not much torque uphill 2007 TXT

[pmangr]

My 2007 TXT PDS Drives fine on level ground, but uphill its a dog. I believe the 6 trojan T-105 bats are original.Just got this in time to store last year so I don't know moreanout it yet. What could cause poor torque!

[JohnnieB]

Poor batteries, poor cables and poor connections.

What are the two digits stamped into the negative posts of the T-105 batteries?
The letter is the month and the number is the year.

If they are 2007 batteries, they are 6 years old and even with the best of care, cart batteries don't typically last that long.

What size tires are on it?
18" tall is stock and anything taller reduces torque, while increasing speed.

What is the battery pack voltage and the individual battery voltages, 12 hours after the charger automatically shuts off?
The pack voltage should be 38.2 and each battery should measure 6.37V and all six should be within 0.1V of each other.

[pmangr]

All the batteries are stamped F7, or June, 2007.

It's charging right now, as I had used it today. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to read the batter voltages. Do I need to disconnect the batteries to read the individual voltages? Or just go across their own terminals? Just want to make sure I get the right readings.

So I have a round of golf for tomorrow, I live on the course, do I dare doing 9 with the cart on my side, or should I wait to get new batteries? The connections look good and the cart seems fine otherwise.

-Thanks!

[JohnnieB]

Sound like you've got batteries that will turn six in June.
The cables are very likely to be same age and should be replaced also. (All 10 of them)

The OEM cables on my 2008 looked okay to my critical eye (I'm a retired Clinical Engineer), but weren't.
I got a noticeable, seat of the pants, improvement in low end torque when I replaced them.
Of course, there was no increase in top speed because the controller limits the motor RPM to the max speed for whatever PDS mode you are in.
I went with 2Ga, but 4Ga will suffice up for controllers up to about 500A.

No need to disconnect batteries to measure their voltage. Just go from + to - on each battery.

As for trusting it for 9 holes, it depends on your handicap.
Seriously, not knowing how bad are batteries are, I can't even guess if it would run for 3 or 4 miles or not.

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When you get the new batteries, here is how to break them in. http://www.cartsunlimited.net/Batter...n_Methods.html

Also, whenever you connect or disconnect any wires on a PDS cart, place the Run/Tow switch into Row.

Also, if you have to tow the cart, be absolutely sure to place Run/Tow switch into Tow.
Otherwise you can burn out the motor and/or controller and/or batteries.

[pmangr]

So I measured the pack after 12 hours rest. It measures 42.6V, which seems a bit high for me. I swear that's what the meter read! I can do the math as well, but there it is!

Individually, they measure the following:

6.94
6.80
6.85
6.89
6.89
6.94

I then cleaned each battery terminal and each cable end and nut. Then I ran the cart around for about 10 minutes and tried the same hill. Seems at least 2x more torque than yesterday. Pack voltage didn't drop noticeably when I measured again after 5 minutes of rest.

I'm going to go ahead and purchase new batteries and cables per your suggestion as I believe it is just a matter of time before they give up on me. And we all know that will most likely be during a rain storm at the farthest point from the club house on the golf course, right?

I think it would probably last 9, but I wouldn't press my luck much beyond that.

[scottyb]

Either the batteries were hot off the charge when you got that reading or it's time to put a new battery in the meter too, lol

[pmangr]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Either the batteries were hot off the charge when you got that reading or it's time to put a new battery in the meter too, lol

No, I waited 12 hours after the charger stopped charging before the initial read. And I measured again after using for about 10 minutes. Could be the battery should be changed in the meter. It's a quality meter though. Beckman. I'm an electronics technician by schooling. I'm a software developer by trade.

I'm going to get new batteries and cables, like suggested. Just weird observations, huh?

Your opinion. Trojan vs Crown. T-105 vs CR-220 or T-105 vs CR-235

I can get the T-105 for $115 each, the CR-220 for $97 each. Don't know yet what I can get the CR-235 for.

Just asking for your opinion...

T-105


Crown

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by pmangr

Your opinion. Trojan vs Crown. T-105 vs CR-220 or T-105 vs CR-235

I can get the T-105 for $115 each, the CR-220 for $97 each. Don't know yet what I can get the CR-235 for.

It is a tossup on Performance, Run-Time and Lifespan, but the Crowns would cost about $17.59 less per year.

[pmangr]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

It is a tossup on Performance, Run-Time and Lifespan, but the Crowns would cost about $17.59 less per year.

So are you saying that they are comparable in quality? You'd be happy with either?

[JohnnieB]

Crown and Trojan are top brands in Golf Cart batteries and I would not hesitate to buy either.

The Crown is slightly lower in Amp-hours, but not enough to make a noticeable difference in cart performance and the slight difference in life expectancy is more than offset by the cost difference.

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Of course, there are other brands at the top of the list also. Deka(East Penn), Exide and US Battery rounds out my personal list of brands I would buy. And some, but not all, of the store brands are made by those five battery manufacturers.

Basically, there are more differences between the grades within the same brand than there are differences in the same grade is different brands.

A premium grade battery (>235AH) from a major discount store will most likely out perform and outlast an economy grade battery (>215AH) from Trojan or Crown.

Here is a list of commonly available 6V GC batteries. It is not all inclusive, but it covers the field pretty well. If a battery isn't on the list, pick the closest AH rating and the is where it would stack up to the rest.

The list is sorted by the AH rating at C/20 and then alphabetically by manufacturer/brand.

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Battery prices vary greatly by location, so the trick is to find the highest AH rated battery at the lowest price in your neck of the woods.

I got my Exide GC-145's through a tractor supply store.