Battery opinion

[Ronboy1]

Trying to decide on batterys. Planning on using the cart as is (stock 97dcs with a lift)for the rest of the season and do an overhaul this winter....36 to 48v. found some batteries here locally.
Interstate GC2-XHD 20Ah@232, 75a@122, 25a@475 $105ea.
DuracellGC2 20Ah215, 75a@105, 25a@395 $80ea.
Trojan 105's $115ea
Just going to get 6 for now and get 2 more when I do the rebuild. Leaning toward the Interstates. Will it be worth spending $150 extra ($200 more going to 48v) to get a little more capacity from the Batteries? or should I skimp and save some $'s for the build????????

[pggroves]

FWIW:

The first two are from Johnson Controls. Sams Club?

From experience, the golf car set that lasted the longest for me was a set of Trojan T105's. ~ 7 years. I also had a 24v cell in a TD E4-51 that lasted nearly twenty years. Yeah, I know it's not really the same but still.....

BUT, I've also had other than Trojan as well as Trojan last similar service lives of around 2-5 years.

At the end of the day, the life of the batteries depends more on maintenance, depth of discharge, and number of cycles than manufacturer IMO.

Let your budget or personal preference be the judge.

I'm sure you'll get several posts/opinions as this topic has been covered numerous times on this board.

Good luck.

[camaroluvz28]

As PG stated all a matter of opinion. For me I will always stick to Trojan, as a dealer they have always been on the top of my list. However lately even the big golf cart companies(E-Z Go, Club Car) have switched to more cost effective brands. Check prices and a few more opinions but I think you will find the majority of long time mechanics/owners will vouch for Trojans.

[yurtle]

Any chance you could limp by on the ones you have and buy all eight new ones at once? It's better to have them all the same age and have the same charge/discharge history if possible.

[ab46501]

I tried the Sam's batteries once. They lasted 2 years. I now am on year 3 of the Trojan T105 and they are as strong as ever. US Battery is very good also. A friend has those in his cart and they have held up well.

One thing I have learned about these carts is that usually you get what you pay for.

[Ronboy1]

Thanks for the replays!! The batts. That was in the cart when I picked it up, was shot! Melted terms. Discharged for who knows how long. I put 12v's in it just to make sure the cart was operable. It was. But the 12's just won't cut it. I know it's best to keep battery's together as a pack, didn't know if just a few months would hurt or not. I'll probably just go with the Trojans, heard nothing but good about them. A local rental store here sells cart supply's, they have a battery that they claim is a Trojan for $115 but its black and has some other name on it though, any ideas what it may be? As for US Batterys, I can't find a dealer around here. (northeast KY tristate area not far from OH & WV) I thought about them but just can't find any close buy. Called a US Batt. Dealer about 2hrs away there quote was $99.50. once again thanks for the advise!

[gornoman]

Originally Posted by Ronboy1

A local rental store here sells cart supply's, they have a battery that they claim is a Trojan for $115 but its black and has some other name on it though, any ideas what it may be?

Sounds like they might be Pacer cells, a Trojan economy line with a very sketchy reputation.

[camaroluvz28]

I sell a battery called powertron at about 15 bux cheaper per battery as a Trojan equal...but it is not a Trojan by any means...that's just an option for people that don't plan on keeping their carts for more than a couple years...

[Ronboy1]

Thanks again for the advise! Still going to try and locate US Batteries around here and check on the price of the 2200's. But it will probably be some Trojans in the future.

[yurtle]

You indicated you wanted to get six now, and two more in the future.

This is probably more trouble than it's worth, and others more knowledgeable than me can chime in, but what if you were to buy all eights batts, then develop a schedule to rotate the two extras in and out of the buggy, to keep them all more or less the same?

The value of doing this depends on how much driving you do each day/week, distance traveled, load, hills, etc. Basically, how many discharge/charge cycles and how deep each discharge is before recharging.