Which suspension structure should a golf cart use?

1. Swingarm Suspension
Actual configuration: Front/rear single trailing arm + coil springs + shock absorbers, currently used by 60% of 4-6 seat carts in China.
Advantages → Application Value
– Minimalistic structure: The swingarm is constructed from a single steel plate or square tube, requiring minimal welding, reducing the vehicle’s bill of materials (BOM) cost by 120-150 yuan per axle.
– Fast maintenance: Two people can replace the entire swingarm assembly in 15 minutes at a turf work site, allowing scenic area fleets to perform their own repairs.
– Minimal wheel hop: A spring stiffness of 80-100 N/mm is sufficient, resulting in low shear force on the turf and less prone to “grass-scraping.”
Disadvantages → Application Impact
– Lowest comfort: Passengers will be unseated when going over speed bumps at 3-4 g; however, at 15 km/h, this is only an occasional jolt.
– Poor lateral stiffness: An 18° slope will cause the vehicle to roll 4-5°. Fortunately, due to the legal speed limit, the risk of rollover is still below 0.25 g.
With its minimal cost and sufficient functionality, it’s the ideal economical golf cart for transporting people and occasional cargo.