# Electric golf cart question.



## Milkman (Oct 30, 2011)

We recently got a 2006 EZ Go electric cart.  It has been lifted and has the atv type tires, wheels, etc. It is the 4 seater model. The data plate says capacity 800 lbs.  

It is a 36 volt model. The batteries were new in June of 2011.  With a full charge and about 600 lbs of passengers how long should that buggy run before it starts slowing down? Assuming this is in a hilly type paved road situation.


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## rjcruiser (Oct 31, 2011)

Way way way too many factors go into length of charge.  

What size are your cables?  What size tires?  Connections clean?  Any upgrades?  Any chips?  What type of batteries?

Get yourself a charge meter...for $50 you'll have a peace of mind....but just off my head, you should get at least 5 miles.


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## Milkman (Oct 31, 2011)

rjcruiser said:


> Way way way too many factors go into length of charge.
> 
> What size are your cables?  What size tires?  Connections clean?  Any upgrades?  Any chips?  What type of batteries?
> 
> Get yourself a charge meter...for $50 you'll have a peace of mind....but just off my head, you should get at least 5 miles.



Thanks RJ for your input 

Good idea , I will look into getting a charge condition meter for the cart.

I am ignorant about golf carts but do understand mechanical and electrical concepts and theories.  I have not checked the battery/cables to assure clean corrosion free connections. I will do that.

Your mention of cable size.  Is that the cables between the batteries, or other cable?  

What are you asking by the question of upgrades and chips ?  

What do you mean by "battery type"?

How does the tire size effect battery charge loss?

thanks for any help, remember I said above I am ignorant.


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## rjcruiser (Oct 31, 2011)

No worries...I was ignorant a year ago before getting into them on the side. 

I'm guessing it is an EZ Go PDS cart (way to tell if it is a pds cart is if the fwd/reverse button is a switch on the dash...if it's a lever between the legs, its a non-pds cart or series cart).  Stock motor, stock controller, with a lift and 22" tires.  The PDS carts are great cruisers and the controller can be modded a bit with a chip.  There are 3 or 4 different chips...giving the motor more torque or more speed.  With those tires, you'd want the torque chip....and it will give you more run time.

Cable size is the size of cable running from battery to battery.  Then battery to motor.  The thicker, the better.  You can buy replacements on ebay for around $20 that are 4 gauge.  Will get you the most current and it does make a difference.

Battery type.  Not all batteries are created equal.  Some have more capacity than others....the battery should say the run time @ a certain amperage on the side.  I think the Trojan T-105s are 105 minutes @ a certain amperage.

Tire size/tire weight...think of it like a gas truck.  The more weight, the bigger the tire, the more torque required to get it going.  This will drain the batteries faster than stock sized tires.


To me, it sounds like you are in the market for a cart, have one that you like and are checking into it   When the charge gets weak on carts, you'll be able to tell.  It doesn't just turn off.  It just gets a little sluggish and then gets more sluggish and then you'll not be able to pull a hill.  Check the date stamps on the batteries.  A terminal will be imprinted with a letter and a number.  Letter is the month of the year (for example, a is Jan...b is Feb etc etc) and the number is the fourth digit of the year (1 is 2011, 0 is 2010, 9 is 2009 etc etc).  


5 miles is a conservative guess.  Check out the Trojan Battery website for how to care for batteries...proper care will give you extended life and range.

All in all, electric carts is the way to go...at least in my opinion.  Clean, quiet...no fooling with ethanol gas, oil changes, tune-ups etc etc.  That being said, never stall the cart (push on the pedal when you're not going anywhere).  That will over heat the controller and leave you stranded.  New controllers are around $250-350.  

Keep asking and I'll keep giving you my opinion


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## erniesp (Oct 31, 2011)

Cable size should be 4 guage all the way around. Between your batteries to your controller o your motor.

Upgrades would be a chip in your controller. Beefed up solenoid. Higher amp controller. 

I assume he was asking about what brand of batteries. 

Also the cart can either be a PDS cart or a series cart. Good way to tell is the PDS usually has a switch by the key for the F/R. Series cart will have the F/R switch lever behind your leg if you are sitting on cart. The PDS cart does not like to be lifted and ran slow. You will have to upgrade the controller to alteast 400 AMP or 500 AMP.

Also never let your batteries go below 50% charge. Every time you ride it charge it. It's always best to let it do a full cycle for charge and not interupt. 

Hope this helps


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## Milkman (Oct 31, 2011)

rjcruiser said:


> No worries...I was ignorant a year ago before getting into them on the side.
> 
> I'm guessing it is an EZ Go PDS cart (way to tell if it is a pds cart is if the fwd/reverse button is a switch on the dash...if it's a lever between the legs, its a non-pds cart or series cart).  Stock motor, stock controller, with a lift and 22" tires.  The PDS carts are great cruisers and the controller can be modded a bit with a chip.  There are 3 or 4 different chips...giving the motor more torque or more speed.  With those tires, you'd want the torque chip....and it will give you more run time.
> 
> ...





erniesp said:


> Cable size should be 4 guage all the way around. Between your batteries to your controller o your motor.
> 
> Upgrades would be a chip in your controller. Beefed up solenoid. Higher amp controller.
> 
> ...



WOW, great info guys !!!

What I have is a PDS because it has the switch yall mention.  I will have to check on some of the items mentioned.  
The cart we have starts dying out quickly, I dont know the size right now but it has the large knobby style tires. I will have to find the controller and see if I can determine the size/ampacity of it.  I would say the wires appear to be 4 gauge, but will have to check that too. 

I can almost assure you that this cart is needing some work to get it running longer on a charge.  30 minutes is about all it wants to go on a charge.  But it may be a few days before I have time to look into it.

Thanks for all the comments, and information.


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## erniesp (Oct 31, 2011)

*Here is a state of charge sheet for the batteries*

You can check each battery or check the whole bank


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## jimbo4116 (Oct 31, 2011)

rjcruiser said:


> No worries...I was ignorant a year ago before getting into them on the side.
> 
> I'm guessing it is an EZ Go PDS cart (way to tell if it is a pds cart is if the fwd/reverse button is a switch on the dash...if it's a lever between the legs, its a non-pds cart or series cart).  Stock motor, stock controller, with a lift and 22" tires.  The PDS carts are great cruisers and the controller can be modded a bit with a chip.  There are 3 or 4 different chips...giving the motor more torque or more speed.  With those tires, you'd want the torque chip....and it will give you more run time.
> 
> ...



Think of it this way a new cart with new batteries is expected to make 36 holes of golf a day without charge.
On most any golf course of around 6800 yards playing length that will be about 11 to 12 miles miles of travel by the time you go from green to tee and the back and forth of the game.  The golf course will generally change out the batteries or lease new carts about every 2 to 4 years.  You have doubled the load and reduce the gear ratiion with larger tires.

So what you will get in mileage is a guess. But less than 10 I am sure. And less than that when it is cold.

It is an age old argument. Gas or electric.  I have had both. Electric advantage, it is quieter. Thats it.  Gas advantage when it runs out of energy you simply add gas.  If the battery dies you can jump it off. Range 30 miles or more on a tank.  You can juice up the engine if you like more performance. No $600 set of batteries to buy.  Weighs less cost less to haul and the battery weight doesn't destroy the chasis, not to mention the battery acid damage.

I had a ezo golf electric that lasted about 3 years. I had Club Car that ran for 15 years and is still running as far as I know. I sold my last club car 4 years ago and it was 4 years old then, still running according to my neighbor.

My brother has a full four seater, not just the add on.  He has the engine juiced up. It will throw a rooster tail in the sand and he haul four grown ups in the cart and 8 to 10 more on a trailer behind for hay rides and such. You want get that from a quiet electric.


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## Milkman (Oct 31, 2011)

Looked at the cart a little tonight and found some info for consideration.

All 6 batteries are G1   from what was posted above that is July of 2011

The tires are 23x10-12

I will have to check the wire size but it looks like a #4 or larger. 

The controller box I assume is the device under the seat with an aluminum heat sink base. It appears that it may be the OEM device. It has a troubleshooting guide printed on it.  I am gonna have to look at it in better light.

Thanks again for all the advice and help.


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## rjcruiser (Nov 1, 2011)

jimbo4116 said:


> Think of it this way a new cart with new batteries is expected to make 36 holes of golf a day without charge.
> On most any golf course of around 6800 yards playing length that will be about 11 to 12 miles miles of travel by the time you go from green to tee and the back and forth of the game.  The golf course will generally change out the batteries or lease new carts about every 2 to 4 years.  You have doubled the load and reduce the gear ratiion with larger tires.
> 
> So what you will get in mileage is a guess. But less than 10 I am sure. And less than that when it is cold.
> ...



True thoughts...and yes, the old electric vs gas debate.  Kinda like which is better, ford vs chevy 

imho, electric are better because there's less to go wrong, no gas to mess with, no dead battery to jump off, never leaks oil in the garage, clean, quiet, just charge it up and go. 



Milkman said:


> Looked at the cart a little tonight and found some info for consideration.
> 
> All 6 batteries are G1   from what was posted above that is July of 2011
> 
> ...




30 minutes of run time with big nobby tires and hilly terrain probably isn't too bad.

On the PDS carts, the controller is on the passenger side under the seat covered in a black box with a toggle switch.  Open it up via the 4 screws.  On the top, there will be a set of 4/5 pins for a plug.  That is where the chip will go.  I'd recommend ordering a chip that will increase your torque output.  You can find them on ebay for around $20-$30.

Also, make sure the water level is appropriate in the batteries.  Go to the Trojan Battery website to view how to properly break-in and maintain your batteries.


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## K80Shooter (Nov 1, 2011)

One more thing to consider, just because the batteries are new does not mean they are good. Might want to get them tested.


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## Milkman (Nov 1, 2011)

Another thing I forgot to mention is the fellow we got the cart from said he took it to Pigeon Forge at Labor Day this year and drove it from one end of town to the other and back each day on a charge.  
That is probably 8-10 miles.  The cart will do well to go 2 miles now on level ground before it needs a charge.  If he was being straight with me something has happened to the cart since then.

I learned last night that there is a fellow in my town that is a guru on ezgo.  I will probably get in touch with him for a diagnosis on the machine.


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## rjcruiser (Nov 1, 2011)

K80Shooter said:


> One more thing to consider, just because the batteries are new does not mean they are good. Might want to get them tested.



Good thought.

I had an EZGO PDS with big tires and had 1 year old batts in it.  Was showing it to a guy to buy it and we pulled out of the driveway and it shut down.

Thought it was the controller, but it ended up being one bad battery.  Was pulling down the others under load.  Put one fresh battery in with the other 5 and it was amazing the difference.


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## golffreak (Nov 2, 2011)

Keep water in those batteries and keep the terminals clean. Do that and you will extend their life. We maintain 240 batteries that way. Saves a ton of $$$


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## K80Shooter (Nov 23, 2011)

Well how about a update  What was the problem?


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## Milkman (Nov 23, 2011)

K80Shooter said:


> Well how about a update  What was the problem?



Sorry for not getting back to everyone sooner, but I been deer hunting 

At this point we think it is the charger.  A family member has a 36 volt EZGO and hooked it up to their charger and they drove the cart and it ran for much longer duration that with our charger. They have had the cart at their house for 2-3 weeks now and I have been hunting and havent bothered to even go pick it up. They put it back on charge earlier this week. I may go get it in a day or two and see if it holds up with me driving it.  If so, it is probably the charger.
I will post when we decide conclusively.

Thanks again for everyone's input and expertise.


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