CHEAP POWER! 36v Golf Cart using 3 12v Batteries - Surprising range

I'm converting a 36v golf cart to use 3 12v marine batteries.
How far will this 36v EZGO golf cart make it on $80 Walmart Deep Cycle 12v batteries.
How do you wire it up?
You can easily do 3 at 36v or 4 at 48v.
Results may be surprising.

[BillyKeeling]

I have 2006 Ezra, five of the six batteries are seven years old, one just died, so used your video the convert to three 12 volts from Sam’s, $87/ea. my cart is now 2-3 hundred pound lighter, it runs great. Thanks

[LandParkColby]

Sure it will work, those are group size 27 deep cycle batteries w/ about 75 amps each. Set up in series to make 36 volts, the amps stay the same. 6V golf batteries GC2 standard size are on the low end 180amp (super cheap Costco version) to over 230amp on the really good Deka or Trojan battery. You can also get 245amp batteries in the same size that are used in floor scrubber machines. Bottom line is - yes a deep cycle 12 volt battery will work, BUT 6 - 6 volt golf cart batteries will easily give 2 to 3 times (maybe more) the run time over 3 - 12 volt deep cycle. Compare the cell size between the 12v and 6v - the golf battery cells are 2 times larger and able to provide huge power to get a 1500 to 2000 pound cart (two men, clubs, etc) up and down and around 18 holes without issue, most golf carts run 2 rounds per day so the power is substantial. So if you are just goofing around your neighborhood on a relatively flat surface, you might be ok. But if you are playing golf or hauling something or driving more than a couple of miles you really need the higher capacity of 6 volt GC batteries.

[ewross]

I put three of the 12v Everready24dc, $300. I also purchased 36v charger from Amazon, $120. We Went camping all weekend. The cart did amazingly! I plan on charging the batteries at least once a month. I just hope they last for a few years. We will see! So far so good!

[WatchableWildlife]

I have an old beater 1982 EZ-Go and converted it to "Just" 3 - 12 Volt Marine Batteries...You had 6 - 12V marines in your cart. My old beater would only get around 3 miles to a charge though...my hills are much steeper and are mostly "pasture", although there's a gravel road I run each night too. I've had it 2 years now and it suddenly quit on me...dead in the water at the moment trying ti figure out what's up. I tested the batteries and they are still fine...I use a smart charger that stops when it reaches a full charge. I "suspect" a solenoid issue but have no experience there...I'll keep perusing you tubers and see if I can find clues. (Like your Aunt, I too am up there in age and just need it to do chore and small hauling jobs on the place here) Enjoyed your experiment though - thank you!

[Reloadeez]

Depending on your usage needs this is a good way to save money. You do get less range, I did a swap to 4 12v marine batteries on my 48v cart 5 years ago, still running strong. I use it around the farm about 5 miles a day max 3-4 days a week, so it's fine for me. I get around 14 miles of range at a 50 percent max depth of discharge, compared to 35 miles from the trojan 170 amp 8v cart batteries at a 60 percent max depth of discharge. I recommend bypassing the carts obc and getting a smart charger with a good onboard lead acid charging profile and checking the electrolyte level frequently.

[wardvoter]

Great video that will help many people who may not know/understand the basics of batteries in golf carts and low speed electric vehicles.

A couple of additional things, for those who may not be familiar with lead acid batteries (golf cart, deep cycle, or general use).
1) NEVER run them below 50% SOC (State Of Charge) or "half full" on your battery meter. Repeatedly doing this will internally damage the batteries.
2) If you have batteries that have the maintenance caps, get a watering system, like the one that Bootstrap Revival removed from the old batteries. This makes maintenance easier, but you still need to periodically take the caps off and verify the acid level in each cell is correct. IF/When you need to add to them, use DISTILLED WATER ONLY.
3) Extreme heat or cold will kill a battery (ANY battery chemistry). If you live in a climate that freezes in the winter, remove the batteries and store inside a garage or heated shed, where they won't be damaged. Same for if you live in an area that gets extremely hot. Do not store your cart/batteries in a giant oven (metal building, storage container, etc.) where the temps can get 120+.
4) When the cart isn't going to be used for a period of time (longer than a week), disconnect the main leads (Positive and Negative) or turn the Master Switch off, if the cart has one. Option 2 would be to connect a smart charger, and a timer system to turn the charger on for 6-8 hours every week. This will ensure the batteries maintain a proper charge and don't discharge below 50% and shorten the life.
5) Many people cringe at the cost of replacing batteries, and if one is bad, they want to just replace that one. Don't cave to the temptation. Replace all of the batteries, so that they all have the same number of charge cycles, come from the same batch, and should have approx. the same lifespan. Adding one new battery is going to drag it down quickly, as it tries to make up for the weakness of the rest of the "team."

[peddlpusher]

The thing I see that stands out is, I see 6 batteries in there, 12 volts yes, but 6 batteries. 3 in parallel with 3 more, so still 36 volts and more amps, but no weight savings at all. I used 3 deep cycle marine batteries for 36 volts. We don’t run it long distance but it goes good and only chargers it about once a week.

[kaptkrunchfpv]

I tried the 3 DC24 battery route. While it worked fine I wasnt happy with the performance once I added larger tires. Ended up with 6 new crown batteries, $680 out the door.

[LygerTheCLaw]

i built a battery from a used chevy tahoe hybrid pack, it's basically a prius pack but with 2 extra cells to make it a 50 cell bank. i built the pack in 8 cell segments of 7.2v cells, then in series of 5 to equal 36 volts. i use solar panels to charge the pack in the sun and a 42v hoverboard battery charger when it's cloudy out. at 42 volts the cart moves pretty quick too and shows no signs of being too much voltage. with the 2amp 42v charger the cart will go about 2 miles on 2 hours charge. low voltage threshold built into the cart basically stops trying to push the cart at 28v, the NiMh hybrid cells can easily handle the upper and lower limits of this setup. i'm still balancing the pack slowly so i have no idea the true range of the cart, haven't left on charge for very long as of yet.

likely will see some signs of battery degradation after years of use but these packs are like $100 now. i paid $300 for 2 civic hybrid packs, 1 G2 insight pack, 1 chevrolet tahoe pack and a ford fusion lithium pack(4 NiMh and 1 lithium in total) from a wrecking yard that wanted to stop tripping over them. the lithium pack is worth what i paid for all 5.

[Ruleofplus]

Great video and you are correct it's a much cheaper way to get by - driving slower actually does not help as the throttle is always full speed full amperage draw however at low speed some or most of the current is shunted through a resister bank and is simply wasted as heat at full speed all the current goes to the motor.

[GetOffMyIce]

I used these same batteries in my 48V club car with the stock charger. at first they were great, but ended up only lasting 20 months which works out to $200/yr... upgrading to lifepo4 batteries this time.

[HoudefinitionProductions]

These 24DC batteries at Walmart are being discontinued. They’ve changed the name to 24M. Make sure you get these deep cycle version which is specified on the label. There’s also 24M that’s not deep cycle. Also don’t get them mixed up with the 24MS.

[Nicedicekid]

I haven't finished watching your video yet but had to stop and say thanks for clearly explaining the series wiring set up. Just bought an old cart I plan on Restoring but before I do I'm gonna go out to my camper van and fix the wiring set up that's been wrong for 10 years. Iyiyiyiy

[jbsouth]

Thank you for your has anyone said you sound like Steve Caroll?

[michaelguevara]

We put 3 4d30 batteries on our golf cart at work, they are the length of 2 of those batteries so we removed the center divide.

[soal]

My dad gave be an old gf cart with very old batteries. My sister and i would go for rides. The batteries lasted so long that wed drive to 2 other towns (not in the same day). Wed have lunch.. drive around and then go home. 1 town was 6 miles there 6 back.
I didnt know i was making the batteries get hot. I did it for 3 years. I ended up having to call for someone with a trailer to come and get me. I burnt the posts right out of the batteries. What a shame...such wonderful rides we had. So now its sat for a year. Im trying to decide what batteries to use. I thought maybe lithiumbut then i have to change other stuff. Maybe the car batteries would be best and dont go driving the country side... What do you all think?
Im a 63 yr old female and i can do things like hook up new cables .. Whitch i did so i cobbled them fur a while when i first got it so i could drive it.
What do you smart guys think?

[eliandroman]

Good video man thank you so much with three batteries how long do you think I will ride until they die.
Me and 3 kids

[princeinflorida]

I understand why one would use three $90 12V batteries in place of six 6V batteries. This gets one around okay for modest usage at a little less than half the price of six 6V. But why use six 12V of these marine batteries when the total cost is just a little less than six genuine 6V deep cycle batteries that will likely last longer due to the full deep cycle design. Marine batteries are a compromise between a starting battery and a deep cycle battery. Here in Central Florida 6V deep cycle batteries are $100 each and up.

[mikeh]

I want to do the same thing as you in this video, but have all 6 12v batteries hooked up at the same time and only use 36v

[katherinedai]

Hi Russel, hope all well from you. My pleaure to see this video, may i suggest you to experience 48v30ah LFP in GC2 size in your cars? Max support 10 connections parallel