Re. Battery Powered UTV's

[pruhdlr]

Will be picking up a UTV in the next couple of weeks. It will be used for slowly cruising miles of dirt roads both on private farms and in my hunting club. This,for moving between hunting areas and for calling coyotes and generally hunting hogs at night. I want the quietness of battery power. It has to get at least 20 miles on a charge.

So far I have narrowed it down to a Bad Boy Buggy and a American Sportworks,Land Master. This UTV will not see any heavy duty use off the trails and club roads,however 4WD will be a plus.

Does anyone have any experience with the battery powered(48V ok...72V better)carts ?? Any inputs will be appreciated. --- pruhdlr

 

[FrankT]

I just talked to the Club Car dealer about their new Utility vehicles The XRT 800 electric(have gas too), all decked out is $6500 and the best thing about it is it drives right in the bed of a full size truck. Might want to check it out. Easygo owns Bad Boy now, they are great but over priced. Just make sure there is a dealer to service and actually stocks part onsite.
just an example:
http://www.cunninghamgolfcar.com/p-18-xrt-800-gasoline-yard-and-utility-car.aspx

There is an 850, a larger unit too that I drove, these have a tight turning radius

 

[Ratdog68]

I've been reading about battery reconditioning/maint. This has sparked my interest, particularly the claims of keeping forklift battery packs going strong. Odd web-site URL though, given that it's an American Company.

http://www.chinadepot.com/batripod.html

 

[FrankT]

I have been following the rejuvenation and maintenance of batteries too, lots to read out there, sound like some real improvements. The Gel packs are good but cost double. If you have the $ to spend away, Easygo had got the dual system in the Bad Boy line that has a small motor which keeps your batteries charged, another one I believe had either gas or battery Stealth mode. A 48V system will run 35+ miles, that is a LONG way for me. A buddy of mine w a lease bigger than mine takes his in to charge once a week and has plenty left over each week.

 

[pruhdlr]

We have several Battery Source stores over here and they stated that they can ORDER a Bad Boy. They have in stock 15 or so EZ-GO carts of all designs,lifted and not. My two main concerns are the ability to climb hills and longevity of the batts power output.

The Land Master is 48V only and most of the BB's are 72V. Some of the BB's nowadays are 48V + a gas engine. To me that would be excessive maintenance. The BB dealer over here(Buggy Worx)has some 2013 BB's in stock however as you say.......they seem to be a bit --->a lot,overpriced. Beefy machine and tons of ground clearance though.

Wish I could do without the quietness of a batt rig. Some of the smaller gas units are fairly quiet. The LandMaster 300 and 400 have small 4 stroke engines and they are not very loud. Not very expensive either. Problem is ...... no 4WD. --- pruhdlr

 

[FrankT]

I used a Polaris Ranger 1 cyl gas at the lease this year, it is way to loud, they also stink and rattle. I had a huge boar hog quietly leave his bed and area when he heard me coming, the dirt was still warm and fluffy. I bet you can't get within 800yds w/o game knowing it. Needless to say I told the guy to remove it as I was not going to use , my truck is quieter creeping down the road. It was at that time I decided Electric was the only way to go and somehow I had to make that work.

 

[Hard_ware]

Been thinking about taking one of these

Yanking the motor and mounting electric motor on a platform made straight above the front tire , with a metal channel iron attached to the front tire axle on each side. This would put the weight on the tire not the frame, put a battery where the motor goes, swap the back tire with the sprocket to the front to make it a fwd. Redesign the handle bars a little to a more forward position to carry the rifle with not much width to fit down the corn rows With good torque fwd should be fine. All electric should be quiet. I want something that will run down the rows in the fields. Now all I need is time to make it happen.

 

[Ratdog68]

Been thinking about taking one of these

Yanking the motor and mounting electric motor on a platform made straight above the front tire , with a metal channel iron attached to the front tire axle on each side. This would put the weight on the tire not the frame, put a battery where the motor goes, swap the back tire with the sprocket to the front to make it a fwd. Redesign the handle bars a little to a more forward position to carry the rifle with not much width to fit down the corn rows With good torque fwd should be fine. All electric should be quiet. I want something that will run down the rows in the fields. Now all I need is time to make it happen.

Just make certain you keep enough weight over the drive wheel... especially when going UP hill. Enough weight transfer and you're spinnin' that front tire. NOT Zesty with the wrong mix. LOL

 

[pruhdlr]

Several problems ---> Guys that I have talked to re. the all batt carts is this......"shake,squeak,and rattle". Also the "crunch" of the gravel under the tires depending on what terrain you are rolling over. Using a motor driven machine you are not aware of these things.........moving along without the "putt,putt,putt" of a motor,these things come to the surface. BUT.....I would think that these "minor" sounds are actually quieter than the driver thinks they are.

ALSO......I have been told by real world users that the less gear(extras) that you have on a batt powered machine,the quieter it is. Gear like racks,brush guards,tops,windshields,seat belts,and stuff rattling around in the cup holders. I started talking to a guy at a Wal Mart parking lot about a week ago. He had a batt powered Bad Boy Buggy on a trailer and was heading to his lease. He offered to let me try the machine if I would follow him to his lease,which I did. His machine was void of most equipment and it was fairly quiet,however NOT what I expected. As far as db differences at various distances ...... unknown. I really don't want to get toooooo damned anal about this. Is a battery machine .....overall .....quieter than a motorized machine ...... DEFINITELY.

I will have a roof on my machine but will not have a windshield. I will be using thermal and I want to be able to shoot from the seated position. I will have a rear storage compartment. I really don't care if it dumps or not.(no dump ='s mo bedda) I will have rifle racks that can be accessed from either side of the bench seat. The machine will not have "daytime running lights". I will make a cover for the rear stop lights or disable them. I will have a smallish red led array of lights mounted low in the front of the machine. This,to light the way down the dirt roads at very slow speeds. And most likely a 2" rcvr in back and in the front of the machine. This,along with a cheap 1500lb winch from Harbor Freight.

What have I forgot .........besides a dead hog in the back ?? --- pruhdlr

 

[Hard_ware]

I think you have a plan, now make it happen

 

[FrankT]

You need a hitch haul to plug into a 2" receiver to put the animals on the bed is too high to lift it up on. Remember an electric is meant to be driven all the time at full speed(there are different controllers and or programs) if for instance you creep along at 3-5mph and it is a 15mph machine it will overheat the motor and eventually burn it up...this come from a mechanic. There is NO quiet gas machine and they all will stink w fuel smell

 

[pruhdlr]

Both the Land Master and the BBB that I am considering have a dual mode switch. What this switch does is unknown to me,however I feel that is akin to a "low range". With the Land Master it is advertised as max of 10mph in M2 for a total distance of 38miles. In the "high range"(?)selection it will go 25mph+ IIRC.

I do not remember the speeds of the BBB. The dealer explained it to me and there is a selection on the dash...however...I do not see it anywhere on the website.

A hitch haul makes sense EXCEPT for the rattle. Possibly have one on the property that I could go back and get ......... ? --- pruhdlr

 

[FrankT]

Yeah just put the hitch haul $59 at Walmart under a shooting house and get it when you need it makes loading too easy. Also a couple of come-alongs works as well as a winch and less to break down.

The low range would work, he just said don't creep them as the motor will burn up or cause it to prematurely.

All I need it an electric golf cart for $2500-3500, they are silent and for what a new BB costs it leaves alot for repairs and improvements. I like the windshields that fold in the middle, a pad on that makes a perfect rifle rest. I found a 2006 BB classic 4x4 almost new condition for 5K, I felt that was too much.

 

[Ratdog68]

A guy could use some shims to keep a hitch haul quiet in the receiver (if needed).

 

[Ratdog68]

A guy could use some shims to keep a hitch haul quiet in the receiver (if needed).

 

[Ratdog68]

A guy could use some shims to keep a hitch haul quiet in the receiver (if needed).

 

[FrankT]

Got it...lol