What this checklist is for
Use this as a check before using your electric or gas powered golf car or PTV. Enter information on the screen, including the operator, fill out the form, and get back a pdf or csv file. It also shows which stations were checked - body/tires, battery/engine, safety devices, and operator controls/brakes. You mark each one with an OK, Defect, or N/A. Finally it has a list of defects and a signature from whoever signed off.
These are OEM (original equipment manufacturer) daily checks in line with their daily procedures. The Drive2 electric PTV manual and Drive2 EFI manual instruct the operator to remove the key and engage the parking brake. After that, it’s time to inspect the following: Chassis, Body, Reverse Alarm, Pedals, Steering, Tires, Batteries or Fuel. These is covered on both gas and electric Yamaha vehicles and listed in their published checklists.
The same goes for Club Car’s Onward model and its general maintenance checklist, which covers batteries, oil, tires, steering, parking brake, charger cables, and more. Visit E-Z-GO or Club Car manuals for your exact serial number to obtain a copy of the operator’s manual. This isn’t it.
What it is not
- It is not a highway vehicle inspection and not a CDL pre-trip. Gladhands, ABS lamps, and 4/32 inch steer tread do not belong here. Use the Vehicle Inspection Checklist or the Pre Trip Inspection Checklist for those jobs.
- It is not an LSV or NEV title, registration, or FMVSS 500 certification form. NHTSA’s 49 CFR 571.3 defines a low-speed vehicle as a 4-wheeled motor vehicle whose speed in one mile is more than 20 mph and not more than 25 mph, with GVWR under 3,000 pounds. FMVSS No. 500 then requires headlamps, turn signals, taillamps, stop lamps, reflex reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, VIN, seat belts at each designated seating position, rear visibility, and an alert sound. The June 17, 1998 final rule said NHTSA did not intend to regulate conventional golf cars whose maximum speed is 20 mph or lower. Seat-belt, windshield, and street-lamp rows on this walk are “if equipped.” They do not convert a golf-course car into an LSV.
- It is not a powered industrial truck daily exam by default. OSHA’s June 27, 2011 interpretation treats a golf car (ANSI/NGCMA Z130.1: a vehicle used to convey people and equipment to play golf on a golf course) as a recreational vehicle by design, exempt from 29 CFR 1910.178, even if someone later hauls freight in it. OSHA’s September 19, 2023 interpretation applies 1910.178 to vehicles designed as industrial personnel or burden carriers that carry, push, or pull material. If this unit is that industrial design, 1910.178(q)(7) requires an examination before it is placed in service, at least daily, and the truck must not go in service if the exam shows a condition that affects safety. Use the Forklift Inspection Checklist for a PIT, not this golf-car walk.
How to fill each block
This is the first section where you identify who’s driving what. You must identify the date, the operator’s name, the owner/fleet, the unit ID, serial number, make/model, powertrain type, and use.
Yamaha tells you to take the key out and apply the parking brake so the car cannot start or roll while you lift the seat. This ensures the vehicle will not be able to roll or start.” Only check this box if you’ve done it. Identify the powertrain (gas or electric) so the rows marked N/A in the following section make sense.
You then inspect the brakes and other operator controls. With the key OFF, the accelerator should slide freely and there should be no binding. The brake pedal is solid and returns to position. Parking brake locks positively in place.
Many Yamaha and comparable cars has an auto release parking brake that releases upon pressing the accelerator. It’s designed that way by the manufacturer, it’s not a defect. Some personal vehicles (lithium) do away with the foot latch for parking and use an automatic parking brake. Refer to your manual for instructions on yours.
To check the steering, move the wheel back and forth, up and down, and slightly left and right to see if there is too much play. A loose part or a rattle is a defect. Only shift into reverse while the vehicle is at a stop. Yamaha warns not to shift from forward to reverse while moving. A quick roll in an open space will confirm the steering doesn’t pull and the service brake stops the car. This follows the same idea as Club Car’s list: Drive and listen for anything out of sorts with steering and braking.
Next up is the battery or the engine. With an EV it’s the charge gauge of the vehicle itself. Each model has its own Yamaha PTV LED table. This isn’t some generic Pass/Fail on pack voltage written here. You inspect corrosion, terminal tightness, hold-downs. Flooded batteries should of have their caps on.
Care and watering of terminals are monthly according to Club Car’s electric page, not based on a daily voltage limit. According to Yamaha’s charger instructions, you visually and manually inspect the receptacle, plug and DC cord prior to charging every time. Look for overheated contacts, loose grips, cuts. Unplug the charger before driving. Yamaha’s FAQ mentions that the car won’t run if the car has a RUN/TOW switch and the switch is set to TOW.
For Yamaha gas vehicles, daily checks include fuel level, fuel-line leaks, engine oil (which should be between dipstick marks on level ground), and the 12-volt starting battery terminals and hold-down. For gas engines, Club Car maintenance also recommends a clean cooling-air intake and an oil check. Mark N/A on the powertrain you don’t have.
Then you check the body and tires. Check the cold tire pressure against what is listed on the tire or in the unit's original spec in the manual. The Yamaha Drive2 manuals we fetched show 22 psi for one PTV size and 16 psi for one gas tire size. Club Car’s tire matrix has different psi values by tire. Those are not universal Pass/Fail numbers. Yamaha Drive2 wear language is replace when tread is down to 1 mm (0.04 in). Other brands use the numbers in their specific manuals.
What varies
Look for embedded objects, cracks, cuts. Then you check the tightness of rivets, screws, nuts, and bolts. You also check for missing parts and inspect the body and chassis. Yamaha lists those as daily checks. Include the seat hinges and any bag well or cargo deck that is carrying a load.
Last, you check safety devices. To test the buzzer, you put the drive select in reverse. The alarm should sound, according to Yamaha. Electric PTV pre-op checks include the headlight, brake/tail lamps, and horn. A lot of golf-course cars has none of this. If the car was never built with it, you mark N/A.
FMVSS 500 LSV equipment includes seat belts, mirrors and windshield. On a golf-course car, these items are only required if they are installed. Safety and information decals should still be readable. A missing street-legal lamp on a 20 mph golf car is not treated as an LSV fail.
The final part, you note defects and sign off. What did you see? The manufacturer practice is to remove the unsafe unit from service for repair by a trained technician or dealer. Record the time and sign. By itself this sheet doesn’t alert anyone at a state agency or a course or even a mechanic.
These are the rows of powertrain and parking-brake designs. Lead-acid packs need hold-downs, caps, and a charger-cord look. Skip the watering with lithium packs. Automatic park brake is not the same test as a foot-latch parking brake. The millimeters of free play on Yamaha’s daily chart apply to that model family. Copying 50 to 55 mm on another make do not work.
After you finish
Federal LSV rules are not state street-use rules. That’s a worked example from Florida but is not national law. In Florida, both Florida Statutes s. 316.2122 and flhsmv tl-63 classify LSVs as titled, registered, and insured motor vehicles. These vehicles may be used on streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or lower. An LSV must have a VIN, belts and FMVSS 500-style lamps.
In that state, golf carts are another class of vehicle. They are neither registered nor titled under that process and their street use is subject to local designation. Other states write different rules regarding speed, equipment, insurance and neighborhood use. Where you operate, check your own SOS or DMV. The form is not a title for an LSV and does not permit its use on public roads.
OSHA’s design test means a golf car is not considered a golf-course car at the worksite under 1910.178. An industrial burden carrier that looks similar might be a PIT. Now it require operator training and the daily 1910.178(q)(7) exam, plus a remove-from-service rule.
You don’t assume 1910.178 doesn’t apply; you don’t assume it does. If you want a copy elsewhere on your device, you download one, all filled out as a PDF or CSV. If you want a blank copy to fill out by hand, you download one of those. Answers are stored here, just for this browser. Next person who visits gets a blank form.
Fill out the sheet and hand it to the person your household, fleet, or course names, such as the starter barn, mechanic, or owner. There is nothing about BenchTab that files anything anywhere, no state DMV, dealer, OSHA, NHTSA. If you discover something that makes the car unsafe to operate, don't send the car out until it's fixed. The form is at top of this story. Below the form are the blank printable PDF and a preview of page 1.
Not a substitute for the OEM or a licensed inspection
It’s a recordkeeping template. This is not a replacement for your make/model/serial number operator’s manual. It is not a replacement for the LSV title form. It is not a replacement for a licensed inspection (if required by state). This is not legal advice. It is not a replacement for following the manual in the car. No.
You don’t make up a Pass/Fail limit on tires-psi or batteries-volts that 49 CFR or the OEM doesn’t specify for this vehicle. Actualy, it's more complicated.