Utility or passenger?
Decide what the cart carries. A utility cart trades the rear seat for a bed and hauls tools, feed, turf material or luggage. A six-passenger cart hauls people. A fleet can be either, and large operations usually run both — utility carts for the grounds crew, six-seaters for guest transport.
| Utility cart | 6-passenger cart | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | 400 – 1,200 lb of cargo | 6 people |
| Bought by | Grounds, farm, warehouse, municipal | Resorts, campgrounds, communities |
| Typical duty | Full shift, stop-start | Continuous shuttle runs |
| Battery sizing | To the shift, not the mileage | To the route, with margin |
| Wear point | Rear suspension and bed | Brakes and tires |
How do you size the battery for commercial use?
Size to the duty cycle, not the advertised range. A grounds cart doing eight hours of stop-start work with a loaded bed uses far more energy than the mileage suggests, and a resort shuttle that runs from dawn to midnight needs to charge during the day. That second case is the strongest argument for lithium in any fleet: it charges in three to five hours and takes partial charges between runs without damage, where lead-acid is degraded by exactly that pattern.
The rule of thumb we use: single shift with an overnight charge, lead-acid is viable. Two shifts, or any mid-day charging, specify lithium. See the battery comparison for the cost arithmetic.
How many spares does a fleet need?
Plan on one spare cart per ten in service if downtime costs you revenue, and hold a spare charger, a set of brake shoes and a controller for the platform. Standardising on one model across the fleet is worth more than any individual feature: one parts inventory, one set of procedures, and any cart can be cannibalised for another.
Can you supply matched multiples?
Usually. Carts in stock across our locations are singles, so a matched fleet is normally sourced to order — we do that weekly. Give us the count, the seat or bed configuration, the battery chemistry and the delivery date and we will quote against current allocation. Browse what is on the floor now at fleet golf carts and utility golf carts.
How does commercial financing differ?
The retail 0% APR programme is for individual buyers. Businesses, resorts and municipalities generally go through Univest Capital or DLL Financial, both of which handle multi-unit purchases, leases and seasonal payment structures that the retail programme does not cover. See financing, and ask for commercial when you call.
What to specify, in order
- Duty cycle in hours per day, and whether there is a mid-day charging window. This sets the battery chemistry.
- Terrain and grades. This sets the motor and the tire.
- Payload or seat count. This sets the platform.
- Uptime tolerance. This sets the spares holding and whether you need a spare cart.
- Whether any cart leaves private property. If so it needs to be a street legal LSV.
Call 844-456-2228 and ask for commercial. Tell us the five things above and we will come back with a specification and a price for the whole order rather than a per-cart list price.