Motocaddy : M5

[CrazyLegs87]

I know that official testers reviewed this in the official forum, but I wanted to give perspective from a person who previously has had a electric trolley - and give insights on the plus's and minus's of the Motocaddy M5 from someone who has significant experience to compare and contrast  (this is NOT remote control, but instead walk behind and steer w/ motor)

Previous electric trolley : sun mountain ECart.  I had his running for about 10 years, which might be a record.  the motor is in the front wheel. 
New electric trolley : Motocaddy M5 DHC.   (this one has the GPS screen)

There are goods and bads to all products, and some are more important to you than me.  

 

Performance of the electric aspect (carry the bag, get from point a to b):

The Motocaddy is a rear wheel drive caddy, while the Ecart was front wheel.  This really does make a difference in how they perform.  The motocaddy has different speeds for each wheel allowing you to turn it easily without changing pace... The ECart, since you lifted the motorized wheel off the ground, was not as smooth.

However, going up hills and on side hills the Motocaddy does not perform as well.  Think of it this way, it has to push itself up the hill, causing the front wheel to tend to lift - possibly resulting in it tipping over.  The ECart pulled itself, thus was much more stable.   On side hills, if there is a weight difference on the wheels, the motocaddy thinks you are turning, and will  start to speed up one wheel causing a tip over many times (if not compensating for it with your hands on handles).

Speed control: Ecart had 5 speeds, Motocaddy has 10.  Personally I walk at a speed matching the ECart speed choice (#3) but cannot find a speed that works for me on the Motocaddy(i am at 4 and 5 walking, but really want at 4.5...ug).  Note that this could be because I spent 10 years at ECart speed.... So its a bit understandable..  However Motocaddy could have more settings at 'common' walk speeds - and fewer at the light speed no one uses...(7-10).  One note on speed control for Motocaddy - it is EXTREMELY easy to hit the dial or turn it...  causing it to start/stop or speed up/down without notice.  I have sent the cart into people a few times and barreled into it as it stopped w/o notice.   Personally, I liked the button speeds of ECart much better, but think the dial would work if it had a bit more resistance.

"Send" mode: with both carts you can send it on its own in a direction for a set amount of yardage.  This is handy as you near a green and want to get the cart out of the way toward a tee box, etc.  The Motocaddy makes you stop/ load in distance and then start it.  The ECart just had 15/20/25/50 yards, and you pushed a button..  Much better.  Who wants to stop as you approach a green to mess with a trolley?  No, you are thinking about that round saving putt......

Build (battery / motor) : the # 1 issue for SunMountain was the weak wiring between the battery and motor.  I spent 5 years w/ electrical wiring Gerry-rigging.  The Motocaddy seems much better.  I am only concerned about : 1) the twisting of the battery wire when plugging into cart socket - as over time wires do get worn.. any pressure eventually will wear them out... 2) the socket on cart faces up, and will collect water during a rain.  No issues yet, but i am a bit concerned during a heavy rain that this may cause issues.

Battery Life : 36 holes for the Motocaddy - 27 at most for ECart... Motocaddy definitely performs in this aspect, and I can only say positives about the Li battery. (one odd thing is that it requires unplugging at wall/replug to start the charge, but assume this is a faulty sensor in the charger)

 

Misc Features:

Motocaddy GPS : I will be blunt - this is so far off, it is worthless for any golfer    I reached out to Motocaddy, but responses were lacking (reboot- which did not fix the issue).  This is noted by others in the other forum as well... I have a shotscope and sky caddie which are identical to each other.  M5 is off from 3 - 8 yards on every hole at 150+ yards...  That is 9-24'!!!  I paid $300 extra for this, and cannot tell you how disappointing it is.  I  really hope they get it fixed asap.  As such. I love the Motocaddy, but opt for the lower $ non-GPS one at this point.  Note : the GPS featues do work well - IF yardage gets fixed... So there is hope.

Storage : I dont get this either.  Why oh why do these electric carts not have a pouch or something to hold things?  Almost all carts have a small area to hold balls, phone, tees, etc...I did get their GPS holder, cup holder, and scorecard holder - which help some, but without going into details they are flawed (GPS holder slides down as walk / Scorecard holder rattles constantly.. Just give me a space to carry stuff... please. 

Charger : a GREAT feature on Motocaddy is the ability to plug in a USB cord and charge phones, etc.   I dont remember to use it, but thats on me... great feature.

Size: It is big compared to my old ECart.  However, it does get fairly compact with the wheels off.  Its also a bit heavy, but not terrible.  A note on how small can it get with wheels off?  I can fit it (barely) into my BMW Z3 trunk.... With wheels on, a set of clubs and cart take up all of sedans trunk space..

 

Summary:
Overall I like the Motocaddy.  Its not a huge upgrade, but it does what it was / is supposed to do.  I personally like not having a remote control device distracting me, and this enables me to walk and look like a normal walking pushing a cart (but not doing any work)...  The most important thing for these is that they work every time out on the course.  So far that has been the case.  (25 rounds so far this year)  

If i were to do it again, I would buy the M1 DHC.. But yes, Motocaddy seems like a good product- but not lightyears ahead of my ECart

Glad to answer any other questions

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by scott2017

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, scott2017 said:

I know that official testers reviewed this in the official forum, but I wanted to give perspective from a person who previously has had a electric trolley - and give insights on the plus's and minus's of the Motocaddy M5 from someone who has significant experience to compare and contrast  (this is NOT remote control, but instead walk behind and steer w/ motor)

Previous electric trolley : sun mountain ECart.  I had his running for about 10 years, which might be a record.  the motor is in the front wheel. 
New electric trolley : Motocaddy M5 DHC.   (this one has the GPS screen)

There are goods and bads to all products, and some are more important to you than me.  

 

Performance of the electric aspect (carry the bag, get from point a to b):

The Motocaddy is a rear wheel drive caddy, while the Ecart was front wheel.  This really does make a difference in how they perform.  The motocaddy has different speeds for each wheel allowing you to turn it easily without changing pace... The ECart, since you lifted the motorized wheel off the ground, was not as smooth.

However, going up hills and on side hills the Motocaddy does not perform as well.  Think of it this way, it has to push itself up the hill, causing the front wheel to tend to lift - possibly resulting in it tipping over.  The ECart pulled itself, thus was much more stable.   On side hills, if there is a weight difference on the wheels, the motocaddy thinks you are turning, and will  start to speed up one wheel causing a tip over many times (if not compensating for it with your hands on handles).

Speed control: Ecart had 5 speeds, Motocaddy has 10.  Personally I walk at a speed matching the ECart speed choice (#3) but cannot find a speed that works for me on the Motocaddy(i am at 4 and 5 walking, but really want at 4.5...ug).  Note that this could be because I spent 10 years at ECart speed.... So its a bit understandable..  However Motocaddy could have more settings at 'common' walk speeds - and fewer at the light speed no one uses...(7-10).  One note on speed control for Motocaddy - it is EXTREMELY easy to hit the dial or turn it...  causing it to start/stop or speed up/down without notice.  I have sent the cart into people a few times and barreled into it as it stopped w/o notice.   Personally, I liked the button speeds of ECart much better, but think the dial would work if it had a bit more resistance.

"Send" mode: with both carts you can send it on its own in a direction for a set amount of yardage.  This is handy as you near a green and want to get the cart out of the way toward a tee box, etc.  The Motocaddy makes you stop/ load in distance and then start it.  The ECart just had 15/20/25/50 yards, and you pushed a button..  Much better.  Who wants to stop as you approach a green to mess with a trolley?  No, you are thinking about that round saving putt......

Build (battery / motor) : the # 1 issue for SunMountain was the weak wiring between the battery and motor.  I spent 5 years w/ electrical wiring Gerry-rigging.  The Motocaddy seems much better.  I am only concerned about : 1) the twisting of the battery wire when plugging into cart socket - as over time wires do get worn.. any pressure eventually will wear them out... 2) the socket on cart faces up, and will collect water during a rain.  No issues yet, but i am a bit concerned during a heavy rain that this may cause issues.

Battery Life : 36 holes for the Motocaddy - 27 at most for ECart... Motocaddy definitely performs in this aspect, and I can only say positives about the Li battery. (one odd thing is that it requires unplugging at wall/replug to start the charge, but assume this is a faulty sensor in the charger)

 

Misc Features:

Motocaddy GPS : I will be blunt - this is so far off, it is worthless for any golfer    I reached out to Motocaddy, but responses were lacking (reboot- which did not fix the issue).  This is noted by others in the other forum as well... I have a shotscope and sky caddie which are identical to each other.  M5 is off from 3 - 8 yards on every hole at 150+ yards...  That is 9-24'!!!  I paid $300 extra for this, and cannot tell you how disappointing it is.  I  really hope they get it fixed asap.  As such. I love the Motocaddy, but opt for the lower $ non-GPS one at this point.  Note : the GPS featues do work well - IF yardage gets fixed... So there is hope.

Storage : I dont get this either.  Why oh why do these electric carts not have a pouch or something to hold things?  Almost all carts have a small area to hold balls, phone, tees, etc...I did get their GPS holder, cup holder, and scorecard holder - which help some, but without going into details they are flawed (GPS holder slides down as walk / Scorecard holder rattles constantly.. Just give me a space to carry stuff... please. 

Charger : a GREAT feature on Motocaddy is the ability to plug in a USB cord and charge phones, etc.   I dont remember to use it, but thats on me... great feature.

Size: It is big compared to my old ECart.  However, it does get fairly compact with the wheels off.  Its also a bit heavy, but not terrible.  A note on how small can it get with wheels off?  I can fit it (barely) into my BMW Z3 trunk.... With wheels on, a set of clubs and cart take up all of sedans trunk space..

 

Summary:
Overall I like the Motocaddy.  Its not a huge upgrade, but it does what it was / is supposed to do.  I personally like not having a remote control device distracting me, and this enables me to walk and look like a normal walking pushing a cart (but not doing any work)...  The most important thing for these is that they work every time out on the course.  So far that has been the case.  (25 rounds so far this year)  

If i were to do it again, I would buy the M1 DHC.. But yes, Motocaddy seems like a good product- but not lightyears ahead of my ECart

Glad to answer any other questions

 

 

 

 

I am one of the E-7 testers and I noticed right off the bat what you are talking about on the plug. Living at the SC coast this is a concern in this salt air environment. I have worked in the past as a mechanic on big trucks. We had problems down here on automated concrete mixers with electrical connections. I had put it out to Roger Tart who is the President of Motocaddy when I talked to him. I had brought up about using Dilectric grease. He was going to check with the engineers on the use of that. I will not use it until he gives me the go ahead. What I have been doing when not in use is snap in the caps they provided when shipping the thing. 

[golfish!]

On 6/6/2021 at 2:37 PM, BIG STU said:

I am one of the E-7 testers and I noticed right off the bat what you are talking about on the plug. Living at the SC coast this is a concern in this salt air environment. I have worked in the past as a mechanic on big trucks. We had problems down here on automated concrete mixers with electrical connections. I had put it out to Roger Tart who is the President of Motocaddy when I talked to him. I had brought up about using Dilectric grease. He was going to check with the engineers on the use of that. I will not use it until he gives me the go ahead. What I have been doing when not in use is snap in the caps they provided when shipping the thing. 

Good idea Stu on using the shipping caps provided. As a tester of the M5, I do agree with you @scott2017 on many of the aspects you pointed out. I believe this is the feedback Motocaddy is looking for to improve on their next gen models. I noted in the official testing forum that the distances were off as well. HOpefully a software update and the distances will get better. Also going up hills is definitely a bit of a challenge as it doesnt have the wheelie bars the M7 has but it is meant to be assisted from behind and Roger mentioned that the reason the M5 does not have the wheelie bars is that it can be kicked while walking because of the placement. As for the speeds, maybe that could be in a software update where the lower speed adjustments are more incremental and then the higher speeds have bigger gaps? Agree with you on the storage that there is not much of it onboard. Hopefully something in the future. The phone/GPS holder seems a bit loose and my phone ( a Samsung Note 20 Ultra) keeps drooping down. Overall though a great cart and definitely is getting me to walk more rounds.

[BIG STU]

On 6/6/2021 at 2:37 PM, scott2017 said:

I know that official testers reviewed this in the official forum, but I wanted to give perspective from a person who previously has had a electric trolley - and give insights on the plus's and minus's of the Motocaddy M5 from someone who has significant experience to compare and contrast  (this is NOT remote control, but instead walk behind and steer w/ motor)

Previous electric trolley : sun mountain ECart.  I had his running for about 10 years, which might be a record.  the motor is in the front wheel. 
New electric trolley : Motocaddy M5 DHC.   (this one has the GPS screen)

There are goods and bads to all products, and some are more important to you than me.  

 

Performance of the electric aspect (carry the bag, get from point a to b):

The Motocaddy is a rear wheel drive caddy, while the Ecart was front wheel.  This really does make a difference in how they perform.  The motocaddy has different speeds for each wheel allowing you to turn it easily without changing pace... The ECart, since you lifted the motorized wheel off the ground, was not as smooth.

However, going up hills and on side hills the Motocaddy does not perform as well.  Think of it this way, it has to push itself up the hill, causing the front wheel to tend to lift - possibly resulting in it tipping over.  The ECart pulled itself, thus was much more stable.   On side hills, if there is a weight difference on the wheels, the motocaddy thinks you are turning, and will  start to speed up one wheel causing a tip over many times (if not compensating for it with your hands on handles).

Speed control: Ecart had 5 speeds, Motocaddy has 10.  Personally I walk at a speed matching the ECart speed choice (#3) but cannot find a speed that works for me on the Motocaddy(i am at 4 and 5 walking, but really want at 4.5...ug).  Note that this could be because I spent 10 years at ECart speed.... So its a bit understandable..  However Motocaddy could have more settings at 'common' walk speeds - and fewer at the light speed no one uses...(7-10).  One note on speed control for Motocaddy - it is EXTREMELY easy to hit the dial or turn it...  causing it to start/stop or speed up/down without notice.  I have sent the cart into people a few times and barreled into it as it stopped w/o notice.   Personally, I liked the button speeds of ECart much better, but think the dial would work if it had a bit more resistance.

"Send" mode: with both carts you can send it on its own in a direction for a set amount of yardage.  This is handy as you near a green and want to get the cart out of the way toward a tee box, etc.  The Motocaddy makes you stop/ load in distance and then start it.  The ECart just had 15/20/25/50 yards, and you pushed a button..  Much better.  Who wants to stop as you approach a green to mess with a trolley?  No, you are thinking about that round saving putt......

Build (battery / motor) : the # 1 issue for SunMountain was the weak wiring between the battery and motor.  I spent 5 years w/ electrical wiring Gerry-rigging.  The Motocaddy seems much better.  I am only concerned about : 1) the twisting of the battery wire when plugging into cart socket - as over time wires do get worn.. any pressure eventually will wear them out... 2) the socket on cart faces up, and will collect water during a rain.  No issues yet, but i am a bit concerned during a heavy rain that this may cause issues.

Battery Life : 36 holes for the Motocaddy - 27 at most for ECart... Motocaddy definitely performs in this aspect, and I can only say positives about the Li battery. (one odd thing is that it requires unplugging at wall/replug to start the charge, but assume this is a faulty sensor in the charger)

 

Misc Features:

Motocaddy GPS : I will be blunt - this is so far off, it is worthless for any golfer    I reached out to Motocaddy, but responses were lacking (reboot- which did not fix the issue).  This is noted by others in the other forum as well... I have a shotscope and sky caddie which are identical to each other.  M5 is off from 3 - 8 yards on every hole at 150+ yards...  That is 9-24'!!!  I paid $300 extra for this, and cannot tell you how disappointing it is.  I  really hope they get it fixed asap.  As such. I love the Motocaddy, but opt for the lower $ non-GPS one at this point.  Note : the GPS featues do work well - IF yardage gets fixed... So there is hope.

Storage : I dont get this either.  Why oh why do these electric carts not have a pouch or something to hold things?  Almost all carts have a small area to hold balls, phone, tees, etc...I did get their GPS holder, cup holder, and scorecard holder - which help some, but without going into details they are flawed (GPS holder slides down as walk / Scorecard holder rattles constantly.. Just give me a space to carry stuff... please. 

Charger : a GREAT feature on Motocaddy is the ability to plug in a USB cord and charge phones, etc.   I dont remember to use it, but thats on me... great feature.

Size: It is big compared to my old ECart.  However, it does get fairly compact with the wheels off.  Its also a bit heavy, but not terrible.  A note on how small can it get with wheels off?  I can fit it (barely) into my BMW Z3 trunk.... With wheels on, a set of clubs and cart take up all of sedans trunk space..

 

Summary:
Overall I like the Motocaddy.  Its not a huge upgrade, but it does what it was / is supposed to do.  I personally like not having a remote control device distracting me, and this enables me to walk and look like a normal walking pushing a cart (but not doing any work)...  The most important thing for these is that they work every time out on the course.  So far that has been the case.  (25 rounds so far this year)  

If i were to do it again, I would buy the M1 DHC.. But yes, Motocaddy seems like a good product- but not lightyears ahead of my ECart

Glad to answer any other questions

 

 

 

 

I will add something on the side hill thing. With the remote when you get good with it you can bounce it some with the left or right button on the side hill sorta like giving a airplane some trim tab or left or right rudder ( never was a licensed pilot but can fly small airplanes some). Or you can compair it to like a dozer or Bobcat feathering it some and it will go up a side hill straight. Also have learned something else. The Motocaddy bag has a lower CG because of how it is designed. I have used it with a variety of my bags. The Jones bag it makes no difference it does good. The Ping Hoofer is aggrevating which Hoofer bags are unless you are walking. My Macgregor and Titleist Mini staff bags tend to be top heavy. In the above described rollover accident I think my mini staff Titleist bag may have been one of the contributing factors. I did some measuring and figuring out and the Motocaddy bag because of the base design sits about 1 1/2 to 2 inches lower on the cart plus the Motocaddy bag is about a half an inch shorter than either Mini Staff. I had to go in the cobwebs of my mind to figure out specifics. I used old methods learned in the trucking industry when I did heavy haul on weight placement and height etc. I might be a Southern born and bred redneck and a lot self taught but this is a shocker I know how to use a slide rule. LOL not as sharp as I used to be I used to do all the math in my head but this time I used my calculator I figgured at this age I earned the right to use a calculator. But really I used the math to reinforce my observations. I am sure the engineers and designers at Motocaddy did all of this when they designed it and the bag.  I stand by all my previous statements that this is a well thought out and engineered unit. When I am physically able to walk the course some I will not venture out without the Motocaddy bag attached. I admit I have never been a 14 way cart bag fan but the other accessories on this bag make up for that. I have not had a opportunity to test this week because of in and out thunderstorms. 

I will say this --- I am glad the people at MGS and Motocaddy had faith in me to test this unit. It has helped me tremendously with my rehab. What is really going to be the icing on the cake is when I am actually able to get on the course and walk with it with my vintage gear. But my test rambles on slow but sure

Oh one more thing on the sidehill thing just for the record--- I learned at an early age to feather a Ford 8n tractor on a sidehill with right and left brakes pulling a 10 row gang mower. Man I could do some tricks on a 8n or a Massey 135 back in the day. Yep same principles apply to a 8n or a Motocaddy

Edited June 10, 2021 by BIG STU

[Jnr McAllister]

Everyone do not buy a Motocaddy m5 gps. Over three months I have sent it back twice now and it is still  broken.

It over heats after 6-10 holes and just shuts down. It cant be restarted for 10-15 minutes.

They keep sending it back "we cant find anything wrong with it"

I'm stuck with a lemon.

Tony