Just had the second near-disaster. Is there a way to create a true neutral?

[pjr202]

2017 RXV. Two years ago my 13 year old daughter left her approved area of the neighborhood, panicked, and ended up a half mile out a narrow country rode because she was afraid to turn around. Solenoid died and she was literally stuck in the road in the crest of a hill.

Fast forward to last night. I'm driving back from the local ball field, which is about a half mile from home and only requires a public road for 75ft as I cross the highway. I'm halfway across and the cart locks up. I'm 30ft from the subdivision entrance, blocking part of a lane of US 60. I jumped out, thinking it was the solenoid again, and know I can't safely hold the seat up and reverse the plugs and not also potentially get run over. A neighbor rolled up on his own cart and offered to help. I flipped the tow switch for the hell of it, and it rolled (so instantly i knew it wasnt the solenoid). My barefoot neighbor pushed me off the highway and I pulled off to the side. Longer story short (which involved it seizing up twice more while I was being towed home), it turned out the problem was a battery cable end had corroded and broken off. It was in the back, but I really don't know how I missed it because I just watered the batteries a couple months ago. The other are all fine.

So,

-with a bad solenoid, tow mode doesnt work and plugs need reversed to roll.
- with no power, cable swap and tow mode BOTH don't work. I presume the only reason tow mode worked on the highway was because the cable end was still nudging up against the terminal a bit.

My failire to notice the bad cable aside, I think this setup is dangerous. The cart needs a true neutral or tow position that works with no power, or with a small battery of its own. Something that can be activated very quickly in a pinch.

Is there such a thing? A hack? Anything that will give me a neutral? The city just approved a permit to drive carts in town but I don't even want to cross the highway on this thing anymore at this point.

[Volt_Ampere]

You could do a hack that just powers the brake solenoid with a separate battery and a switch. Not owning an RXV, I don't know what voltage the brake gets. If it's 48V, then you need a 48V battery - not likely.

[TheCartBoy]

The RXV brake needs power to disengage. And any failure mode that removes power, that brake is going to engage. And you can't just delete the brake, as that's the only true mechanically braking device on it.

The are other carts on the market without an electric parking brake, and traditional drum brakes...

[sthreatt]

More times than once I've had to unbolt the motor brake and take it off to roll the cart. If you don't have 48 volts to power the brake to release it you're locked down. It's unfortunately the nature of the beast with an RXV.

[ojo]

I personally never had this known horrible situation in 6 years now, stranding in the middle of the road One working solution would be a 18v accu, prepared with cable/connector for the ebrake. And always on hand...

[usgicollector]

Originally Posted by ojo

I personally never had this known horrible situation in 6 years now, stranding in the middle of the road One working solution would be a 18v accu, prepared with cable/connector for the ebrake. And always on hand...

Here is the plug that would go into the brake to unlock it, no more having to take the brake off. Myself I use my drill battery that is 20v. I added two feet to this pigtail so I can just put my battery in the baggage compartment while I push the cart.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25546645204...Bk9SR4aI1cfFYg

[jasonojordan]

IF the voltage to release is 12v could run it to a set of external lugs possibly and use a jump box to send 12v to it? Would have to be careful to fully isolate it so you don't accidently back feed to something doing this.

[Volt_Ampere]

A Jump Pack with a boost converter would do the trick. RXV's are good carts but I don't like the parking brake. I prefer a standard friction brake enhanced by regen braking. That is what I have on my carts.

[pjr202]

Originally Posted by TheCartBoy

The RXV brake needs power to disengage. And any failure mode that removes power, that brake is going to engage. And you can't just delete the brake, as that's the only true mechanically braking device on it.

The are other carts on the market without an electric parking brake, and traditional drum brakes...

That was my point. I need a way to get power directly to the brake to disengage it if i lose power again. I wasn't aware that the pedal didn't have at least a rudimentary mechanical braking mechanism. I thought it just triggered the electric brake when it was fully depressed but was still using a drum up to that point. I certainly don't want to put myself in a position to not be able to stop though.

[pjr202]

Originally Posted by usgicollector

Here is the plug that would go into the brake to unlock it, no more having to take the brake off. Myself I use my drill battery that is 20v. I added two feet to this pigtail so I can just put my battery in the baggage compartment while I push the cart.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25546645204...Bk9SR4aI1cfFYg

Can you explain that a little more? Are you saying you're using that pigtail to connect your 20v drill battery to one of those plugs under the tow switch? And that 20v is enough to unlock the brake? If so, do you just have the back side of the pigtail with some kind of removable jumper to the drill battery contacts?