1993 EZGO XT 500 Workhorse

[cowboysclassics]

Hi folks, I am not new to golf carts as I have several of the old Harley Davidson electric and gas, but I have recently aquired a EZGO workhorse.

First off I want to thank everyone on this forum for all of the great info I have been reading the last couple of months, its all been very usefull. I do have a few questions I have not been able to find a clear answer on though after doing many searches and reading related threads.

First off, the ID tag on mine says Textron XT 500 S# U.L.A. 26365 -C2893 - Type E Industrial Truck -38E3. It has a spicer rearend according to the tag on the rearend and I beleive it is the Series motor from the info I have read on the forum. I assume its a 1993, But I dont understand all of the names given to the different model carts. Would mine be considered a TXT?

Also I just purchased a battery SOC meter from ScottyB from my understanding and hope to get it today. I have read its a simple install that the + side goes to the first battery & the - goes to the last battery, I am confused as I would think it would be the same batt posts that the charger wires hook upto but I have not heard that mentioned.

I have read many threads that specify the batts must be charged after every use if longer then 15 minutes or so. My question might be stupid, but does anyone know how much electricity the charger uses if using that often and each time you charge the cart is it for the full 12 hours no matter how much its been used?

My cart has 4 batterys that are two years old and I just installed two new ones along with replacing any of the cables that were questionable. Since ordering the meter I just want to make sure I install it correctly and get my batterys in the best shape I can before I use it very much at all. Thanks in advance for any input, and sorry if these questions have been addressed before. Heres a few pics of my new to me rig, it aint perty but I think it will be very handy. BTW these pics were taken before I cleaned the connections and added better cables. Bob

[ab46501]

Honestly I have not seen a cart exactly like yours before but from the year, metal body and the front end it is basically a Marathon. If so the axle would be a dana spicer with the 19 spline input. The SOC meter will hook up to the first and last battery in the series which would be the same place that the charger cables hook to.

I can't really answer how much electricity the charger uses. The only thing I could say is it is cheaper to buy electricity than a new battery pack.

I like the cart though. Very cool setup to start with!

[cowboysclassics]

Originally Posted by ab46501

Honestly I have not seen a cart exactly like yours before but from the year, metal body and the front end it is basically a Marathon. If so the axle would be a dana spicer with the 19 spline input. The SOC meter will hook up to the first and last battery in the series which would be the same place that the charger cables hook to.
I can't really answer how much electricity the charger uses. The only thing I could say is it is cheaper to buy electricity than a new battery pack.

I like the cart though. Very cool setup to start with!

Thanks for the info ab46501, I thought it was very much like the older Marathons but wasn't quite sure. The rearend also looks like so many others that I have seen posted on the forum as well so I think you are correct. I really wanted to be clear on the SOC hookup so thanks for clearing that up as well.

I was only curious if anyone ever tried to figure out how much electricity is used by charging daily, its not like it will keep me from keeping it fully charged.

I think its a cool start too, and even my wife loves it so I may end up having to buy another soon.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by cowboysclassics

I have read many threads that specify the batts must be charged after every use if longer then 15 minutes or so. My question might be stupid, but does anyone know how much electricity the charger uses if using that often and each time you charge the cart is it for the full 12 hours no matter how much its been used?

36V chargers draw about 9A @ 120VAC when they are putting 20A into the batteries, so their efficiency is about 65%.
That's roughly 13kWh for a 12 hour charge, but the charger only puts out 20A for the first 30 minutes or so, and it uses far less energy than that.

Sounds like you have a manual charger with a 12 hour timer.
Automatic ones shut off when battery is charged.

If you really want to know, get something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

I like your workhorse.

[kgsc]

Like the yellow.. It looks like the gas one I tried to buy...

[cowboysclassics]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

36V chargers draw about 9A @ 120VAC when they are putting 20A into the batteries, so their efficiency is about 65%.
That's roughly 13kWh for a 12 hour charge, but the charger only puts out 20A for the first 30 minutes or so, and it uses far less energy than that.

Sounds like you have a manual charger with a 12 hour timer.
Automatic ones shut off when battery is charged.

If you really want to know, get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation.../dp/B00009MDBU


I like your workhorse.

Thanks for the info and the link JohnnieB, I might just get one of those so I can keep track for sure. I get bored a lot.

Yes it is a manual 12 hour charger but I might look into an automatic down the road.

Originally Posted by kgsc

Like the yellow.. It looks like the gas one I tried to buy...

I kinda like the yellow myself but my wife doesn't so much.

[Slamminsam]

that one looks like mine, a 1994 GXT-804. only mine is a gas, well soon, diesel. Marathon based platform. Some have called it an early workhorse. your front axle doesnt look stock to me. if your rear axle is like mine its an ME-29.

[cowboysclassics]

Originally Posted by Slamminsam

that one looks like mine, a 1994 GXT-804. only mine is a gas, well soon, diesel. Marathon based platform. Some have called it an early workhorse. your front axle doesnt look stock to me. if your rear axle is like mine its an ME-29.

Thanks Slamminsam, I had to do a search for the GXT-804 and your right, looks like the same thing. If nothing else it will give me more ideas then what I have found searching for XT-500.

I dont know what all is stock on my rig, but I do know it has a 6inch lift kit that looks like it was installed by someone other then an expert. If I didn't know better I would swear I did it myself.

I'll try to get a closer look on the rearend tag and see if its the MW-29, the rear does look to be original.

[yurtle]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

If you really want to know, get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation.../dp/B00009MDBU

I've always loved the kill-a-watts, but never bought one, as I have two utility power meters, besides the one mounted on my house.

One alternative, though a bit of a pain, would be to kill all breakers in your house, except the one powering your charger. You could take a "before" reading of your utility meter, and if you really want to plot a curve, check your meter every hour (half, fifteen minutes, ...). Once the charger is done, check the "after" reading, and you'll have the actual kilowatt hours for that particular charge cycle.

Every charge cycle will be different, so if you really want to track this, buy a kill-a-watt.

[cowboysclassics]

Originally Posted by yurtle

I've always loved the kill-a-watts, but never bought one, as I have two utility power meters, besides the one mounted on my house.

One alternative, though a bit of a pain, would be to kill all breakers in your house, except the one powering your charger. You could take a "before" reading of your utility meter, and if you really want to plot a curve, check your meter every hour (half, fifteen minutes, ...). Once the charger is done, check the "after" reading, and you'll have the actual kilowatt hours for that particular charge cycle.

Every charge cycle will be different, so if you really want to track this, buy a kill-a-watt.

Thanks yurtle, I have two seperate meters as well with my shop being on a seperate meter. I have tried to keep track of usage when I add anything that uses very much power such as my 220 overhead heater but its still kind of a guessing game, I think the kill-a-watts will be the way to go to satisfy my curiosity.

On another note, I just added one of Scottyb's digital meter and I have noticed (or not that I can find), that no one has mentioned how the meters should read while using the carts.

I drove it about 2 miles last night on a full charge and noticed the reading down to 34.8 V while I was driving at full speed, it did go back up after I stopped for a minute, but I wonder wether or nor running it that low during use if that is hurting the battery pack. Is that something I should be concerned about or am I just worrying to much?

What should the normal reading be while under acceleration for a 36 volt system?