Sometimes you need to jack your golf cart up to complete some work.
There is a right way and many wrong ways to get this project done.
In our guide, we will help you learn how to jack a golf cart up the proper way.
Follow these steps carefully to make sure that you don’t put yourself or your golf cart in danger.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing this project yourself, then it is best to ask a golf cart professional.
How To Jack Up A Golf Cart (Step-by-Step Guide)
Step 1: Gather Supplies
To jack up a golf cart, there are a few supplies that you are going to need.
You want to make sure that you have everything in place before you start so that you don’t have to leave the golf cart unattended once you begin the process.
You will need . . .
- Jack
- Lift
- Chocks
- Supplies to complete work to the cart
Step 2: Engage Parking Brake
When you have gathered all of your supplies, the next few steps are going to be safety-related.
You will first have to put the cart in the park.
Make sure that you hear the parking brake fully engaged.
If the wheels are not locked before you start the process, you can risk injury to yourself and damage to your golf cart.
Step 3: Turn Golf Cart Power Off
There is no reason to have your golf cart powered up when you are jacking it up.
Turn the key to the off position and take the key out.
When you are finished, you can put the key back in place.
Step 4: Chock The Rear Wheels
If you are going to be working on the front part of your golf cart, you want to chock the rear wheels.
If you need to buy chocks, there are many options available in rubber and other materials.
You can also use a block of wood if you already have one around the shop.
If you skip this step, there is a high probability that the cart will start to roll when you start jacking it up.
If you are going to be working on the back end of your golf cart, you need to chock the front wheels.
Make sure you put chocks in front of both of the tires so that you are not putting too much pressure on the one tire.
Step 5: Locate Frame Rail Under The Golf Cart
Once you have the last few safety steps in place, you need to locate the frame rail under the golf cart.
You want to make sure you use this frame rail because using another area on the bottom of the cart could result in damage.
The frame rail is sturdy enough to handle the weight and the pressure that you are going to be applying.
Step 6: Slide Jack In and Slowly Jack Up The Cart
Next, you are going to slide your lift in under the cart, so you can start raising it.
The cart needs to be a few inches off the ground before you are going to be able to slide the jack in place.
When you first start lifting the golf cart, you want to do it very slowly.
Make sure that the cart is not moving at all, and it is staying firmly in place.
Slowly lift the cart high enough that you can put a jack stand in place under the cart.
Step 7: Put Jack Stand In Place
Now that the cart is lifted off the ground, you can put your jack stand in place.
When you put the jack stand in place, make sure to do it quickly and safely.
There is no reason for you to put your body underneath the golf cart.
Simply reach in, setup the jack stand, and then move back away.
Make sure the jack stand is set to the height that you want the golf cart to stay above the ground.
If you are doing something like changing a tire out on the cart, you only need to leave the cart lifted a few inches.
Jacking the cart higher than necessary is not going to do the golf cart any good.
If there were some type of accident, the damage would be much more significant.
Step 8: Slowly lower the lift
Now that your jack stand is in place, you can slowly lower the lift.
When you lower the lift, it will transfer the weight of the back (or front) end up the cart onto the jack.
If you do this quickly and something was not in place properly, you will end up dropping the entire cart.
It would be best if you lowered the cart onto the jack slowly.
Check to make sure that nothing has shifted or moved while you completed this process.
If everything seems stable and in place, you can remove the lift, and the golf cart will be resting on the jack.
When the golf cart is on a jack, make sure that you don’t add any extra weight to the cart.
In other words, make sure that nobody leans on or tries to sit in the golf cart while it is above the ground.
It is best to work with the tires and wheels when the cart is lifted and save the work under the golf cart for the professionals.
Step 9: Adjust and Move To Another Tire
If you were replacing a tire or all the tires on your cart, you would likely need to adjust the jack and move it to other areas.
Although you can raise the entire cart at one time, you would need four jack stands, and it just really does not make sense to do it this way.
You can work on one tire at a time and move the jack accordingly.
Always remember that each time you lift and lower the golf cart, you need to do it slowly.
Think about the weight transfer that will occur and the fact that you need to let that happen slowly to avoid damage.
When you are finished with all of the work on your cart, you will use your lift to help you remove the jack and lower the cart.
When your cart is sitting on the ground again, you can remove the chocks that you had in place and power your cart back up.
Video example of how to jack up a golf cart
Why Does A Golf Cart Neet to Be Jacked Up At Times?
The most common reason to jack up a golf cart is to replace a tire on the cart.
Golf cart tires need to be replaced relatively often.
You cannot replace a golf cart tire unless you can jack up a golf cart.
Some local shops will replace golf cart tires for you, but the process is not all that hard.
If you have a jack and lift, you can do this project in your garage and save quite a bit of money.
Important Safety Steps When Jacking Up A Golf Cart?
We covered some of the most important safety steps when jacking up a golf cart in our initial step by step guide.
You need to take into consideration that a golf cart on a jack is not going to be nearly as stable as it is when it is on the ground.
Don’t let children or pets play around the cart when you have it jacked up.
Another essential thing to remember and consider is where you place the jack.
If you don’t put the jack on a sturdy part of the golf cart that can handle it, you could cause some significant damage to your cart.
Before you start this process, research the golf cart type that you have and see what the undercarriage looks like.
Make sure that you have a safe place you can put the jack that will be sturdy while you work on the cart.
If you are changing the tires on the cart, you may notice that the cart will rock or move a little while on the jack.
This is not ideal, but as long as you don’t see the cart slipping at all off the jack, then it should be safe.
Try to always keep the cart at the minimum height needed to complete the task at hand.
There is no reason to raise it more than necessary.
Is It Bad For A Cart To Be Jacked Up?
We certainly don’t recommend leaving a golf cart jacked up for long periods, but it is not bad for a cart to be jacked up.
Just as your car gest jacked up when you bring it to the mechanic, sometimes there is work that needs to be done to a cart that requires this to happen.
As long as you follow the correct procedures and complete every step with caution, you should have no trouble.
When you start lifting and lowering too fast or install the jack in the wrong place, this is where you will run into issues.
Difference Between Jacking Up A Golf Cart and Lifting A Golf Cart
If you have never seen a lifted golf cart, it is essentially a golf cart that is lifted off the ground, so it has better clearance when you are driving it.
Lifted golf carts are great for off-roading or for people that just like a higher ride.
Some people do a lot of riding on roads, and they like the lifted carts because they feel it makes them closer to the size of the cars around them.
Lifting a golf cart requires a lift kit and special tires for your golf cart.
Some people refer to this cart as being jacked up, but this is called lifted.
Jacking up a golf cart refers to raising it off the ground so that there is room to work on the golf cart.
Although these two terms get mixed up at times, the two processes are quite different.
Conclusion
Learning how to jack up a golf cart the right way could help save you a lot of money.
Golf carts are not all that difficult to work on, but of course, bringing them to a local golf cart repair shop is going to add up.
If you already own a jack and a lift for your car, you are that much closer to getting this job done with ease.
The most important thing to remember when working on your golf cart is safety.
Make sure that the parking brake is engaged, and you have the chocks in place before you start on any of the other steps.
This is a standard procedure, and if you go to a local golf cart shop, you will notice that all of the carts being worked on are secured like this.
It may take an extra minute or two, but it is certainly worth it in the long run if you avoid injury and damage to your golf cart.
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