I had done everything wrong with my batteries, so why do I have these readings

aussiecart

Ok, when I bought my ezgo PDS cart brand new nearly 3 years ago I didn't receive any instructions or advice, I didn't do any research, my bad. I didn't know about BGW until just recently, we are behind the times downunder in OZ.

I seem to have done everything wrong with battery care and I mean everything, I just drained the batteries from day one playing 2 to 3 full rounds of golf before charging. I live near the golf course and I can remember on at least 15 occasions my batteries were so low I could just barely crawl the cart home, I just thought to drain them as much as possible and that will be good - right?

Anyway here are my readings full charged (after waiting a good couple of hours after charging).

Front drivers side - 6.36
Middle front - 6.36
Front passengers side - 6.37
rear drivers side - 6.37
Middle rear - 6.31
Rear passengers side - 6.31
Pack - 38.1

So my question is am I going ok, are these readings good or bad or do you see problems for me down the track?

Thanks for your help

BGW

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scottyb

Dumb Luck I guess?

LostHusker

It must be the dry air down there

DOOmsman

Not a sparkler man but maybe the controler
never loaded the bats when they were low and you
were crawling and not frying the cells???????

rabbitreborn

OK, I have refrained from commenting regarding "battery break in" in the past simply because I know I am the lone voice in this area......

I subscribe to the theory of "ride it like you stole it", whether it be golf carts, motorcycles, trucks, cars..... you get the point. When I bought my motorcycle in 2005, they told me to ride it gently for the first 1000 miles... yeah right, I was doing 85 on the way home and it didn't take me very long to get up to that speed. I have ridden that bike hard from day 1 and every time it has gone into the shop for valve adjustments maintenence intervals, the mechanic comments that I hardly need any adjustment. Why? because I conditioned the bike from day 1 to my style of riding. I was told by a mechanic that I trust that does custom engine rebuilds that if you break it in gently, when you really "get on it", you will have issues (most noted was blow by on the rings). AND.... he had torn down motorcycle engines on display to illustrate his point. I trusted his advise and I haven't regretted it one day since.

On the same basis, I drive my golf carts "like I stole them". I don't baby them, I drive them hard and long from day 1. New batteries,old batteries, whatever the case may be. I take care of them, I charge them daily, I water them every 2-3 weeks, however I put them to hard usage from day 1. I want them to know what is expected of them.

With rare exceptions, batteries (in a consumer application, not a fleet at a golf course) are going to last approximately 5-6 years in a golf cart (unless you are the little old lady that drives the 500 feet to the end of the driveway once a day to get the mail, then you are likely to get alot longer life out of them lmao). The demand of the electronics you have are going to play a factor (high amp controllers, high speed/high torque motors, multiple "add on" options like stereos,amps,insane lighting schemes) in the overall life of the pack of course. I have yet to own a cart that the batteries lasted less time than 5 years from the date of install. The gentelman I work for has been selling golf carts for over 35 years, I have worked with people that have been in this industry since E-Z-GO first started making carts, they all say the same thing. Drive it. Use it. Don't baby the batteries just because they are new. And without exception, all of them will tell you the same thing, the batteries have a finite life to them, babying them from day 1 only aggrevates you as an owner because you can't USE the cart during that "break in" period.

I know the previous words fly in the face of what many of the learned minds on this forum believe, and I am sorry that we disagree, but I am expressing my personal opinion on this.