98 electric TXT not climbing hills

[jfw432]

New guy here looking to buy a cart. Found what looks to be a nice looking and cheap 98 EZGO but obviously it has some issues. It appears to be lifted with 22" tires.

The guy said the cart drives well on the flats but will not climb a hill. He told me on the phone that the cart has 2 - 6v batteries and 2 - 12v batteries to make 36v with some being from 2015 and 1 being from 2016. He then told me later it has 3 - 12v batteries. Either way it sounds like a bit of a sketchy setup so I'm figuring new batteries will be a necessity.

Do you think this battery setup is enough to cause it to not climb hills or do you suspect something else wrong? I'm not afraid to disassemble the whole cart but trying to figure out how much might need to be changed before making an offer.

[scottyb]

absolutely - the batteries are a power problem. And everything works because the cart goes on the flat okay.

[Volt_Ampere]

Assume you would have to replace the batteries immediately when you factor in what you are willing to pay for this cart. A lifted 36V cart is going to have hill climbing issues.

[scottyb]

Right, needs a 48v conversion for speed and power

[jfw432]

Great thank guys! That's what I was hoping to hear! Will probably try to go grab it or at least look at it tomorrow.

I'm assuming a 36v to 48v conversion is not a cheap endeavor so that may have to wait...

[morrow21]

The motor can handle the increased voltage. I just got a lifted 98 txt series cart on 22s.not great up hills. Batteries are good so I'm keeping them for now but got a new controller and hd switch from scotty b. Going through the install now. When the batteries go the controller will handle 36 or 48 so I'll get 6 8v instead of the 6 6v i have now. Will want to upgrade cables as well to at least 4ga depending on controller, 2ga in my case. I went with alltrax SR 48500

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[jfw432]

Ok I ended up buying this cart and replaced the batteries with 6 - 6v Powertron batteries. However, it still won't climb a hill...it might even be worse now than with the 12v batteries.

To say it struggles on hills is being nice. It will build up decent speed on the flats although slower than normal which I kind of expect given the larger tires. Even the slightest uphill will cause it come to a dead stop though. My driveway is 140 ft long and has a 5-6 ft rise so roughly a 3% grade on concrete and the cart can't make it to the top with a 20 ft flat run up. If I push it to the top and turn it around, it will absolutely fly down that tiny grade and will accelerate quickly to point where I'm on the brakes before reaching halfway down just to make sure it stops.

Forward and reverse have the same issues. I'm thinking either all new cables as some look a little rough and/or a new heavy duty forward/reverse switch but I don't really see any heat damage or other issues with the F/R switch just by looking at it.

Any other opinions? Could the motor be shot and is there a way to check it?

[scottyb]

Assuming Series drive cart with rotary F&R you will need much more power for 22" tires. The tire size increase changes the rear end ratio. In the case of 18 to 22 inches = a 22% decrease in power (torque). That is what you are struggling with and new cables are not going to be coming close to covering the loss. A conversion to 48v increases torque and speed by 33%. The cart needs a new 48v compatible speed control and solenoid and charger for this. This is what is needed to improve the performance.
If the cables & F&R are iffy they should be refreshed also

[jfw432]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Assuming Series drive cart with rotary F&R you will need much more power for 22" tires. The tire size increase changes the rear end ratio. In the case of 18 to 22 inches = a 22% decrease in power (torque). That is what you are struggling with and new cables are not going to be coming close to covering the loss. A conversion to 48v increases torque and speed by 33%. The cart needs a new 48v compatible speed control and solenoid and charger for this. This is what is needed to improve the performance.
If the cables & F&R are iffy they should be refreshed also

I'm looking into a conversion to 48v. However, I have to question the need. I completely understand that the tires are sucking power. However, 4 grown adults with shooting gear can sit on this kind of cart nearly doubling the weight of the cart with stock 18" wheels/tires and make it up a fairly steep hill. So how does going to 22" tire cause the cart to not go up even the slightest hill by itself...without me even in it? I'm just thinking something else is wrong.

[scottyb]

You may be comparing a modified cart to your stock electronics? I dunno without looking at the cart, do you want to post some pics of what you got there, NO CLOSEUPS, we all got zoom