golf cart battery question

hancoveguy · 10-09-2010, 05:00 PM

Greetings all,
We haven't been up in several weeks and imagine our surprise when we realized that someone stole the charger right out of the little basket on our golf cart. Anyway, since I no longer have a charger the batteries are dead. We are closing up this weekend and I wanted to forget about the cart til spring but I am told the batteries will be junk if I leave them uncharged over the winter.

Any thoughts on-
1.where to get another charger cheap (flat plug, I think its 48 volt, 2004 ez-go)
2.Is there a way I can put this off til spring w/out ruining the batterries?
3. Whats the best way to store the cart for the winter, with or without a charger?

Thank you in advance,
HCG

Lakepilot · 10-09-2010, 06:07 PM

Batteries can be ruined if they sit uncharged for long periods. Also an uncharged battery will freeze a lot faster then one that's charged. I didn't see any on Craigslist, but there are some chargers on Ebay.

I would call a golf cart store or a golf course and see if they can't help you out. Maybe lend you a charger or allow you to bring in the cart.

camp guy · 10-09-2010, 08:46 PM

Can you remove the battery(s) from the golf cart and take them home with you so they can be in a non-freezing location? This will at least be a start to a solution. I would hate to see you rush into doing something now because you are pressed for time and maybe not come up with the best solution.

The suggestion to check with a golf cart dealer is a good one.

Best of luck.

upthesaukee · 10-10-2010, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hancoveguy

Greetings all,
We haven't been up in several weeks and imagine our surprise when we realized that someone stole the charger right out of the little basket on our golf cart. Anyway, since I no longer have a charger the batteries are dead. We are closing up this weekend and I wanted to forget about the cart til spring but I am told the batteries will be junk if I leave them uncharged over the winter.

Any thoughts on-
1.where to get another charger cheap (flat plug, I think its 48 volt, 2004 ez-go)
2.Is there a way I can put this off til spring w/out ruining the batterries?
3. Whats the best way to store the cart for the winter, with or without a charger?

Thank you in advance,
HCG

In Laconia, near TBones and Cactus Jacks on the east side of road. Don't know the name.

meredith weekender · 10-10-2010, 01:38 PM

Take the batteries out of the golf cart and bring them home. Charge each battery individually with a regular battery charger and then store them in your garage or basement until spring. DO NOT ever store batteries on cement, you must at a minimum have a small piece of plywood between the batteries and the cement. Good Luck.

dan · 10-10-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meredith weekender

Take the batteries out of the golf cart and bring them home. Charge each battery individually with a regular battery charger and then store them in your garage or basement until spring. DO NOT ever store batteries on cement, you must at a minimum have a small piece of plywood between the batteries and the cement. Good Luck.

Storing batteries on cement is no longer a problem. This was true years ago but not now.

Lakesrider · 10-11-2010, 07:16 AM

All I can say is if you take the batteries out...be really, really careful on how you do it. Just because you think they are dead doesn't mean they are DEAD. 48 volts...Sure, but the amps a golf cart makes is huge. One wrong short and your dead. And yes if you leave them uncharged over the winter they will be no good by spring. Go get a charger, and it won't be cheap, and charge them up. You just may need to make another trip to the lake, to take care of business.

Lakepilot · 10-11-2010, 07:19 AM

We have a Club Car so it may be different but ours has 6 each 8 volt batteries. If you bring them home, you may have a hard time finding a charger to charge them individually.

fatlazyless · 10-11-2010, 08:28 AM

Q: How to charge up 6 eight volt batteries using 2 twelve volt chargers?

A: Wire up 3 eight volt batteries in series which makes it one 24 volt battery, and hook it up to 2 twelve volt chargers wired in series.

Vehicles like front-end loaders and semi-tractors run with 24 volt batteries and they can be charged by hooking two 12-volt chargers in series. Do I know what I'm talking about? Trust me on this one! Besides....if it burns out the voltage regulator or alternater, then just return them to the next forum-fest ...

camp guy · 10-11-2010, 08:38 AM

I would check out the place "upthesaukee" mentions. Everyone has their own suggestion, some better than others, but I would go with the pro for safety sake. "Lakesride" is so very right, a slight mistake could prove very serious.

Good Luck.

LIforrelaxin · 10-11-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meredith weekender

Take the batteries out of the golf cart and bring them home. Charge each battery individually with a regular battery charger and then store them in your garage or basement until spring. DO NOT ever store batteries on cement, you must at a minimum have a small piece of plywood between the batteries and the cement. Good Luck.

Myth buster did a show on this... there is no problem with storing a battery on cemment... And if you don't believe mythbusters, believe me, I have been storing batteries on cemment for years... I have never had a problem once with this practice. The problem with batteries is that people let them sit all winter, and then in the spring after a prolonged time with out a charge, they are difficult to bring back to life. Most people like to try and blame it on sitting on a floor.... but the issue most time is that the battery gets fried... they try and quick charge them and this simply doesn't work, a long slow trickle charge using brings them back.... I have a battery that I keep as a back up for the boat. It gets charge 3 times a year... in the spring, summer and in the fall... It is ummm something like 10 years old at this point... It takes a long slow charge... but once it is brought back to shape, it starts the boat and will keep it going for weekends at a time... when I do something foolish like leave the stereo on for the week......

The other thing when bring back batteries that have sat for extended periods of time, is that you should remove the caps to the cells, make sure the electrolyte is at an appropriate level, and allow the battery to charge with the caps off.... this prevents gas build up in the cells, which can cause issue.

Rattlesnake Guy · 10-11-2010, 11:03 AM

When I connect or disconnect jumper cables or make other connections to a battery, I am in the habit of blowing a gust at the top of the battery. In my mind this greatly reduces the possibility of igniting any hydrogen gas that might have collected near the top of the battery. Probably not really necessary with a sealed battery but what the heck.

LIforrelaxin · 10-11-2010, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Guy

When I connect or disconnect jumper cables or make other connections to a battery, I am in the habit of blowing a gust at the top of the battery. In my mind this greatly reduces the possibility of igniting any hydrogen gas that might have collected near the top of the battery. Probably not really necessary with a sealed battery but what the heck.

If it makes you feel safer whether it is necessary or not is immaterial. It better sometime to be a little over cautious then not....

Some times I do thing a little less cautiously then I should... and have some scars as left over evidence.... Luckily no burns....

ApS · 10-12-2010, 03:25 AM

Well, the weekend's over, and I'd be curious how all this worked out.

1) It's possible the batteries were already junk, so you might as well have left things just as they are.

2) Was this golf cart outdoors

and could your charger have tangled with a moose—passing through?

Your charger could be just a hundred feet away—in the woods nearby.

3) Items left outdoors should be identified to you in some way.

My extension cords get coiled, then sprayed, with a contrasting color. When I ask a certain neighbor

(not in NH) it gets returned—without any comment!

hancoveguy · 10-13-2010, 04:07 AM

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I removed the batteries and will have them charged and stored for the winter. Wow were they heavy!!!! Holy cow! Anyway, the charger will cost me $325 (36 volts) and I will take care of that in the spring.

thanks again.

HCG

10-09-2010, 05:00 PM	#1
hancoveguy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 276 Thanks: 95 Thanked 65 Times in 30 Posts	golf cart battery question Greetings all, We haven't been up in several weeks and imagine our surprise when we realized that someone stole the charger right out of the little basket on our golf cart. Anyway, since I no longer have a charger the batteries are dead. We are closing up this weekend and I wanted to forget about the cart til spring but I am told the batteries will be junk if I leave them uncharged over the winter. Any thoughts on- 1.where to get another charger cheap (flat plug, I think its 48 volt, 2004 ez-go) 2.Is there a way I can put this off til spring w/out ruining the batterries? 3. Whats the best way to store the cart for the winter, with or without a charger? Thank you in advance, HCG

10-09-2010, 08:46 PM	#3
camp guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: formerly Winter Harbor, still Wolfeboro Posts: 1,182 Thanks: 300 Thanked 525 Times in 293 Posts	golf cart battery question Can you remove the battery(s) from the golf cart and take them home with you so they can be in a non-freezing location? This will at least be a start to a solution. I would hate to see you rush into doing something now because you are pressed for time and maybe not come up with the best solution. The suggestion to check with a golf cart dealer is a good one. Best of luck.

10-11-2010, 08:28 AM	#9
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,746 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,007 Times in 735 Posts	Q: How to charge up 6 eight volt batteries using 2 twelve volt chargers? A: Wire up 3 eight volt batteries in series which makes it one 24 volt battery, and hook it up to 2 twelve volt chargers wired in series. Vehicles like front-end loaders and semi-tractors run with 24 volt batteries and they can be charged by hooking two 12-volt chargers in series. Do I know what I'm talking about? Trust me on this one! Besides....if it burns out the voltage regulator or alternater, then just return them to the next forum-fest ... __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

10-11-2010, 08:38 AM	#10
camp guy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: formerly Winter Harbor, still Wolfeboro Posts: 1,182 Thanks: 300 Thanked 525 Times in 293 Posts	golf cart batteries I would check out the place "upthesaukee" mentions. Everyone has their own suggestion, some better than others, but I would go with the pro for safety sake. "Lakesride" is so very right, a slight mistake could prove very serious. Good Luck.

10-12-2010, 03:25 AM	#14
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,938 Thanks: 2,205 Thanked 776 Times in 553 Posts	Curious... Well, the weekend's over, and I'd be curious how all this worked out. 1) It's possible the batteries were already junk, so you might as well have left things just as they are. 2) Was this golf cart outdoors and could your charger have tangled with a moose—passing through? Your charger could be just a hundred feet away—in the woods nearby. 3) Items left outdoors should be identified to you in some way. My extension cords get coiled, then sprayed, with a contrasting color. When I ask a certain neighbor (not in NH) it gets returned—without any comment!

10-09-2010, 06:07 PM	#2
Lakepilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 446 Thanks: 70 Thanked 57 Times in 40 Posts	Batteries can be ruined if they sit uncharged for long periods. Also an uncharged battery will freeze a lot faster then one that's charged. I didn't see any on Craigslist, but there are some chargers on Ebay. I would call a golf cart store or a golf course and see if they can't help you out. Maybe lend you a charger or allow you to bring in the cart.

10-10-2010, 01:38 PM	#5
meredith weekender Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Meredith / Manchester Posts: 373 Thanks: 87 Thanked 84 Times in 57 Posts	Take the batteries out of the golf cart and bring them home. Charge each battery individually with a regular battery charger and then store them in your garage or basement until spring. DO NOT ever store batteries on cement, you must at a minimum have a small piece of plywood between the batteries and the cement. Good Luck.

10-11-2010, 07:16 AM	#7
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	All I can say is if you take the batteries out...be really, really careful on how you do it. Just because you think they are dead doesn't mean they are DEAD. 48 volts...Sure, but the amps a golf cart makes is huge. One wrong short and your dead. And yes if you leave them uncharged over the winter they will be no good by spring. Go get a charger, and it won't be cheap, and charge them up. You just may need to make another trip to the lake, to take care of business.

10-11-2010, 07:19 AM	#8
Lakepilot Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 446 Thanks: 70 Thanked 57 Times in 40 Posts	We have a Club Car so it may be different but ours has 6 each 8 volt batteries. If you bring them home, you may have a hard time finding a charger to charge them individually.

10-11-2010, 11:03 AM	#12
Rattlesnake Guy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,254 Thanks: 423 Thanked 366 Times in 175 Posts	When I connect or disconnect jumper cables or make other connections to a battery, I am in the habit of blowing a gust at the top of the battery. In my mind this greatly reduces the possibility of igniting any hydrogen gas that might have collected near the top of the battery. Probably not really necessary with a sealed battery but what the heck.

The Following User Says Thank You to Rattlesnake Guy For This Useful Post:
LIforrelaxin (10-11-2010)

The Following User Says Thank You to LIforrelaxin For This Useful Post:
Rattlesnake Guy (10-12-2010)

10-13-2010, 04:07 AM	#15
hancoveguy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 276 Thanks: 95 Thanked 65 Times in 30 Posts	Thanks to all for the suggestions. I removed the batteries and will have them charged and stored for the winter. Wow were they heavy!!!! Holy cow! Anyway, the charger will cost me $325 (36 volts) and I will take care of that in the spring. thanks again. HCG