EZGO PCX-956 limo rebuild, need any info available

[scottyb]

The controller should be sized to the workload and matched with the motor. I have a 500a in mine. It has a D&D 10hp torque motor. These were parts I had available when the cart shell arrived with no components. It was overkill considering all it does is ferry pkgs and inventory. It basically serves as a mobile shipping dock. I was feeling cheap last year when the 500a controller went out... 500s were in high demand and I didn't want to use one on my own stuff. Long story short I grabbed a Alltrax SR48300 and away it went. Still ticking at 350 peak amps on 48v. It's sluggish but it works.
I would not be afraid to suggest the 400a SR with 460 amps peak for this cart on stock tires and wheels.
And yes there is some loss in long cable runs. Nothing terribly significant but it's there.

[Lochlin]

Originally Posted by web4hicks

Lochlin, Hi were you able to keep your existing motor for the 48 volt upgrade? I just got a 98 PCX-954 aka the Struggle Bus and I was debating a 48v upgrade. Thank you

Yes. The cart is a beast with the 36v motor on 48v.

Speed went from around 10 to around 14 - 15. That might not sound that much but it's darn close to a 50% improvement for a 1600 pound cart. You read that right. 1600 pounds WITHOUT people.

Better though, the cart gained an amazing amount of torque which is really what I was shooting for. With the weight of the cart plus people you will be well over a ton. Torque is more important than speed at that point. My shuttle will spin tire on dry grass. The torque is such that I actually use it for all of my camp towing now.

Come Halloween time I hook a hayride up to it. That'll be 6 adults in the shuttle and another 6-10 kids and a couple of more adults in the hayride trailer. The cart pulls it with no noticable lag although, obviously, the batts go down quicker with that much weight.

Keep in mind, the brakes on those shuttles are also heavier duty so, assumming they are funcitonal, they'll stop you no problem.

I think the only downside is that the suspensions on those shuttles are tight so that they don't sag with the weight. You have to take it easy going over bumps or people will get jostled a bit. The converstion was far better then expected though.

Oh, I mounted a cooler under the back seat as well. Even more fun with "beverages" on hand.

[web4hicks]

Thanks for the input guys. I can't wait to get started.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by web4hicks

Is there a voltage drop of some sort due to the long run of cable from the FR switch back to the motor?

Yes, but voltage doesn't tell the whole story since the motor runs on the combination of Volts and Amps. (Watts)

The longer the cable, the greater the power loss and the thinner the cable, the greater the power loss.

I'm not sure what gauge cable is used or how long the cables are, but here is the power loss for 10' of various gauge cables at 100A of current flow.

6Ga = 40W
4Ga = 25W
2Ga = 16W
0Ga = 10W

[Lochlin]

JohnnieB is king of electrical knowledge, that is certain.

For the record, I went with a Scotty upgrade kit that replaced the switch lever with a f / r paddle switch therefore enabling thin gauge wires from the switch back to the solenoids. The run for my high current wire (2 gauge) became shorter with the upgrade.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Lochlin

For the record, I went with a Scotty upgrade kit that replaced the switch lever with a f / r paddle switch therefore enabling thin gauge wires from the switch back to the solenoids. The run for my high current wire (2 gauge) became shorter with the upgrade.

Just curious, approximately how many feet of high current cable does replacing the F/R switch assembly with a reversing contactor eliminate?

[Lochlin]

I dunno. Its been two years and I cant remember the original configuration. If I had to guess I would say 3 - 4 feet?