Keeping a golf cart in proper working order requires you to make sure that it doesn’t suffer from any type of frame damage or other issues that may make it act inappropriately as it rides.
As a result, it is important for you to fully understand the type of damage that may cause this problem to occur.
We’re going to give you an insight into this issue from all three cart manufacturers Club Car, EZGO, and Yamaha.
You will get a basic idea of how to repair them in a way that keeps your golf cart running smoothly and efficiently for years to come.
Reasons Why Golf Carts May Lean
A strong and reliable golf cart shouldn’t start to lean that soon into its lifespan – in some instances, it may never lean at all.
However, there are issues that may cause a lean to your golf cart, concerns that can be quite complex to understand and very frustrating to manage.
Getting a quick glimpse into these issues should make it easier for you to find a solution for problems that may plague your carts for years.
For example, a leaning golf cart may have a bent spring or a cracked frame that causes it to tilt.
These springs are commonly thought of as the shocks and must be kept in good shape to avoid any troubles.
What may cause the cart’s springs or frame to go out in this way?
The most common influence is when one person rides on a cart more often than two.
This situation causes pressure on the springs that is unbalanced and which triggers wear and tear that may make the springs fail more quickly.
This lean should be very obvious and pronounced and is something you should see without difficulty.
Beyond that, springs may just wear down over time and cause the cart to lean.
Similarly, the frame may break down for similar reasons and leave your cart leaning uncontrollably in one direction.
Repairing the frame in this situation is something that you should only allow professionals to do because they fully understand the challenges inherent here.
However, some repairs may be possible on your own.
Other problems that may cause your cart to lean include uneven tire pressure because this causes an unbalance that may make it sag a little.
Thankfully, this problem is fairly easy to fix without any challenge.
However, rusty frames and other types of damage may also occur that put a lot of pressure on your frame and cause it to lean.
We’ll break down the most common issues that you’re likely to experience with your cart in the following section to give you a better idea of what to expect in this situation.
By fully understanding these concerns you can get your cart running smoothly and keep it from leaning as it rides.
Don’t forget that these repairs are things that may take professional repair to do properly.
How to Fix a Leaning Golf Cart
Fixing EZGO Carts
The design of your EZGO golf cart should be simple and streamlined – that’s one of the things that separates them from other models on the market.
They are designed to be fairly easy to work on and have very basic designs that are still strong.
This makes it easier for cart owners like you to gauge what is happening with a cart and inspect it to ensure that you repair it properly.
You can handle many of these fixes on your own and without the help of a repair expert.
However, there are many situations in which you may want to reach out to a professional.
If you are uncertain of your skills and aren’t knowledgeable about cart repair, do not perform the steps below.
But if you feel like you can handle them, they are outlined below for your easy access:
- Start by checking the springs underneath of your leaning seat
- Inspect each of the springs for damage and test their flexibility by pushing the seat up and down
- Carefully remove the damaged springs using a screwdriver and add a new spring to keep them in place
- Check the rest of the shock absorbers on your cart to ensure that they are properly in shape
- Replace the shock absorbers, as needed, if your cart is suffering from any other issues
- Look for the leak springs along the side of the cart seat and check them for damage
- Remove these from your cart if they are damaged and causing a lean
- Inspect the underside of your cart for any rust or structural frame damage
- Break away any rust that may be on your cart’s underbelly and repair the damage with new parts
- Replace all rusted and corroded parts with new ones to keep your cart strong
- Check your tire pressure to make sure that it is high enough for your cart
- Add air to the tires, as needed, to see if this fixes the lean for you
The moment you run into any difficulties with this process, reach out to a professional for help.
For example, you may not feel good enough to remove the shock absorbers properly.
Though this step isn’t that challenging if you know where to take out the absorbers and how to put them back into the cart, don’t perform it if you at all feel like you can’t handle it effectively.
Likewise, make sure that you talk to appropriate repair experts before you take any of these steps.
By this we mean that you seek out EZGO repair experts only.
You want to make sure that you match your cart model with the proper manufacturer.
If you do not, there’s a good chance that your repair work could be a failure and that your cart could end up needing new fixes again anyway.
Repairing Yahama Cart Models
Yamaha golf carts are designed to be as strong as possible in a myriad of unique situations.
Though they may not have the bells and whistles over other options, they are more than strong enough to last for decades.
As a result, a leaning Yamaha cart is a concern because there are many different things that may be triggering this frustrating and persistent issue with your cart.
Therefore, you need to follow the steps outlined below to ensure that you get your cart riding smoothly again.
You’ll notice that quite a few of these steps are similar to that of the EZGO and Club Car models.
That’s because the basic reasons for a lean are similar.
However, there are some differences that must be taken into account.
So make sure to follow these steps, if you feel comfortable, to fix your leaning cart problem:
- Start by checking your tires for air and refilling them as needed
- Watch the back of your cart as you refill the tires to see if it rises enough for your needs
- Ride the cart for a few moments to get a feel for whether or not it still has a lean
- Check under the leaning side of your cart for a retainer, a small device that helps to keep a balance
- When you find the retainer, replace it if it is broken – if not, move on to further steps in this process
- Take your shock absorbers out and swap them from the front to the back of your cart
- Watch the way your cart reacts – if it leans in a different direction, the absorbers are to blame
- Take out these old absorbers and replace them with appropriate all-new models for your cart
- Look out for the suspension tab beneath the frame and carefully remove and replace it if it is bent
- Remove any springs that may be hanging beneath your cart and which appear damaged
- Check your cart at this point to see if it still has a lean – if it does, keep going through these steps
- Inspect the underbody for any signs of obvious physical frame damage, such as rust and corrosion
- Remove rusted parts and replace them with new ones to avoid serious leaning issues
- Add extra parts to the cart – such as new panes – if these are rusted and to keep your cart straight
- Test your cart again to see how well it runs – if it still leans, you have a more persistent problem on your hands here
When these steps don’t fix your cart problems with a Yamaha, you likely have more persistent issues that are going to be challenging to fix without professional help.
That’s because these concerns are often caused by more difficult structural damage in your cart that may be harder to pinpoint and eliminate.
Therefore, it is important to reach out to an expert in this situation to ensure that you pinpoint the precise issues with your cart.
Fixing a Club Car
Lastly, let’s take a look at the steps that you need to take when you’re repairing a Club Car lean.
As these carts are generally among the strongest and most reliable on the market, it is rare that these types of leaning issues occur.
However, there are times when your cart may suffer from a distinct lilt that gets worse and which requires the use of a variety of different repair methods to properly manage.
Most of the time, those who own the G1 cart are going to run into these issues.
For whatever reason, leans in this cart model are more common than in other types of Club Car models.
However, these leans can happen in other models as well.
And when it does, you need to fix up the cart as soon as possible to ensure that nothing causes more damage to its structure.
The steps that you need to take here may seem similar but have enough differences to make it necessary to include them here.
Make sure to follow these steps in order to get the best results for your Club Car golf cart:
- Check the angle of your cart’s leans to see where it is at its most pronounced
- Fill up the tires on the side where the cart leans, if this is possible, to lift your cart
- Inspect the coil springs on the suspension system, as they commonly break on Club Car models
- Remove any that are broken or rusted on the side of your cart’s lean
- Check for any collapsed springs over the shock absorbers and replace these, as needed
- Use a ruler to measure the length of your collapsed springs – if longer on one side, replace
- Inspect the shock absorbers for any problems, such as leaking fluid beneath your cart
- Patch up the shock absorbers, if possible, and refill with the appropriate fluid as needed
- Replace the shock absorbers if the leak is too persistent or other problems occur
- Look for any frame problems that may be causing a lack of support on one side of your cart
- Replace any rusty or corroded parts on the cart to ensure it is in proper working order
- Add new support elements to your cart if is leaning, such as bolts and screws to important rods
Although these steps are not too complex to handle for many cart owners, they are often something that may be better for a mechanic to do.
That’s because Club Car carts are often among the most specifically designed on the market and maybe very hard to fix if you are an amateur.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to do a few steps on your own.
However, we strongly suggest that you reach out to a mechanic if any of these steps seem outside your range of understanding.
This same advice holds for the other two manufacturers, as well, but is particularly important here.
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