Golf Cart Converted Into Solar Tender

Golf Cart Converted Into Solar Tender ENERGY Solar “I converted a golf cart into a solar-powered vegetable and plant tender ” says New York nurseryman Abram Schlabach “It’s so quiet and works so well that we can hold ‘business meetings’ while we do our cultural care work at a consistent speed It’s like working on an assembly line ” Now he and his two brothers can work in the shade while weeding staking pruning suckering and caring for young peach trees Schlabach got the idea for building the cart after seeing gas engine-powered equipment at other nurseries “I went to a local golf cart dealer and told him I wanted to buy a cart but only needed the rear axle motor battery and controls ” Schlabach says “I told him he could have the rest for parts so I think he gave me a good deal ” Schlabach built a frame to hold the solar panels out of 8-in by 2-in I-beams that he scavenged from an old mobile home Solar panels attach to a wood floor on the frame His total investment of just over $4 000 produced a cart that the nursery has used for 4 years running it all summer without the need for supplemental charging Schlabach says each of the eight solar panels produces 295 watts of power The outer panels fold down for easy transport The motor on the three-wheel tender drives a single 16 5 front wheel Steering is done by limiting switches and solenoids “The self-steering works well ” Schlabach says “I used a right-angle steering box and set it up to steer like an old tractor Ninety percent of the time it won’t need any correction ” The tender is geared to drive at 0 6 mph which Schlabach says is just right for most of the work on their 5-acre nursery “The rig isn’t designed for hills which is fine because our nursery is on flat land so climbing isn’t an issue A climbing tender would probably need two-wheel drive and a different self-steering system ” he adds The tender will carry up to 1 500 lbs and allows three to four people to work on four rows at a time while sitting or kneeling on mats The floor is only 4 in above the ground Schlabach’s father started the business in upstate New York near Lake Ontario 25 years ago Today the three sons run the business providing well-cared-for plants to nearby customers and occasionally even inventing interesting equipment Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Schlabach’s Nursery 2784 Murdock Rd Medina N Y 14103

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