june
2019
feature article
Thirdly, lift the seat and place the tow/run
switch in the “tow” position. On most E-Z-GO
models these are located on the black con-
troller cover located under the seat on the
passenger’s side of the golf cart.
On the older Club cars, the tow/run switch
is located at the top of the battery com-
partment toward the front under the seat
and also at the top in the middle of the four
twelve volt batteries.
The later Precedents have the tow/run switch
located in the lower middle in the rear of the
battery compartment. If you are not sure if
your golf cart has a tow/run switch you need
to research and know whether you do or you
don’t. A good rule of thumb is if your FNR
switch is a rocker switch then more than like-
ly your golf cart has a tow/run switch.
Please note: failure to unhook the batteries
from the golf cart and failure to place the
tow/run switch in the “tow” position and plac-
ing the FNR switch in the neutral position can
and will lead to catastrophic expenses!
The last customer who towed his golf cart
out of the woods without doing these critical
things ended up buying a new motor and
controller as well as paying for the original
problem that caused the golf cart to break
down. We have a golf cart at our dealership
now that I know is going to need a controller,
power solenoid and a new motor. The motor
burnt to the point that it is locked up. Our
tech wasn’t too happy that he had to winch
the cart dragging it up on the trailer at the
customer’s house! It doesn’t roll.
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WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
Remember this concept when towing the golf
cart: the electric power motor becomes a
massive generator when it is spun on its own.
This current travels down the pipes (battery
cables) to a destination. When you unhook
the main battery cable connection and
place the shifters in neutral and the tow/run
switches in the tow mode you prevent this
current from damaging the electronics of the
golf cart. When you don’t separate the elec-
tronics of the golf cart the current generated
by the motor while towing destroys what’s in
its path.
With this in mind, what happens when you
spin the electric motor faster and faster?
The higher the armature rpms the hotter the
temperature of the motor. This extreme heat
melts the brush holder and them burns the
field coils and ultimately explodes the wind-
ings of the armature which in turn wipes out
the motor and eventually locks up.
How do I know? We have seen this multiple
times at our dealerships. Just as recent as
this week. The golf cart’s electrical system is
so burned that when I walked near the deliv-
ery trailer from picking it up the smell took
my breath away. There’s not much of the
worst smell than an electrical burn smell. This
is the reason that most golf cart manufac-
turers suggest not to exceed speeds of five
to eight miles per hour while towing the golf
cart. Higher speeds produce higher motor
rpms which lead to devastating heat! I might
add the longer the distance you tow the golf
cart can lead to higher temperatures. If you
are not sure you can always do the touch test
on the motor. It is accessible from the bot-
tom of the golf cart.