What can the battery handle?

[essness]

Pocket, I had LED underlights, cockpit lights, stereo, strobes all running off my starting battery. The first year I carried a jumper box with me all the time, then I realized I'll never use it. The battery handled it all just fine. The one time I forgot to turn the lights off and left it overnight in someones yard, I was able to use the little battery I had left and a gentle push with my left leg while holding the choke and it fired right up.
This was on a G16, we have been able to push start them a couple times.....

[pocket aces]

Hey essness do you ever hook your battery up to a Battery Tender?
To push start a cart do you put it in foward and have someone push you while you press the gas?

[essness]

The Yamaha (sold) I used to put it on the tender once the snow flew. I have only push started it in reverse (it's just easier to push backwards while sitting in the cart) and did it with my left leg only doing the pushing with my right foot on the gas.
Once it got going a little, it would throw enough at the battery to allow it to start back up in forward.

[SpoiledRotten]

I use an extra battery for my accessories. I'm not risking a battery pack just to save $80.00 on a marine battery. I run lots of stuff off of it too, including an 800 watt power inverter.

[technoid]

Originally Posted by sho305

Volt meter will tell you when it charges the voltage goes above 12.5v, under 12v is discharge, roughly.

But that still won't tell you how much current is being put out. You could have a weak cell and still see 12.5 volts. Or have all the lights on and stuff and the regulator adjusts to compensate back to normal voltage while the current is actually much higher. Its a good reference to know what current the system is using. A voltmeter is just that. Volts. I have not put any of these meters on my cart yet. But with a fully charged battery if the voltage on these things rises past 14 volts when loads are applied, then I assume they come with a very poor voltage regulation. You don't find this on automotive systems. My dodge truck stays at 13.5 volts no matter what I run. And I have a diesel with an air box heater that draws over 100 amps. You have to remember that if the battery is at full charge and the system voltage goes far beyond 13.5 you risk boiling the cells.

[sho305]

My diesel pulls it down to ~10v for the glow plugs, but above 12v when it starts for a few seconds. IIRC that is a 190A alternator and that was with two brand new 1000A batteries. The plow pump makes it move a little, otherwise nothing does. I guess I figure if the voltage is off, something is amiss.