Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

I need some suggestions and maybe some help in finding someone to do the work.

My sister recently moved to TV and immediately got a new Yamaha golf cart from the guys at Sumter Landing. Beautiful new cart. I was very envious. Fast forward to delivery date. Big new cart arrives and sister (I’d never thought of her as little, but I guess she is fairly short) tries to drive it. Unfortunately, she can’t reach the pedals, panics on a down ramp into a tunnel, and rolls the thing. (She’s okay.) :duck:

This is a Yamaha which does not have adjustable seats. I got some long bolts and some PVC pipe and pushed the seat back forward about 3 to 4 inches. This helps, but I’m not overly confident about the stability of the bolts and it looks tacky. :yikes:

Alternative solution is to put a pillow or cushion behind her. Simple, inexpensive, and likely do the job. However, this caused me to come up with another possibility. The cushion would likely be loose, frequently falling out of the cart, etc. Size could be an issue (sorry, it’s true, but this time I mean the size of the pillow), finding one that pushed her forward enough but not too far. And speaking of looking tacky! What about getting a piece of foam, cut it to the proper size to provide needed boost and comfort, cover it with a tarp-like material similar to the seat covers, and add Velcro straps to the back to attach it to the existing seat back. :hot: :2excited:

Does this sound viable? If so, how do I do it? I’m home-ec challenged, can’t sew at all. Where would I get the thick foam, a canvas like material to match the seats/sunbrella, the Velcro straps, and someone to do the sewing? Any ballpark estimate of what something like this would cost? :2cool:

Any other ideas to solve the basic problem, short of surgery for sis? :bow:

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

I'd talk to the guys she bought the cart from. They should have some suggestions and maybe even a cushion for that very problem.

If they don't, let me know and I'll talk to a friend of mine and see what he can suggest. The man is an absolute genius as problem solving things like this.

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

They sell a seat back extender (I'm not sure what to call it). It attaches to the seat back with some metal supports that go over the existing seats. It's vinyl covered and looks just like the cart seat. Granted, it's a little tacky looking, but it probably matches better than anything I could do home-made. It was fairly expensive at $75 or so, but maybe worth it. I saw it at the LSL golf cart store last year. My wife has the same problem. With her back against the seat she cannot reach the pedals comfortably, and she is fairly tall.

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

We got the seat back extender for my wife from TV Golf Cars and they had it covered to match the upholstery. The hooks over the back keep it from slipping and it looks really nice.

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

Muncle, There was a recent series on the boob tube called "Little people, Big World" or something like that. On the show, the family bought new cars and installed pedal extenders so they could reach the brake and gas pedals. I would think these extenders would be applicable to golf carts. One site on line is http://www.planetmobility.com/store/...ers/index.html. There are other sites resulting from a search of gas pedal extenders. Check them out.

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

My wife has same problem we bought some "firm" foam at Joannes. I think she is going to make a covering for it. Been using a pillow but it's not firm enough.

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

We have the same problem at our house...You can get pedal extenders from your dealer , or any golf cart supply store or order on line....
Now the custom pillow is another matter. I first tried a WHOOPIE CUSHION which wasn't bad until you got the speed bumps ....It was very embarrassing ....I finally used an old pillow we had that we brought from Michigan ( a family heirloom) which I tore the cover off so that I could match the pattern of the cart. Well that was impossible as I copied it from the WIZARD OF OZ. Now I really had a problem so I had a short beer and thought for awhile and come up with beige...now they match but why the hell does everything have to be beige.......
Good luck Muncle Vertically challenged Fumar

Re: Need help for golf cart modification for a short person
 

Thank you all for the input. Well, I did have great plans about designing my own jury-rigged cushion and creating the perfect solution to my sister's problems. I'm really outstanding with preliminary concepts, but tend to get bogged down with details. So, I took the advice of several of you and sent my sister back to the LSL cart dealer. She got a snap-on cushion that should do an adequate job.

Re using blocks or something on the pedals, we considered that, but the brake and parking brake are on the same pedal ~~ a hassle there. Don't know about the feasibility of any other type of pedal extenders.

And thanx for the idea, Fumar. I'll save the Whoopie Cushion idea for when our brother visits.