Proud New Owner of 2005 EZ-GO TXT Series

[timkelco]

First post and new owner of an un-loved 2005 Ez-go that I found in a chicken house, when at a farm looking to buy some used fence. After some reading on this great forum I found out it is a Series System 36v.

I have big plans to lift it, upgrade to 48v, upgrade the controller and give it a camo wrap. I am sure more will happen to it. I don't really need speed, I need torque. I want to use it on a 17K hunting property in north Florida instead of driving my truck around the property. I was going to just buy it clean it up and sell it until I started reading here and other places about these being a good substitute for a ATV or 2 seat Sportsman.

I am getting confused on some stuff. 1 site said my motor should say 36v-48v in order to upgrade to 48v. Another place said my AMD 73445-G01 would be fine in a 48v system after a new 500 amp controller, 2 gauge wire and some other stuff...

When it comes to the lift, I am totally over run with all kinds of lifts from $150 - $900 without tires. I been finding the Jake's have the most to choose from with shocks, 2" receiver and full floating. I would like to have a winch and pull a small trailer with corn to make my rounds and fill my feeders. The receiver would come in handy for both.

I see that 22-23" tires are recommended but they are all on flashy rims I would not even put on my truck, I am a simple man...no bling required... I want flat black or something with no shine.

I have $325 in it so far. I cleaned it up today and I am shocked it is as nice as it is. Batteries are only putting out 2-3 volts so I am sure they need to be swapped out. They where a little low on water but not totally dry. They took just under 2 gallons of water between all 6.

I am green to all this so be gentle I just started this adventure Sunday, tips, ideas

[timkelco]

Spoke to soon on the wheels...Just found the Jake's swamp fox kit. Looks like just what I need.

[cgtech]

May not matter with your current batteries, but, only add distilled water enough to just cover the plates. Dont fill to top, it will only result in a acid mess all over next time you charge.

[timkelco]

Originally Posted by cgtech

May not matter with your current batteries, but, only add distilled water enough to just cover the plates. Dont fill to top, it will only result in a acid mess all over next time you charge.

Yes sir I only use distilled water. I just covered the plates plus a little since I figured all the charging would cook off some of the water. I use deep cycle batteries a good bit in my solar system. I am thinking these batteries are toast after sitting for 2 years. I am going to put a charger on them 2 at a time and give it a long shot...

[timkelco]

Looking like batteries are toast. Trojan T-105's in there. Question is stick with Trojan t-105 or T-125 for more amp hrs (8 instead of 6) or would the Sams club energizer batteries hold up enough in the Florida heat and heavy use? Might even look into the T-145 if they are no too tall and will not put me in the poor house.

[HiTechRedNeck]

Welcome to your new addiction!!

Your cart is a good platform. Popular,robust and with many aftermarket options.

Free advise--(and worth every penny of what you payed for it)

Lookup and read posts by JohnnieB . He is the battery guru.
In general --the higher amp hrs batts are better and stay away from cheep batts.

Your stock motor is probably ok with 36 or 48v.
Scottyb is site sponsor and respected vendor, he can advise on controller-solonoid-charger upgrade for 48v conversion.

Florida is kinda flat - so you may not need to go to 48V although it IS nice to have more available torque and speed.

Lifting cart allows larger tires - larger tires change "gear ratio" resulting in loss of torque.

It might be a good idea try cart un lifted with stock tires before spending money on lift and large tires.

even with lift, rear axle clearance is not helped as solid axle and motor
are still low. (unless large tires are used-- which robs torque)

Good luck!!!
Keep us posted!!!

[JohnnieB]

In general terms, there more differences between the different grades of batteries made by the same manufacturer than there are differences between the same grade battery made by different manufacturers.

The useful lifespan of all brands and grades of cart batteries is equally affected by the Florida climate.

The height of a 260AH battery is about 1" taller than a 225AH battery, but fits under the seat.

Again, in general terms, the best bang for the buck is the highest AH battery your budget allows, purchased from a local vendor at the lowest price.

I sounds like you are going to 48V, so you can build a 6 X 8V pack or a 8 X 6V pack and get essentially the same acceleration and top speed from your cart.

With either configuration, building the pack with higher AH batteries will give you greater range and a longer useful lifespan.

Attached is a comparison of 48V packs built from various 6V and 8V batteries.

[scottyb]

Hi Tech is right on the tire size, larger tires increase gear ratio which increases the workload on the stock 2.5 hp motor. Best to run some 20" knobby Scorpion tires on stock wheels with no lift needed. I use those around the ranch and there is a tractor lug tire available also in the stock size. I can't stress enough how much power (torque) is lost due to big tires. On average big tires rob 25% of the vehicles power.
Speaking of power - most guys use 500a controller pkg #485, 2g cables, & a HD F&R or reversing contactor to get out there and back.
48v operation produces 33% more torque and speed from the stock motor. 48v runs more efficiently and produces lower component heat.

[timkelco]

Thanks for the info. I might like to do at least a 3" lift and the 20" tires. It is flat but when it rains a lot it gets swampy and the ruts get rather large. I would also like the tires as wide as possible, I get into sugar sand some times and skinny tires sink like a stone. So I found a few 20x10.00-9 and 20x10-8 would these fit my stock rims after I paint them black?

I have all the stuff to make my own cables, so 2ga will be on for sure since I have 50+ feet left over from my solar set up.
So I need the 500amp controller and F/R switch before heading into the woods. Right? I looked on your site Scotty and could not find the #485 pkg.
I found a 500amp controller the F/R switch and a 200amp solenoid. I guess the solenoid is OK at only 200amp?

I think a winch might be in order, so do I need to upgrade any other electrical?

[JohnnieB]

Stock rims are 8", so look for tires whose last digit is an "8".

With 20" tall tires, you might not need a lift, but the height and width numbers stamped on a tire's sidewall are approximate and may vary an inch or more in either direction. IE: My tires are stamped 18 X 8.50 - 8 and Carlisle's website says their MTD (Mounted Tire Diameter) is 18.3", but they actually measure 17" tall.

Avoid the ultra-low pressure (Max inflation pressure below 10 PSI) tires if possible. Some of them have inordinately high rolling resistance and are amp hogs that rob the cart of top speed and run-time.

Scroll a bit further down the page on the Carts Unlimited website to where the SPM controllers are listed. He has a 484, 485 and a 486 kit listed. 400A, 500A and 600A SPM controllers respectively. The 500A and 600A come with the 400A/1000A super-duty solenoid.

A 200A solenoid is marginal for a 500A controller. Also, the Super-Duty solenoid works at 36V, 42V and 48V, while the 200A is voltage specific.