowplows can make it easy for you to go from one area of your neighborhood to another, helping neighbors.
This is why you also have to consider whether or not you can use your golf cart snowplow to help you make a bit of extra money.
If this is the case, you may want to look into an excellent model with some easy-to-use features.
It could save you time and make your business run a bit smoother.
Overall, the potential to make money is a good motivation to get your golf cart set up before the first snowstorm of the year hits your neighborhood.
Chances are you can start an excellent little business for yourself using a vehicle you already own.
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