Golf Carts

Golf Carts History

Electric golf carts have been used since at least 1951. Merle Williams of Long Beach, California was an early innovator of the electric golf cart. He started with knowledge gained from production of electric cars due to World War II gasoline rationing. In 1951 his Marketeer Company began production of an electric golf car in Redlands, California. Cushman began production in 1955, Club Car in 1958, Taylor-Dunn in 1961, Harley-Davidson in 1963 and CT&T in 2002.

Cushman Golf Cart History

Cushman is a name well known in the industry and the history of Cushman golf carts begins with the ever so popular three wheel gas trikes used by Meter Maids.

You may recall them. These are the little vehicles that used to follow tardy shoppers around and hand out nasty parking tickets. They were powered by a four cycle 2 cylinder engine.

But Cushman was also known for their three wheel golf car known as the 735. It originated with the same four cycle 2 cylinder engine but later became powered by the 4 cycle 8 or 10 hp engine. They also offered a 36 volt electric golf cart which had a GE electric motor.

In 1975 the last Cushman golf cart hit the market. After that they focused their energy on other types of utility vehicles that were designed to carry loads and be used for turf care.

Ransomes of England then purchased the company. In 1998 the company was then bought by Textron Corp which is the parent company to Jacobson Turf Equipment and EZ Go Golf cars.

In the Cushman combo the rear seal would flip one way so that you could carry your golf bag or you can carry two extra passengers that face backwards.

The combo came with all kinds of accessories which included turn signals, lights, long top, windshield, and brake lights.

Today there is a full line of Cushman Golf Carts:

Bellhop 2
Has a 48 volt electric motor with a 1200 pound load capacity and a cargo deck that measures 48 inches by 68.5 inches. It holds two passengers and does up to 15 mph.

It is also available with an 11 hp 4 cycle 350 cc twin cylinder gas engine with a 1200 pound load capacity and 15 mph speed limit.

Both models have a welded tubular steel chassis with rack and pinion steering. It has electric brakes, mechanical drum breaks on the rear, hydraulic disks on the front. It comes with multiple leaf springs, and a padded seat.

You can choose some accessory packages which include headlights, taillights, brake lights, a windshield, a top, hub caps, and turn signals.

There is also the Bellhop 4 and Bellhop 6. The primary difference is body styling. Both have the same electric or gas engine as the Bellhop 2. Then there is the Shuttle 2+2 line. The 2+2 comes with a 36 volt electric motor and a 800 pound payload with speeds around 14 mph. It seats 4 and has a larger body than the Bellhop series.

The gasoline model is a 4 cylinder 9 hp 295 twin cylinder engine with an 800 pound load capacity and a top speed of 14 mph.

It has rack and pinion steering on a welded tubular steel chassis. It has adjustable mechanical drum brakes and padded seats all as standard equipment. Options include hub caps, a top, a windshield, wheel covers, and turn signals.

Parts and accessories are readily available online for the earliest models to current models. Cushman golf carts have been around a long time and have come a long way from the Meter Maid trikes of early days..