Need Help. Please

sackman

I have searched and searched and searched the forums and cannot find the answer to my question. Okay, I have a 1990 Marathon w/ 36v stock motor. It has 22" Tires and lift. Cheap lift..Bought it with these items on it. Love the cart but hate the lack of power. I know you guys are thinking exactly what I should do. Thats why this site rocks!! But....This weekend I took it out to my new hunting property and drove it for about an hour on pretty much flat ground. Did awesome. BUT.....Started to take it up to where our camper is and the cart stopped and smelled something burning. The question is. Should I put all this money into this cart to get it to climb these hills and is an electric motor able to climb big hills for a long period of time? about a 1/2 mile pretty steep. And....Coming down the hill I have to keep my foot on the brake and the brakes smelled like they were going to catch on fire too. I really really just want to know if I should switch to gas or something else. Sucks because I really love the quietness of the electric.

Sorry, I know it is long but I dont want to invest a bunch of money into this cart if it cannot be what I need it to be.

Thanks

BGW

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scottyb

You can fix that cart to do what you need. You can start with fresh brakes and send that motor out to be rewound for more torque. (you can skip the rewind but ... it is the best fix for the least $) Then you can shop around for a bigger 400amp Alltrax controller to feed the newly rewound motor. And lastly install a Heavy Duty F&R switch ........

Hope this helps

sackman

So if I do that I wont have to worry about long distance runs uphill? I am not worried about speed just torque.

scottyb

A half mile hill is not too much for a modified sparky IF you have good batteries ... you will also need to up grade all if the battery and controller and motor cables to 4 ga ( from the stock 6g)

Let' ssee what others say but, I think you will be okay with the set up I described unless you are hunting Mount Everest

sackman

Scotty,

Thanks for all your help. I have just smiled to know my wife isnt going to choke me for buying it and I can still stick with the electric.

One more question, The brakes... Is there a way to get the motor to help with downhill runs so it isnt so hard on the brakes? The bad part is I just replaced the pads last month on the cart and going down those hills the brakes heat up ALOT.

Again.

Thanks

scottyb

Some of the newer carts have regenerative braking but they are not as good at the off-road stuff in my opinion... you can add front disc brakes for under $400 I have them on all 4 wheels of my off-road cart ...... it is the cats pajamas

wilster734

As a sparky owner myself with a 2001cc 48v not modified other than 4ga. cables all around. you should be ok with the electric and have dependability if you really keep the batteries in check, and have a way to charge them at your hunting camp every time you take it out for 15-25 min. in other words don't run them down below 50% it shortens the life of the batts.you can't beat the silence of a sparky in the woods.

sackman

Awesome I am writing this stuff down and taking it to the guy that does work on these motors tomorrow. You have been awesome.

Thanks

scottyb

......don't mention it

buckmanmike

Go to 48 volts and keep the stock Motor. You'll have plenty of torque and speed.