Installed New Batteries In My Golf Cart

The new batteries are Trojan T1275's. Each one holds 250 amp hours. There are 4 - 12 volts batteries in a series to run the 48 volt motor.

Golf Carts are like the little electric cars you used to get for Christmas. They have an electric motor - a speed controller - and batteries. When your Christmas presents said "batteries not included" on the box - it was usually 4D batteries required.

I wanted an electric car - but could not justify $40,000. So this golf cart is a poor man's electric vehicle. I do not consider our Prius to be electric because it also has a gasoline engine that charges the batteries. This cart is very quiet - no exhaust - no need to fill the tank - just plug it in.

Today I replaced the batteries in my golf cart. It was an easy job except for the lifting. Each lead/acid battery weighs 82 pounds. Simply - there are 4 - 12 volt batteries wired in a series to produce 48 volts. Each battery holds 250 Amp Hours of power. New batteries are supposed to have a range of 30 miles before they need to be recharged.

My cart is a 2008 Club Car. I bought it used for $3000 - two years ago. A new one costs $7000. It was already used for 3 years at a fancy golf resort in California. The local dealer buys them 50 at a time - then cleans them up and retails them to people like me. I particularly liked this cart because it had a red garnet body - one of FSU's colors.

The dealer told me that a set of batteries usually lasts 3 to 5 years. Since mine was used hard - I was going to replace the batteries right when I bought the cart. But the salesman convinced me to try it with the old batteries. I was lucky to get an additional 2 years out of them. The salesman told me that they just replaced a guy's batteries that were 12 years old and still running. If you take care of lead/acid batteries - they last a long time. You must keep them charged and keep them full of distilled water.

Recently the range was way down and my cart was sluggish - I knew it was time for new batteries. My replacement batteries are Trojan T1275's. They also have red garnet cases. They cost $200 each - so it is a big chunk of change for 4.

My dealer is in Thomasville - Georgia. If I buy stuff from him and he delivers it to me in Florida - I can avoid sales tax. Shipping is also free if I can wait a few days for their truck to make its rounds to Tallahassee.

The old batteries were black ones made for Club Car by Trojan. They lasted 5 years.

This is a 48 volt battery charger. It is automatic so when you plug it into the golf cart - it charges the batteries and then shuts itself off.

The batteries hide under the front seat. Total weight  of the batteries is 328 pounds - mostly lead - some acid.

Here is my cart charging in my workshop.

Here are the specs of a Trojan T1275 battery. They cost $200 each.

One of the main things I use the cart for is to sweep our lawns. We have some big pines trees at the brick house that drop tons of pine needles. With the cart and a lawn sweeper it is easy work to sweep up a load and deliver it to neighbors that use them as mulch in their gardens. I also use the cart for errands - sometimes running to the store or going to some restaurants.

I got the batteries late tonight - it took about 30 minutes to install them. I am not as good of a lifter as I used to be and 82 pounds is difficult to lift and slowly place into the battery box under the front seat.

The job is done and the cart really goes now - a whopping 18 miles per hour.