ClubCar Recently bought 2 old club cars to get around the homestead

126
25
0
0
I've been looking for a golf cart for some time. Even though I have an old Pargo, no motor. It got lost in the shuffle waiting for repair. Anyway I needed something to get my 50 year old behind around the property. I'm tired of maintenance and NOISE. Real tired of listening to small engines run, I worked on them to make a living for years. Where we live is hills our 36 acres has 175 feet of elevation change from the lowest to the highest. I don't think there's a truly level spot on the whole place. I tire out to fast to walk my health is shot.

Both these carts were more or less junk but I figured they were worth the $600 price for both. I was thinking maybe I could rob parts from one to get one running. Both needed batteries too. One is a 99 and the one I managed to get going is an 88. So the 88 is the one I'll be talking about now. It was a 36 volt single solenoid with resistor coils V-glide. It mainly just needed a few wiring repairs and was up and limping. Batteries were well past the point of no return. So I swapped the marginally better 48 volt bank and charge port from the 99 to the 88. That helped a LOT. Although these batteries are also shot. When I started trying to get them to come back they would get a full charge by 10 PM and be down to 49.1 volts the next morning. So I slapped a 300 watt panel in place of the roof and bought a boost charge controller to install. Well all that worked out great and the batteries came back a long ways from were they were with long slow solar charging. This morning it had almost 51 volts believe it or not. But it still lacks stamina on these hills. The voltage also drops real quick when in use but the batteries were old and mistreated when I got them no big deal. I have the FIX for that on the way. It will take me about 5 miles before things get desperate though. Long as the days are sunny I'm not having to use the plug in charger. BTW We live off grid so solar power is normal here and was also part of the plan for any golf cart I got.

In the meantime I got stuck a few times while doing chores. IE feeding critters, cutting firewood etc.. I also knew when I got it I would have to lift it. So I had already ordered a 6 inch kit and installed that. But with those golf course tires I was still getting stuck so I dug up an old set of AG tread tires in the same size I'd had laying around for years and put them on the back until I can afford larger tires and rims. Back to the lift kit I can't remember the name but it was the cheap one off Amazon. Once I had it installed I only had 2 total inches of suspension travel and that wasn't going to cut it. So after some studying of the situation I moved the top A arms out about 1/2-5/8 of an inch. Now I had about 4 inches of down travel but less than an inch of up travel. So I stacked 6 washers on each of the sleeved bolts that the front spring connects the lower A arms. Now it sits nearly in the center of the 4-5 inches of travel it has. Much better ride now!

I figured I had better do something about the batteries before wheels & tires. Tired as these batteries are I was thinking taller tires on these hills could cause the motor to burn especially carrying loads or towing a trailer. Speaking of towing a trailer I have got to do something about a trailer hitch ASAP factory unit just doesn't cut it. But back to batteries. I am now waiting on 16) 105 amp hour LifePO4 cells to build my own battery with. This will be my first experience with this type battery or building a battery from parts. Hoping maybe someone here has done something similar but ya never know. Anyway if I have things figured correctly (doubtful) this will still give me about the same useable amp hours as replacing the 155 AH @20h rate lead acid batteries with new ones, maybe a little more. My goal here is three fold. One I don't ever want to need to plug a charger in for the cart again. Two I don't ever want to replace the batteries again, these should last longer than I do! Third and most important I want to see this type of battery system in action for a year or two before I have to replace my battery bank that powers my house again. We've lived off grid almost 15 years so we've been through some batteries. Next time I change them NEEDS to be the last time I change them. The cells I bought for the cart are supposedly good for 3500 cycles and that can be tripled with proper care I am told. I was NOT told this by the seller but through my own research.

Have any of you done anything similar? Is this a project that would be worth documenting? Or a waste of time.

Also I'm interested in any off road improvements that can be made to a golf cart. This cart is my chore & work truck for the homestead now and anything I can do to make it more useful is a plus.

lifted.jpeg

The solar power system at work.

meter.jpeg

I've got tons of questions if anyone here really knows these older systems.
 
Last edited:

Crash Test Dummy

Dazed and Confused
Admin
Donater
Addict
Tech
1,164
253
2
12
not a waste of time ... common conversion

if you want to run 48v through a 36v cart here are some things you need
new 8v batteries (6) do not go with 12v ... your run times suffer
a 48v solenoid ...4gauge wires (or better )
good news the 36v motor is better on 48v
the v glide can handle the 48v ... but do an inspection make sure it is clean ... emery cloth both the arm and pads


colored wiring diagram


trailer hitches are cheep



 
126
25
0
0
I'm not going to bother with new 8 volt batteries when I have LifePO4 on order.

I have worn out a few feet of Emory cloth on this thing already. lol When I swap the lead acid batteries out for Li I'll check & clean the V glide. Thanks for the tip! Need to fix a few frame cracks at the same time.

Any chance you have a link for the solenoid?

Thank you very much for the link to the hitch! I wonder if it will also work with a club car back seat like mine? I see that's an aftermarket seat. I was planning to make one but $40 might be cheaper than making it.

I also would like to get a set of new brushes for the motor to keep on hand if you happen to have a link for them.

Wish I could remember what I learned about rewinding electric motors 30+ years ago. I'd really like to have a bit more torque!
 

Crash Test Dummy

Dazed and Confused
Admin
Donater
Addict
Tech
1,164
253
2
12
from the photo hitch will fit

here's is a 200 amp i run you do not need voltage diode or Pre-Charge Resistor


as for brushes you'll have to get the ones for your motor

Change the field coil in a 2-hp motor (a standard in golf cars) and it can become a 3.5 hp motor.
 
Last edited:
126
25
0
0
Thank you for sharing your hard earned knowledge! ! ! !

Is that 200 amps going to be enough if I change to a larger or rather more powerful motor in the future? I have to do things as I can afford to a little here and there. I surely can't afford to do things twice. Took a few months to save just for the batteries. Will be several more months before I can make another larger purchase.

Is the field coil something one can buy off the shelf? Link or part number?

Thank You!
 

Crash Test Dummy

Dazed and Confused
Admin
Donater
Addict
Tech
1,164
253
2
12
200 amp solenoid is perfect to use with motor controllers up to 400 Amps.

what is your motor brand ??
 
126
25
0
0
Had a fraying cable end on one of the main power wires going to motor from the forward / reverse switch I finally got around to replacing it last night. After noticing the wire insulation was starting to melt from inductive heat. Oops! I need to replace the cable someone used 6ga were 4ga was and 2ga should be in my opinion.

The interesting part is we are now getting totally different Amp readings much MUCH higher readings. In the cart by myself up a steep hill and it was pulling 145 amps under full power. That same hill is where we did a test from stopped with 4 people and it only showed a 90 amp draw for a split second. Not sure how that was affecting the meter but obviously it was. It was also cutting the power some. It feels more responsive than it did and didn't seem to slow nearly as bad on the hills today either. Now going down the road in more or less level spots instead of showing 15-30 amps like it has been it's showing 45-75 amps. I guess that connection was a lot worse than I realized!

Looks like I will not be using a 100 amp BMS. Debating running a BMS at all I see a lot of folks don't and self balance the cells every few months if needed. I'm thinking that may be the way I go. Wish I had these numbers BEFORE I ordered cells. I probably would have saved a bit longer and bought larger cells.
 
126
25
0
0
Bigger is better when it comes to wire size and pulling amps IMO!

Thanks for the link.

Would you have any idea how many more amps 23 inch tall tires will pull over the 18's I have now? I don't want to chance burning up the motor on these hills. I can't afford to replace it for some time. In your opinion will the taller tires cause any problems. Right now even with these crappy batteries it doesn't have trouble with the hills. It does slow down but what motor wouldn't? I need the clearance to get everywhere on my land well most everywhere. There are places here I will NOT take it until it has front brakes and maybe 4 wheel drive.
 

Crash Test Dummy

Dazed and Confused
Admin
Donater
Addict
Tech
1,164
253
2
12
where do you live ???
23" mud tires will make it faster ... yep it's a fact
i run 23" tires
your 2 hp motor will do a lot .. i do no know about amp's
front brakes are possible




a DIY 4x4 golf cart is nearly imposable

do you need your rear seat ?
 
126
25
0
0
We live in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in southern Va.

Yes I need the seat or a bed box at minimum. I have kids and a grandson who ride around the property to see the animals and such. A bed would be better for the things I do even if not as comfortable for them to ride with me.

DIY 4x4 is nearly impossible. So I'm learning. Sure would be handy though.

I saw that Jakes kit but of course I already lifted my kart with a different brand of lift kit. I expect I can adapt or fabricate something. It's on my list until then I'll just stay off the real steep places.

23 inch tires make it faster yep more tire = less gear = more speed Don't really need more speed but I do need the ground clearance and TRACTION.

Thanks again!
 
126
25
0
0
This is the lift kit I installed.

Amazon product
It needed some modifications to get any actual travel out of it. It was terrible the way it came not quite two inches of travel now it has about 5 inches of travel.

I will probably copy the flip seat if I don't end up trying to remake the body after an old square body chevy truck. The front fiberglass nose was trashed when I got the cart so it needs something done. Plus more storage is a plus so a front end shaped something like the old chevy truck might happen. Underneath it could be storage like a VW bug trunk. Right now the nose has been cut off with a cutting wheel to get rid of all the junk flapping the the breeze. If I decide to tackle this then finishing it out by making a rear bed could possibly happen as well. Which that would require a little frame stretching which shouldn't be much problem. The Problem is I don't really have any body work or fiberglass experience other than some aluminum front fenders I made for my race car 30 years ago. Thankfully the old square body chevy body lines are fairly simple. So I might could pull that off since the base lines of the front of the cart aren't terribly far off from it.
 
126
25
0
0
Can anyone tell me how to stretch or better yet provide any links to a club car DS being stretched? I'm toying with the idea of stretching the middle of the cart about 16-20 inches. Lengthening the front is already happening and I will probably also add 8-12 inches after the rear springs. If I decide to go this route the cart will end up around 9-10 feet long overall. Think 1/2 scale pickup truck!

Being limited on funds I have to use mostly repurposed materials and imagination to create what I need for a UTV.
 
126
25
0
0
Good video there a lot of them on Precedent carts I was hoping to find one on a DS the frame and materials are entirely different. But this video did help greatly because it taught me the precedent frame is the same gage aluminum that I have to work with for my extension pieces. My frame is I beam though not box tube like that one.
 
126
25
0
0
Actually I won't just the brake rod and throttle rod.

My new LifePO4 battery cells arrived sooner than expected! Right when the store said they would! I got them from.

20220529_153104.jpg

EVE LF105 3.2V LiFePO4 105Ah Battery - (Pack of 4)

20220529_153228.jpg

They come very well packaged!



I would say chances of damage occurring in shipping are minimal!

20220529_153316.jpg

This is the only one I've opened so far but as you can see they look perfect!

20220529_153352.jpg

Should I do a separate thread on the battery build so it can be found easy?
 
Last edited:
126
25
0
0
My son in-law and I spend an hour or so looking at it today. We're going to cut it about 6 in in front of the seat. Not sure exactly how far we're going to stretch it yet. Looks like it's going to be longer than I originally wanted. 11 ft or right at 11 ft would work out well other than being 11 ft long! LOL if I could change the geometry of the gas pedal it wouldn't have to be quite so long I'm a little over 6 ft tall a little more leg room would be better. Right now from end-to-end it's right at 8 ft 8 so I don't guess 11 ft would be too bad.
 

About Us

Wild Buggies is a golf cart enthusiast community, with some hot rod/retro/ratrod enthusiasts peppered in, which is committed to providing a safe and effective communications platform related to the industry.

Affiliates

Support Us!

If you like advert free forums.

Donate now
Top
Forgot your password?