On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 02:26:53 GMT, Jim wrote:

A day of learning:

Two 6 volt, 220 amp batteries joined to make one 12 volt battery has 220
amps. Even though the guy at the battery store told me otherwise.

My old 8Ds had a rating of 215 amps. 220/215, not much gain there.

The cost of the 6 volt batteries is about 1/2 the cost of an 8D. A
little more or a little less. $65 + $65 = $130. 8D, $140. Not much
gain there.

What this means is that there is little gained, initially, by going with
the golf cart batteries. Since I have to buy battery boxes, it will
cost me more.

The golf cart batteries SHOULD be good for many more deep discharges
than the 8D. The golf cart batteries are easier to move around, and
have a smaller foot print. The battery boxes have more options for
dimensions.

I'm buying the golf cart batteries from a battery store. A few dollars
higher than Costco. Five dollars each battery. I get the cables free
from the battery store, so it's actually cheaper than Costco.

I'm upgrading my charger to a Xantrex "True Charge" 40 amp, 3 stage
charger. The "Equalizer" function is an important to maintain the
batteries.

The old battery boiler charger is going in the trash.



Hi Jim,

Not all golf cart batteries are created equal. It is my understanding
that the life cycles for the most popular golf cart batteries are
approximately 733 @50% DoD and 225 @80% DoD; whereas, another popular
brand claims approximately 1200 @50% DoD and 600-1000 at 80% DoD.
Surrette/Rolls publishes approximately 1280 cycles for their 400
series batteries at 50% DoD and 800 cycles at 80% DoD.

The point I would like to make is that the thickness of the plates and
DoD matter assuming that the batteries are properly charged and
maintained and the cost per cycle is something you might want to
consider.

Using a good "smart" temperature compensated four stage charger on wet
batteries is a wise investment.

Kindest regards,

BiLL.......