Your golf cart batteries might run out, and you will need to replace them. The question then is how many you should get. Generally, most golf carts require just six batteries, but some may run on a different combination. The combination here is of the number of batteries and their voltage.
However, you usually need 6 to 8 volts for your golf cart. The battery pack depends on the torque and speed that your golf cart runs on.
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The Battery Packs
The 36-volt pack is the most popular one, considering it is the one used the most. It has a 6 x 6 volt. Then there is the 48-volt pack which comes with two variants. One has 8 x 6 volts, whereas the other has 6 x 8 volts. There is another variant where the voltage is 4 x 12.
For the golf carts used for hill climbing or those with more passengers, use batteries with 72 volts or 6 x 12 volts and an AMP controller. Some newer models of golf carts also use 72-volt batteries. This battery variant is not commonly used, so people can safely go for the conventional options.
Batteries Used by Your Golf Cart
The easiest way to check this is by lifting your golf cart’s seat and seeing how many battery spaces it has. Multiply the number of batteries by two, and the answer you get is the voltage requirement of your golf cart. This is a quick fix. If that is not your main issue and you need some information regarding this, then read the information below.
Most golf batteries use deep cycle batteries, not the usual ones used in cars. This is because they need to work for a long time. Golf carts need a steady current to last the distance you are traveling; conventional car batteries would not last the entire ride. The batteries used in a car are more for the starting power, to turn on the engine, or for the occasional burst of amperage.
Figuring Out the Voltage of Your Golf Cart
The voltage is most times written on the side of the batteries. The number of batteries multiplied by the voltage written on the label determines the voltage required by the golf cart.
This signifies that having six 8-volt batteries will determine that the cart requires 48 volts of battery to run on without making any compromise on the functioning. You can look in the battery compartment if you still need to be sure of the required voltage. The design engineers will have mentioned the voltage requirement.
Can You Mix up the Battery Count in the Golf Cart?
A very short answer here is that you can. However, there are some things that you may want to keep in your mind when you want to do this.
It would be best if you started with making sure that the battery frame or the design engineers have made the battery tray in your golf cart to accommodate different sizes of batteries. However, you could get a new battery tray for your golf cart. You can do this only when there is the option of getting a new one. Some golf carts will accommodate this change, while some may not.
If you can do one of these things, you need to change the batteries from 4 x 12 volts to 6 x 8. Provided that you make this change, you will have to get extra battery cables to get the two extra batteries to work.
This is one downside of this change. When you add more batteries to the golf cart, it means more weight is added. This reduces the distance that the golf cart covers. Some may consider this to be an issue, while some would not.
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How Do You Go From Six 6-Volt Batteries to Three 12-Volt Batteries?
You will start by disconnecting the 6-volt batteries and removing them from the battery compartment. Then you will place three new 12-volt batteries in a new compartment for them. With that being done, you will connect the first battery’s negative terminal to the next battery’s positive terminal. Fix the jumper cables in place. Continue to follow this method and move toward the end of fixing these cables.
Then you will have to connect the positive terminal of the first battery to the positive terminal of the golf cart and the negative terminal of the last battery to the negative terminal of the golf cart.
You are ready to operate your golf cart once you have attached the battery to the terminals of the cart.
Is It Necessary to Use the Exact Number of Batteries You See in the Battery Compartment?
Cart owners sometimes may take the risk of cutting down on the number of batteries required in the golf cart. They do this by focusing on the batteries with a higher voltage. Cart owners do this while ensuring that the cart has enough batteries to make up the required voltage.
You can consider this to be a smart step when you know how to balance the number of batteries and get the required amount of voltage. However, this being a safe and smart move depends on multiple factors. The design engineers design the golf cart keeping in mind many things. They decide the voltage depending on the distance the golf cart needs to run and the number of people it will accommodate.
Should You Change the Number of Batteries in the Golf Cart?
Changing the number of batteries may not favor the owner of the cart. It greatly affects the weight of the golf cart. In addition to this, having a less number of batteries will make the cart compromise on performance.
Furthermore, changing the number of batteries will make the cart work differently. For example, if you add smaller batteries to your golf cart, you will have less weight in the cart. However, you will also observe that it will have less charge. If your cart can work with one 12-volt battery, it will not perform the same if you put two 6-volt batteries in it.
It is usually thought to be better not to tamper with the number of batteries your golf cart requires. This is because any change made to it will make you compromise on the performance. The design engineers have designed it keeping in mind multiple factors. Therefore, making any change in the battery number compromises the golf cart’s performance.
Conclusion
This information may be too much for you or a beginner. Simply put, read the voltage your golf cart requires; it is usually written inside the battery box. Sometimes, you might need to get a new battery tray.
Regardless, online platforms keep on giving suggestions without keeping you informed of the downsides. With the right information, you can make the appropriate changes to get the most out of your golf cart. You should do this while keeping in mind the situation’s positives and negatives. Moreover, what you intend to do with the golf cart will determine what voltage and golf cart batteries you end up with.
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