New Hunting Build TXT Series or RXV??? Help

[grassflatsfisher]

Got the hankering to build a new ride and need some professional experience/advice. I have built several series carts in the past and my current cart is a 08 txt that I have 48volted, emp 2 speed motor, and 500amp alltrax. It runs and works great but I'm having a little trouble on run time. With 6" and 23" tires I'm getting roughly 18-20miles out of a charge on six 8 volts. From what I'm being and told and reading the RXV has a better run time with the AC set up but I have a few concerns.

My daily hunting treck usually consist of a 2-3mile ride to the gate which I like to do as quick as possible and is mostly wot the whole way. Once inside the gate I go very slow maybe 5-7mph and have several mild hills to climb. Steep but short. This can be up to a mile or so travel inside the gate to my destination

My questions are:
Can the RXV handle the slow or partial throttle driving? I know its a completely different setup but I about burned a PDS up by this type driving several years ago (actually my 08 is the PDS and I converted to a series).

Would I need a upgraded controller for more power/torque?

I'm reading that some are able to (dealer) program the cart for more torque/speed with the stock controller. Is this true?

Any recommendations???

Thanks!

[HiTechRedNeck]

Hi. Hope this helps..

1) RXV's AC motor does not have any problems with slow or partial throttle operation.

2) With tires that fit on un lifted cart, RXV,s seem to have plenty of torque.
They do very well on hills here, outperforming most "upgraded" Dc carts i have seen


3) There are no motor/controller upgrades for RXV's .
Some ac motor/controller packages advertised as kits on net.

4) Torque is not adjustable by programming on RXV's , Acceleration can be
set to High medium or low giving the illusion that torque is adjustable,

5) Speed is adjustable on RXV's. Top speed is limited to 19.5mph by controller . Lower speeds top speeds are also programmable.

Additional info--

RXV's have 4 12v batteries. Often these are trojans from golf course.
These seem to be problematic. You may wish to change to another battery manufacturer. We use Crown with great success.

Another option on batteries is a battery tray from EZGO that holds 6-8v batteries.This increases available amp hrs. for longer travel time.
(JohnieB has best battery info and spreadsheets on this subject)

RXV's have no physical brake system, relying on motor/regenerative braking .
RXV's do have a "parking/emergency" brake, but it is just that and is
not used in normal driving to slow or stop cart.

Early RXV's had problems with "parking/emergency" brake failure. These problems were addressed by replacement of "lever" style parking brake with
newer "no lever" brake.
These seem to be reliable if not abused.

RXV's have a posi rear end which seems to help on slippery stuff.
Most of our carts are neighborhood runabouts, But this is very hilly area
and many do some driving on wet grass, sand and dirt.

I recommend test driving RXV and trying a hill similar to ones you need to climb...

Good Luck !!!!
Keep us posted! !!!

[jdunmyer]

The one place that I use my RXV a lot has several steep, but short hills. It has no problem climbing them, loaded or not. It REALLY shines when descending a hill; it holds speed at whatever it was going before the top of the hill, no thoughts of "running away". In fact, if you take your foot off the accelerator pedal, it will actually stop. I love it!

[grassflatsfisher]

Great info guys. I actually went and test drove one this week and was very impressed. I will probably end up buying one in the next week or so. Just driving it on flat ground I could tell it wouldn't have any issues making its way around our camp.

What is the expected range of these carts with a lift?

[HiTechRedNeck]

Lifting RXV's can cause stability issues.

The RXV's are FAST and the ride can get "INTERESTING" in a lifted cart at high speeds.

I recommend going with a tire that fits under an un lifted cart or setting the top speed down to 13mph if lifted.

You also loose starting torque and brake power when you go up in tire size.
Since the torque is what you need for off road use, larger tires actually hurt performance.


also since motor IS brake going too large with tires -- not recommended.

[grassflatsfisher]

Originally Posted by HiTechRedNeck

Lifting RXV's can cause stability issues.

The RXV's are FAST and the ride can get "INTERESTING" in a lifted cart at high speeds.

I recommend going with a tire that fits under an un lifted cart or setting the top speed down to 13mph if lifted.

You also loose starting torque and brake power when you go up in tire size.
Since the torque is what you need for off road use, larger tires actually hurt performance.


also since motor IS brake going too large with tires -- not recommended.

What is too large? The one I'm looking at has 22".

As far ae speed I need more than 13mph due to my 2-3mile ride to and from the gate. I get where your going though and I may consider that after I get a good run to and from hunting one weekend.

[HiTechRedNeck]

Rule of thumb on RXV's - Stick close to stock size.

Get off road tread-- ok does not affect torque/speed.

Must test drive RXV in close to Real world/your usage.

We mostly do Neighborhood carts, Very hilly area but mostly on road.

Can you "demo" rxv for weekend?
Might be worth a rental weekend to try it out.


good sales outfit should find some way to work with you.

[jdunmyer]

gff said:

As far ae speed I need more than 13mph due to my 2-3mile ride to and from the gate. I get where your going though and I may consider that after I get a good run to and from hunting one weekend.

If my calculation is correct, you'll save almost 5 minutes on your 3 mile trip, going 19 instead of 13mph. IE: the slower speed will require about 14 minutes vs. about 9.5 at the faster speed. Do you really "need" that extra speed?

FWIW:

[HiTechRedNeck]

With RXV, there is no torque benefit to lowering speed.
Torque is "fixed" (motor design+controller design)
speed is programmable.

[jdunmyer]

HTR,
I understand that, I was just pointing out that "the need for speed" is more "I wanna go fast".

If he increases tire size in order to gain speed, he's going to loose torque and braking performance. I'm trying to convince him that it's not necessary to have even more speed than a stock RXV will deliver. I also suspect that a minimal lift that would probably leave the cart in a safe, stable condition is all that's really needed. After all, the maximum clearance under the cart is still limited by the differential.