EZGO Battery Charger

[MichaelAkers]

I'm new to the golf cart world and have a question about charging the batteries. I recently bought a EZGO 36 volt cart that has brand new batteries & that came with a power wise charger. I thought the battery charger would trickle charge but recently figured out it does not. It'll charge the batteries to full but then after some time they start to run down. What is a good charger with a trickle charger on it? I saw the cheaper 5amp trickle chargers for a around $60 and then I saw bigger chargers that ran up to $300+. What do most people use?

 

[Patrick L]

So If you leave the charger plugged in, it will drain the batteries ?
Does the charger have meter ?

 

[MichaelAkers]

It does have a meter. Yeah we don't ride it that much so I initially put it on the charger then if I go ride it for a few weeks the batteries are not completely dead but low.

 

[HotRodCarts]

You didn't mention what year your EZGO is or if it's a PDS or series golf cart. If it has a run tow switch you should flip it to the tow position if the cart will be sitting unused. The Powerwise battery charger will not restart after a charge cycle is completed unless it's unplugged and plugged back into the golf cart. If the cart will be sitting unused for months at a time it's best to charge the batteries approximately every 30 days.

 

[MichaelAkers]

Ok thank you. It's a txt and I think it's 2005 model. I'll just remember to unplug the charger and plug it back in from time to time. I was just wondering if a trickle charger is better on the batteries and if so what brand do most people use?

 

[HotRodCarts]

Trickle chargers are OK as long as you add water to the batteries as needed. I've never used a trickle charger on golf cart batteries so can't really recommend a specific brand. Maybe someone else will jump in with some information on them. Also if your cart is a PDS with a run tow switch always leave the switch in the tow position when you're not using the golf cart.

 

[MichaelAkers]

Ok I know it has a tow switch so I'll double check that in the future. Thanks for the advice.

 

[HotRodCarts]

No problem, you're welcome. If you've been leaving the switch in the run position that will slowly drain the batteries while the golf cart is sitting unused.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks HotRodCarts. We have a 2006 PDS and will start parking it in the TOW position after topping of the batteries AGAIN.

 

[HotRodCarts]

If the golf cart is going to be sitting unused for more than a day I always flip the run tow switch to the tow position.

 

[Glen Batchelor]

A proper golf cart battery charger will have multi-stage operation including float maintenance on the pack voltage. You should never need to unplug it. DPI makes nice chargers with programmable charging modes for various types of lead-acid batteries.

Diversified Power International

www.dpipower.com

 

[gornoman]

I will second the DPI Accusense chargers as being great. They take good care of your expensive batteries. The OEM Powerwise units are reliable old-school technology.

 

[Glen Batchelor]

I will second the DPI Accusense chargers as being great. They take good care of your expensive batteries. The OEM Powerwise units are reliable old-school technology.

The Powerwise systems are good but the DPI Accusense is way better. I show people their model and the first response is "that's too much $!". When you consider what a new pack costs it's really a good investment and WAY cheaper than the OE Powerwise stuff. They're made in USA and the tech support is great.

 

[Patrick L]

Those DPIs are expensive.

 

[HotRodCarts]

My last set of Trojan T-105's lasted 13 years with the factory Powerhouse battery charger that came with my 1999 EZGO TXT so they do a good job also as long as you keep the batteries charged and don't let the plates get exposed.

 

[Glen Batchelor]

^^^^ air on the plates is death