4 X12 = 6 X 8?

[TomG2]

We have a 48 volt golf cart which sees very light use. Maybe two miles per week. The six 8 volt batteries are getting tired. I already have two group 27 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries and am asking if the charger and any other electronics would recognize and utilize the 48 volts provided by the four 12's.

I already know some will say, "Get 6-8's" or maybe "8-6's". I am hoping that the 4 12's would power the cart for a couple of miles a week with charging readily available. $300 vs $800 makes me want to try it.

[BFL13]

If four 12s, you can do it with a 12v charger, one batt at a time.

I used a 12v charger to recharge a friend's 36v cart where its charger was duff. It had six 6s. Did one pair of 6s at a time, then connected them again as a 36.

Six 8s makes it hard without either a 24 or a 48 charger.

ISTR this came up before and they had 36v carts with an extra 6 for 42 volts. Tricky!

[Bill_Satellite]

TomG2 wrote:
We have a 48 volt golf cart which sees very light use. Maybe two miles per week. The six 8 volt batteries are getting tired. I already have two group 27 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries and am asking if the charger and any other electronics would recognize and utilize the 48 volts provided by the four 12's.

I already know some will say, "Get 6-8's" or maybe "8-6's". I am hoping that the 4 12's would power the cart for a couple of miles a week with charging readily available. $300 vs $800 makes me want to try it.

Quick, short answer is yes! Your 48V charger will work just as well with 4-12V as it does with 6-8V.
Other issues with amp matching and age matching may cause you issues but 48V is 48V no matter how you put it together.

[TomG2]

Gdetrailer wrote:


Besides, pushing a golf cart by hand doesn't sound like much fun when the group27s decide to give out at the wrong time..

Thanks to all for their opinions and suggestions. I am fully aware that 6-8's is the "best" for long term and long range carting. That was not my question. I simply wondered if a 48 volt golf cart charger would have a problem dealing with four batteries instead of six. I did not see how it could, as it will still be "seeing" 24 cells. The cart will probably see a couple of years of light duty before it is gone. $300 is less than $600.

I am not worried about being stranded 500 feet from home and having to use my ATV to drag it to my site. I find it hard to believe that Johnson Controls would label some of their batteries "Deep Cycle" and others on the adjacent shelf "Deep Cycle/Marine Starting". The double rating for 6's is a play on words as two six's equal 220 AH and two of my group 27DC's equals 218 AH when both are talking 12 volt.

[Gdetrailer]

TomG2 wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
Group 27?

Those are RV/Marine batteries which are "combination" starting/deepcycle, they do either job poorly. .go to Sam's or Costco and get their 6V or 8V GC2 batteries..

They are labeled Deep Cycle with 109 AH rating. No starting rating. Both are less than six months old and work great for camping trips.

8-6's will not fit.

Go with SIX of 8V GC2s instead which is most likely what your Cart was built for.

Group 27 ARE combination batteries and 109 Ahr is HALF of what a GC2 battery is rated. And YES those combination batteries will have something to the effect of "DEEP CYCLE" written on them, it is a marketing ploy and is deceptive at best.

Sams and Costco also carry 8V GC batteries and they WILL outperform any group 27 out there for a Golf cart application.

Getting the correct battery will actually be cheaper in the long run, you will be killing the group 27s even with a measly 1/4 mile run..

Besides, pushing a golf cart by hand doesn't sound like much fun when the group27s decide to give out at the wrong time..

[TomG2]

mr_andyj wrote:


Bring oars just in case you deplete the battery from too much trolling and cannot start the big motor back.

No oars wanted or needed as I will never have the golf cart more than 1,000 feet from home at my girlfriend's place. I can recharge there if you think that is too far to stretch it. Even using 50% of the 436 Amp hours available should suffice.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The BCI, Battery Council International, has been striving for uniformity in plate composition in all car jar batteries for at least 20 years. This means minimal differences in alloy composition. Trojan was one of the few holdouts but incrementally reduced the precentage of antimony in its positive plates on car jar BCI batteries. Another concession is the transition of and changes to the negative plates which results in a hybrid battery.

Up until the mid eighties BCI truck batteries had standard 5% Lead antimony / Lead dioxide plates. Most of those batteries are now indistinguishable from auto RV batteries. Price oriented "golf car" batteries are drifting away from original configurations. Primarily this results in how standard maintenance rote is applied.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

It is important to make sure all batteries in a series string are equal in ampacity and there are two ways to do this...

Charge then load test each battery seperately, If say the load test calls for 250 amps loading for a 500 CCA battery, I would reject any battery that deviated by three tenths of a volt.

In operation, any battery at rest that deviates .3 volt from the rest of the string should be culled. One meaning single battery in a series or series parallel configuration can damage or destroy the remainder of the batteries given enough time.

Regarding ANY high priced battery: If the manufacturer dodges this question my advice is to move on, rapidly: "Is this battery made of virgin lead?

I can only assert that the flooded Rolls and Surrette car jar batteries are of virgin lead. They can be mistreated more than recycled Pb and successfully recovered. If you do not know how to recover a mistreated battery, virgin lead cost makes it a waste of time and money.

I have not been inside a battery since the group 34 Wal-Mart failed on me. And the visible porosity on the intercell straps, one of which failed, discouraged me from returning it for warranty -- that and a pimple faced youngster that insisted he knew more than I did about batteries.

[mr_andyj]

x2 on DO NOT run marine batteries. They will live a sad and short life.

Actually, I cant think of any reason I would want or need a marine battery, other than maybe on a boat to start the big motor, and be able to run a trolling motor a little bit on the same outing off of the same one battery.

Bring oars just in case you deplete the battery from too much trolling and cannot start the big motor back.

[TomG2]

2oldman wrote:
No problem. I put 3 12s in a 36v cart. Works fine.

The range isn't as good as with more amp hours but it works.

Thanks. I figured it would work but thought that I might have missed something. Not worried about range as I have shore power available at both ends of my daily 1/4 mile run.

[wa8yxm]

Well six times 8 is 48 volts and 8 times 6 is also 48

But are they arranged as 48 volts or 24 volts?
Some Golf cars run batteries
battery-Battery-Battery-Battery
(All in series)
and some run
Battery-Battery
Battery-Battery
(Series/Parallel)

NOTE it really does not matter for the question. So long as the number of batteries is EVEN.

[TomG2]

Gdetrailer wrote:
Group 27?

Those are RV/Marine batteries which are "combination" starting/deepcycle, they do either job poorly. .go to Sam's or Costco and get their 6V or 8V GC2 batteries..

They are labeled Deep Cycle with 109 AH rating. No starting rating. Both are less than six months old and work great for camping trips.

8-6's will not fit.

[Gdetrailer]

Group 27?

Those are RV/Marine batteries which are "combination" starting/deepcycle, they do either job poorly. Basically built for light duty trolling motor applications or in a pinch starting a small gas engine.

With a GC it won't take long to destroy the group 27 RV/marine batteries..

Many yrs ago, my Dad tried RV/Marine batteries in his truck for starting and to power the TC.. Didn't work well for starting his truck on cold winters days and marginally worked OK for the TC.

If you want your GC to work correctly, just go to Sam's or Costco and get their 6V or 8V GC2 batteries and be done with it those batteries are reasonably priced and work well.. No need to buy super expensive name brand GC batteries..

[deltabravo]

TomG2 wrote:
I already have two group 27 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries

Are they new?

If not, then buy four new ones from the same brand.

It's not recommended to mix new and old batteries together.

[time2roll]

As long as you use a semi deep cycle and it adds up to 48 volts and always keep the batteries top charged you will be fine. Go easy on the throttle too for longest life.