Re: EZGO TXT 96 DCS 36v to 48v Battery Tray
 

All lead-acid batteries consist of a number of 2V cells connected in series and packed in a box. The storage capacity of the 2V cells is pretty much determined by the square footage of the lead plates and the concentration of the acid. Roughly the same strength acid is used in all deep-cycle wet-cells and 6V (3 cell) and 8V (4 cell) are packed in roughly the same sized box, so the cells used for 8V batteries are about 3/4 the size of those used in 6V batteries.

When battery packs of different voltages are compared, watt-hours are used, so the battery pack voltage is multiplied by the AH of storage. The standard 36V battery pack has six 6V-225AH for 8100 watt-hours and 48V pack using six 8V-170AH has 8160 watt-hours, so for a run-time about the same as the standard 36V pack, go with six 170AH-8V batteries.

Attached is a chart of various 8V batteries.
You may have different brands of golf cart batteries up north, so just pick a battery with a similar AH rating (at the 20hr rate) to see where it stacks up.

Re: EZGO TXT 96 DCS 36v to 48v Battery Tray
 

Great information

Re: Battery info
 

Very nice info...helped with me decision.

Re: Battery info
 

A great little bit of info to start a great "vast knowledge" thread from. Too bad 90% of visitors will never stop by to see it. I cant wait to see it grow with more info that most will never bother to see. Here's a little chart about how long it takes for your new batteries to reach "full capacity" from a charger manufacturer who tested it. He excitedly asked me "how many cycles does it take for them to get near 'max capacity'", I said 25-50, and he sent me this. It takes around 100. I love talking with people who know things by testing them first. These were hard cycles, testing them to death.

Re: Battery info
 

Next thing I'm digging for is SOC vs LIFESPAN.

Keep those batteries charged, as much as you can! This is the lifespan difference between "charging as often as you can" , and "I charge them when it starts to slow down".


If this isnt the point of this thread, just say so, but I feel it's just as important as "advertised capacity".

Re: Battery info
 

But if you have a 36v cart you can’t do 8v batteries, correct? Or am I missing something. I’m brand new to the golf cart world. Got an 84 marathon from my in laws that I’m just starting to work on.

Re: Battery info
 

No, not unless you wanted to buy the other required parts to convert to 48v. (Which is a great option for more power & speed)

Re: Battery info
 

Ok but if I’m not wanting to buy a new moter and other parts I just stick with 6-6v batteries. But can I get a larger amp for longer usage right?

Re: Battery info
 

Buy the highest AH rating battery you can afford to maximize range. NOT higher voltage.

Re: Battery info
 

Very helpful; thanks!

Re: Battery info
 

I have a 36 volt ezgo txt. I have tested my pack with a load tester i borrowed from work. I tested each one and they read ok on the 6 volt section. It seemed near the end of last golf season i didn't have as much power or time on batteries. Is there a better way to test them? If they are getting weak, will it help to buy one or two as i can to spread out the cost of new ones, or will that not help me or do any damage to new batteries?

Re: Battery info
 

Accurate load testing of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries take an expensive piece of specialized test equipment that discharges the battery(ies) at a constant amp flow over a measured period of time and automatically stops the discharge and timer when 1.75VPC (Volts per Cell) is reached. The results are typically Minutes @ 75A for 6V batteries or Minutes @ 56A for 8V and 12V batteries and compared to the rated runtime given by the battery manufacturer.

For example: A Trojan T-105 6V-225AH battery has a rating of 115 Minutes @ 75A and is the the runtime is half of that or less, the battery is at the end of its usable lifespan.

The battery load testers found in auto parts stores are designed to test SLI (Starter/Lights/Ignition) batteries and do not accurately test deep-cycle batteries.

While it doesn't measure runtime, you can attach a DVM to the battery pack and measure the pack voltage while going up hill to see how low it goes under load. If it drops below about 30V for a 36V pack, connect the DVM to individual batteries and find out if one or more is dropping significantly more than the others.

Putting new batteries into a battery pack that is over 6 months old should be avoided. The new batteries will soon acquire the same aging as the old batteries. If you find some batteries whose voltage drops significantly more than others, they can be replaced with good batteries approximately the same AH and age, or if new ones have to be used, the must be considered sacrificial batteries and will need to be replaced at the same time the rest of the pack is replaced.

In other words, replacing the batteries piecemeal doesn't work very well and will cost more money in the long run.

Re: Battery info
 

Thank you very much. You were very helpful.

Re: Battery info
 

What is causing some of my battery terminals to sweat? Is this an indication that they’re nearing the end of their life cycle, or is something else going on? I’ve not noticed any loss of power or range. Thank you

Re: Battery info
 

Some batteriy brands are just "messier" than others. In my opinion, US batteries are messier than Trojans.

And I realize you didnt specify brand.

Re: Battery info
 

Also might be condensation. Warm humid days following a chilly night.

Re: Battery info
 

So I recently bought a 2005 ezgo txt 36V. It runs about 11-12 miles an hour on a full charge.
I’m looking to start upgrading but have no idea where to even start the batterys are 2 year old Trojans.
Looking for suggestions on what I should do? Convert it to 48v? Lift kit? New controller, motor, solenoid? If so which ones do you suggest?

Re: Battery info
 

It would be best to start a new thread for these questions.

Re: Battery info
 

I have 1 year old trojan t-105. I am familiar with battery equalization from years of working on industrial power equipment. My charger does not have a equalization option.

Should I invest in a charger with equalizer option?

Should I charge all batteries separately on a 6v charger?

I guess I am asking what kind of maintenance are you all doing to keep the batteries fresh.

Re: Battery info
 

Equalization charging can be done with your regular cart charger. Basically you initiate a new charge cycle following a completed charge cycle. In other words, recharge a "fully" charged battery pack.

Re: Battery info
 

Outstanding. I found where you posted that somewhere else on here after I posted. I will give that a try.

Re: Battery info
 

If several "equalization" charges doesn't re-balance the pack to within about 0.1V between individual batteries, hit the low ones with a 6V charger for a few hours.

Re: Battery info
 

do the chargers have to be programmed to the battiers you have in it when you switch brands or sizes? I had to do that with my scissor lift in order to get it to do the charging cycle correct

Re: Battery info
 

Some, but not all, of the more modern chargers can be tailored for the make/model of the batteries, while most of the legacy units can't. If you have a charger with user selectable charging profiles, than the correct or closest profile available for your batteries ought to be used.

Re: Battery info
 

Can you replace 6 6 volt batteries with 3 12 volt? It all adds up to 36 volts.

Re: Battery info
 

Capacity, the ability of the battery pack to move your cart along over time, is reduced. Capacity typically lowers as cell size is reduced to pack more cells into a higher voltage package.

Re: Battery info
 

Yes, but the distance you can travel on a single charge is only about half as far and you will use up more than twice the percentage of storage capacity to travel a given distance, so the 12V battery's cradle to grave lifespan will be less than half of a 6V battery's lifespan.

If you only use the cart to dive a 1/4 to the mailbox and back each day, a 3x12V pack might be marginally acceptable, but if you use the cart for much more than that us a 6x6V pack.

Re: Battery info
 

Please let me know if I'm in the right place, new to the boards and the carting world. I have a question about my batts.... I've found that they need to be filled fairly often, like once a week only a few cells on each battery? They're 2016 US batts, 4 12v's, 48v in a daily driver. Are they at the end of their lifespan?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Battery info
 

Using more water is a sign of aging and 4 years is a fairly typical lifespan for cart batteries. Possibly better than average for 12V batteries in your climate.

Re: Battery info
 

What if you did 2 banks of 3 12's so essentially you have them in parallel. Would that make it a wash and restore the trip capacity of the original 6 in series? Any drawbacks to such a config?

Re: Battery info
 

Typically, a 12V cart battery stores 150AH, so a 3S2P pack would be 36V-300AH, or 10.8kWh of storage.
The standard 6V battery used in a 36V pack is 225AH, or 8.1kWh.

Mathematically, that is about 1/3 more storage capacity, which indicates the range and lifespan is roughly 33% longer than 6x6V-225AH pack.

The numbers indicate the 3S2P 12V configuration would more than restore the trip capacity of the original 6x6V pack, but it would weigh about 120 pounds more, so the cart will perform like there is always an extra passenger onboard.

The existing 36V charger will probably work okay.

Keeping them all in balance might be an issue. I'd charge each individually with a 12V charger and pick those with the closest at-rest to make the parallel pair.


--------------
IIRC, someone did this a few years ago, but I don't remember who, or if it worked out okay.

Re: Battery info
 

2008 Ezgo RXV - I live in Delaware and store my golf cart in my attached garage. What is the proper way to store over the winter? I don’t see riding it too much when it gets below 50 degrees. Should I just throw a charge on it once every couple weeks? Do I need to disconnect anything? Just bought it a month and a half ago and it has 4 12v Trojan batteries that are only 1.5 year old, so I want to take care of them. Thanks for your time.

Re: Battery info
 

Every two week will be okay, once a month may suffice.
Check the fluid level every month or so. (Add distilled water only and don't over fill)

The batteries typically self-discharge at about 1% per day and you don't want to let them drop below 70%.

Re: Battery info
 

JohnnieB -thanks. I will do that. So no need to disconnect anything at all right? Just do what you’ve said. I have been keeping up with the water levels I check them every couple weeks. Thanks again.

Re: Battery info
 

Not that I know of, but I'm not an RXV guy, so google RXV storage for better info.

Re: Battery info
 

What are most people spending on 4 new 12V batterys? Got a quote of 750 for trojans

Re: Battery info
 

Battery prices vary by geographic location.

Search online for pricing and you'll find T-1275's from about $175 or less each to over $300 each.

Re: Battery info
 

Thank you JohnnieB for sharing your knowledge. Very helpful for us just getting into the cart world.

Re: Battery info
 

Okay I'm very new to electric golf carts, I recently bought an 36v ez-go. I plan on leaving this at my farm and I don't want to put a crazy amount of money into it. I went to rural king and was looking at batteries. I found a 6v heavy duty battery and a 6v golf cart battery. Can anyone tell me the difference in the batteries? Thank you

Re: Battery info
 

Post the specs of each battery.
The amp hours rating of a battery is what is needed to tell you which is the better battery.
A “heavy duty “ battery is not going to be the same as a golf cart specific battery nor is a deep cycle battery the same as a golf cart battery.