E-Z-GO Workhorse and the XI trucks of the 1990s

The E-Z-GO Workhorse is the working cargo vehicle of the marque — a small truck with a cargo bed rather than seats, sold in petrol and electric form. It belongs to the same commercial programme as the XI series of the 1990s, which ran from the small electric XI-300 to the XI-881, the largest vehicle E-Z-GO built, with a payload of three short tons.

E-Z-GO Workhorse at a glance

Based on one source for the 1990s trucks: the XI and GXI models are described in two paragraphs of the German Wikipedia article on E-Z-GO, taken from Albert Mroz’s encyclopedia of American trucks. The Workhorse 1200 is documented from sales listings of the model (2001.5–2008.5, petrol). Where the source says the engine of a model is unknown, this article does not guess.

History of the E-Z-GO Workhorse

E-Z-GO made golf cars and nothing else until 1973, but in the 1990s it offered a wide range of vehicles for professional use in logistics and in-plant transport. The electric trucks of that programme were the XI-300, XI-500, XI-775, XI-875 and XI-875P, driven by motors of 1.5 to 6.5 bhp running on 24 or 36 volt batteries. A larger XI-881 Electric existed too, but the German Wikipedia article records that the motor of that model is not known.

The GXI and petrol models

Petrol power appeared in the GXI 804, which used a two-cylinder four-stroke engine of 295 cc and 8.5 bhp. The bigger GXI-1500 and the PC-4 petrol carrier were driven by an Onan twin-cylinder flat engine of 20 bhp, the largest unit in the programme. The XI-881 was the biggest vehicle of all: its payload of three short tons made it a genuine small truck rather than a stretched golf car, and all E-Z-GO vehicles of the time used direct drive.

The Workhorse 1200

The Workhorse name is attached to the later petrol utility carts of the same idea. The Workhorse 1200, a petrol-engined works vehicle built from the 2001.5 to the 2008.5 model year, is the best-documented example: an open cab, a flat cargo bed and a chassis raised well above golf car height, sold for estates, parks and sites. It is the direct descendant of the 1990s trucks — same job, simpler specification, petrol instead of batteries.

Design and features

• Cargo first: a flat bed instead of passenger seats, for works and logistics use.
• XI series: electric trucks from 1.5 to 6.5 bhp, on 24 or 36 volt batteries.
• XI-881: the largest E-Z-GO ever, with three short tons of payload.
• Petrol alternatives: the 295 cc GXI 804 and the 20 bhp Onan-engined models.
• Workhorse 1200: the petrol utility cart sold in the 2000s.

E-Z-GO Workhorse versions

• XI-300 and XI-500: the small electric trucks of the series.
• XI-775 and XI-875 / XI-875P: the larger electric trucks.
• XI-881: the biggest vehicle of the range, three short tons of payload.
• GXI 804: the petrol truck with a 295 cc two-cylinder engine.
• GXI-1500 and PC-4: petrol models with the 20 bhp Onan flat twin.
• Workhorse 1200: the 2001.5–2008.5 petrol utility cart.

The passenger carriers of the same commercial programme are described under E-Z-GO Shuttle; the working versions of the golf car are the ST and MPT. More about the marque is on the E-Z-GO brand page and in the E-Z-GO collection.

Sources

• E-Z-GO, German Wikipedia: XI series, motors, GXI models, payload, direct drive