How To Fix a Flat Tire On Your Golf Cart
Nothing throws a wrench in your plans like a flat tire. Just like any other type of vehicle, golf carts are vulnerable to the occasional flat. Maybe you hit a nail just right or you went over an obstacle a little too hard; either way, you’re now on the hook to fix that tire if you want to use your golf cart for anything more than an inordinately large paperweight. You can bring your cart to a shop, certainly, but the truth is that this is a very easy fix you can do at home with the right tools and knowledge.
Dever Golf Car Sales, with locations in Lexington and Louisville, is your Kentucky golf cart dealer. As such, we’ve provided you with this convenient, quick and easy guide to fixing flat tires on your golf cart so that you can resume riding faster.
1. Get Your Supplies Together
Before you start this task, it’s helpful to get together all the tools and supplies you’ll need to fix your flat tire. Some of these items can come in one flat-tire repair kit from a manufacturer, which will have pliers, a nozzle, a rasp, a plug gun with plugs, a retractable razor and a probing tool to let you repair the hole in a tire without replacing the whole thing.
However, if you know you’re going to need to replace your whole tire, you’ll have to get a ratchet wrench and a replacement tire. A floor jack that fits your golf cart will help you to raise up the vehicle so you can swap out the tires and an air compressor lets you inflate your new tire quickly and easily without having to haul your cart anywhere.
2. Be Safe
It’s always wise to follow good safety practices when performing maintenance on your golf cart. Here are some tips we recommend that you follow for best results:
- Wear protective work gloves, closed-toe footwear, an apron and goggles.
- Double-check that the golf cart’s ignition is off and the parking brake has been set.
- Only do this task in well-lit and airy conditions.
- Never place any part of your body under your golf cart while it is mounted on the jack.
3. Get The Jack Into Position
Your golf cart should be on a flat, even surface before you place the jack underneath the axle. Do not put the jack under the cart’s body as this could damage it.
4. Take Off Lug Nuts
Next, remove your wheel cover so that you can use a socket wrench to loosen the wheel’s lug nuts. You’ll then need to lift up the cart so that the tire is just above the ground before removing the nuts and putting them in a jar or some other receptacle.
5a. To Replace: Put On New Tire
Now you’ll need to place your new tire onto the spokes before you twist the lug nuts back on, one at a time. Lower your jack until there is enough pressure to keep the tire in place before you tighten the lug nuts. You can then lower the cart completely to the ground before removing the jack and putting the wheel cover back on.
5b. To Repair: Plug The Hole
If you’re just repairing your tire, this will take some more effort. Remove obstructions from the hole with pliers and use the probe tool to clean it out. You can ream the hole with your rasp so that the plug fits perfectly into it. Take off your nozzle adapter and push the plug head into the barrel before reattaching the nozzle and pushing it into the hole in your tire.
To insert the plug, crank the handle, leaving a finger’s width of space on your plunger so that you’ll have a little bit of the stem of the plug sticking out from the flat surface of the tire. Release the crank and do the whole process again before removing the plug gun.
Set the plunger in with your pliers by pulling it a bit and pushing it in. Cut the stem of the plug right at tread level with your razor to keep it from sticking out. Then, replace your wheel cover.
6. Fill Up Your Tire
Now you can air up your tire and make sure that all your golf cart’s tires are aired up to the correct psi levels, which are usually between 15 and 25 psi. Consult your owner’s manual if you’re not sure.
Remember: if you need some professional assistance in maintaining your golf cart or finding parts for it, you can always get in touch with the Dever Golf Car Sales parts & service department. Our team of professional mechanics will be more than happy to assist you however we can. Seeking to buy a new golf cart instead? Browse our website to take a look at our fine selection of new and used golf carts for sale at our two Kentucky locations. Dever Golf Car Sales proudly serves the cities of Lexington and Louisville, KY.