upgrade 02 pds or buy rxv?

[Great white north]

the TXT PDS platform is the best for overall rideabilty and ability and access to modification and upgrades that the RXV just does not have .
Also the complexity of the a/c drive system is , and can be problematic for the
Average joe to repair compared to a DC drive system . For instance I have a 400 amp Alltrax controller (upgraded to 48 volt) with jakes long travel front end on mine lifted to 6inches but can go up to 8 inch if I want to ... A great. Ride for on and off road ... My opinion stay with the PDS platform .. Even with stock motor .. Is still good for small to moderate hills
But if you need for off road ... Hunting ... Then just upgrade motor to a higher torque spec .. Ex. D&D for instance and when doing heavy hauling and hills upgrade controller to 500 Alltrax . You can pick up a good fleet TXT PDS 08 and up for very reasonable money ... Just saying

[bdl0485]

Thanks guys for all the good info, after doing some research and pricing a few things out i decided to get the 2012 RXV. I think i got a decent deal for it, and its in real good shape. The only problem is they told it it had 2014 batteries, i opened the seat and looked to verify. Once i got home i looked at everything a little closer and noticed the back battery is the original battery. I put the meter to it, and it is .3 less then the other batteries. I have it on the charger so i will see what it has in the morning, according to the graph they were at 60%. the cart still held 19, it dropped down to 17 on some of the bigger hills in my subdivision, did not go very far though since the battery were low.

Should i change the original battery, if its still .3 off from the other? or should i change it no matter what? It is the battery in the back of pack, what is the best way to get to it? I did notice it does have a far better ride then my 02, so far i am very happy with the rxv.

Thanks

[cgtech]

You "get to it" by removing 2 of the 3 batteries in front of it. The back battery is the worst to change. Consider getting the 6x 8v tray & batteries (its a direct easy bolt-in), and "be gone" with the whole 12v battery suck-ness for ever.

[HiTechRedNeck]

Back battery is "problem child" due to problems with the automatic watering systems used on the carts from golf courses.

If batt is only .3 off i would be sure accessories are run from a voltage reducer from the pack and ride on.

When batt gives problems, go with other than trojans and replace pack . or change to new batt tray as CG suggested.

[bdl0485]

so after i left it set after 12 hours after a charge i got 50 volts all together and separately i got
12.7 closest to controller
12.8 middle
12.7 drivers side
12.5 back

Do you think i can keep the battery? Or would change out the original batter? I won't use the watering system so should i remove it? i noticed the back battery had some water on it after charging it. The battery that are in there now is us battery. As far as going with 6x8 system i basically use the cart for the neighborhood, so i might use 5 miles before i go home charge. Is there any other reason besides extended run time to go to 6x8?

[cgtech]

Extended lifespan in years. The less you discharge the batts everytime you use the cart, the longer the battery lifespan.

[HiTechRedNeck]

CG is correct--

The 4x12v batteries don't seem to last much past 4 years.
Trojans commonly fail before that.(Could be golf course maint/bulk watering systems)

After that , we see a drop in range and they start using more water.
Still useable- but i have seen 6+ year old 6 and 8 volt batts still serviceable.

A little up front cost to change over, But not a bad investment.

Cart is a great performer either way.

[bdl0485]

ok, so looks like i will be upgrading to the 8v system at some point. For now though should i go ahead and change the one battery that is 3 years older then the others? I drove it around yesterday for 6-7 miles and came home and ran hooked it up to my voltage meter and noticed i was down to 48.2. The three newer batteries were the same and the older battery is .2 lower again. So it always consistently .2-.3 lower then the other batteries, is this enough to be concerned enough to swap it out for a new one?

[HiTechRedNeck]

The 3 year old battery will shorten the life of the new ones.

Read threads/posts from JohnnieB .

Search for his posts.. He is battery guru.