Serious, even dangerous threats can eventuate by improperly maintaining your golf cart’s batteries.

A lack of knowledge about basic golf cart battery maintenance can lead to all kinds of problems. Some users assume that the batteries that operate their golf carts are maintenance-free. However, the key to achieving optimum performance and long life is a solid golf cart battery maintenance program.

It is recommended that you obtain following equipment for use in golf cart battery care and maintenance:

A wrench; distilled water; a voltmeter (an instrument used for measuring the voltage between two points in an electric circuit); a hydrometer (a tool used to measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte solution); a post cleaner; some baking soda; petroleum jelly and possibly the most of all goggles and gloves.

Always wear protective clothing, acid proof gloves and goggles when handling lead acid batteries and remove all jewellery. It’s important to have lots of water and baking soda nearby as this will neutralise any acid spills from battery refilling and prevent further corrosive damage. Remember, the electrolyte is a solution of acid and water, so skin contact should be avoided and, do not smoke near batteries and never add acid to a battery.

Golf carts are typically powered by six lead-acid batteries mounted beneath the front seat.

First of all, examine the outside appearance of the batteries. You should look for cracks in the container and the top of the battery. Posts and connections should be free of dirt, fluids and corrosion. You should replace any damaged batteries.
Check that all vent caps are tight. Then clean the battery top with a cloth or brush and a solution of baking soda and water ensuring that any cleaning solution or any other foreign matter does not get inside the battery. Then rinse with clean water and dry with a clean cloth. Solvents or spray cleaners should not be used. Then clean the battery terminals and the inside of the cable clamps with a post and clamp cleaner. Reconnect the clamps to the terminals and thinly coat them with petroleum jelly. Always keep the area around the batteries clean and dry.

Water should only be added after fully charging the battery. Prior to charging, there should be enough water to cover the plates. If the battery has been discharged (partially or fully), the water level should be above the plates.

Some important things to remember are: Do not allow plates to be exposed to air and do not fill the water all the way up to the cap. Do not use water with a high mineral content. You should use only distilled or deionised water.

Check water levels in each cell of each battery weekly to ensure that the leaded plates in the battery are submerged in liquid. Don’t fill the cell all the way up — add just enough water to cover the plates.

Lastly, please follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining batteries.

For additional information on Golf Cart batteries including how lead acid batteries work; how to use a hydrometer; changing batteries; troubleshooting golf cart batteries please visit http://www.YourGolfCartBatteries.com

Ken Mackenzie
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/how-to-maintain-your-golf-carts-batteries-69338.html

Pro 1: Running Price
While they are more expensive to purchase, running an electric golf cart once you buy it is much cheaper than a gas powered one.

Con 1: Buying Price
Electric Golf carts are more expensive. While they’re great for the environment and always a great investment, people looking for a more affordable deal often purchase a gas cart simply because it’s what they can afford. However, a good thing about the newer electric carts is they come in many more shapes, colors and styles than the older gas powered ones do.

Pro 2: Environmentally Friendly
Buying an electric golf cart is a great way to decrease your carbon footprint. You can use it on the golf course, in your neighborhood, or just down the street to run to the store and never use a drop of gas.

Con 2: Time Consuming
The biggest con of an electric golf cart is the long and annoying re-charge process. Charging it overnight is easy enough, but if you use a lot of your power in a morning outing and want to go out again that afternoon then you will have to wait until you have enough power.

Pro 3: Quiet
The engines on electric golf carts are much quieter and softer than that of a gas powered one. They also drive much more smoothly, and repairs tend to be much cleaner to do than gas powered. The parts are probably newer and better mad, however, the parts are also often more pricey.

Con 3: Terrain
When going downhill, a gas powered Golf Cart fares much better than n electric one. This happens with a lot of electric vehicles because they lack the same compression that a gas vehicle does. The same goes for any rough terrain; while an electric cart will be a smoother ride, it may be a slower one as well.

ton tomlinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-golf-carts-755054.html

How can I charge an EZ Go golf cart without using a Golf Cart charger? Can I bypass the plug-in and use something different? I do not want to pay $200 – $300 for a charger.

the chargers are specific to EZ Go so you have to buy one sorry

Yes, it is official. Golf is good for you. This has also been verified by the United States Golf Association and their advice is that you should play golf and walk the course while playing rather than riding the Golf Cart. That is how it is good for health. Walking is known to boost the pumping of the heart for the blood to circulate through the body to carry out this activity and this in turn provides the essential nourishment for your body. Walking is good for the body so golfing carts should be avoided as much as is possible. Besides golf carts do a lot of damage to the green, adding to the pollution in the air. Now, grass is artificially grown even in places where it’s not meant to grow and here the cart can cause damage. Repairing then becomes an expensive affair.

Some argued that the start and stop system that is part of the game of golf is not really good and can actually do the body harm but they were silenced when it was proven that even the start and stop pattern has a lot of positive benefits to it. People have actually chronicled their experiences and what they gained by the very act of walking the course rather than riding it. This is the simplest and cheapest form of exercise and researchers in Sweden discovered that if eighteen holes were played then one has equaled about forty to seventy percent of any high intensity aerobic workout.

This is very good given that you are getting a lot of pleasure out of the game and it does not ever get monotonous. Bad cholesterol levels were found to have dropped while good cholesterol remained steady. These results were not seen among the cart users. Golf Science International came up with the fact that four hours of golf are more or less equal to at least forty five minutes of a fitness class. Northern Ohio Golf Association came up with the theory that walking across the golf course is like walking three to four miles and this is including the walking around trees and hillocks that form the green.

But if you feel that this can’t really be true, then try it out for yourself. At your next game, try to walk alternate holes so that once the game is over you have effectively walked nine holes. Do this for some time and slowly you stop taking the cart as you find that walking gives you a new high as well as lets you play.

Brian Kendall
http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/playing-golf-is-good-for-the-health-87464.html

I know a guy that is at least 400lbs, more around 425 to 450 max. He uses a golf cart to get around. The floor of the cart has to be fixed often, as it pushes itself off of the cart. The cart leans to one side, and the batteries take a lot of strain on hills. I was wondering, does he max out the Golf Cart? Is he past the limit? How much can it handle?

Most state 500 lbs, including the passengers and the clubs