Trolley Batteries

[Leftie]

My current (excuse pun) battery is now getting tired and struggles to do the 18 holes. I assume that there is no magic cure to inject more life into it so I've got to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

I understand that because I sometimes play several times a week a Gel type battery is probably the best choice. A long time ago someone on the Forum mentioned Sonnescheim batteries. These seem to be a little more expensive than other equivalent Gel batteries. Over the life of the battery, are these worth the extra cost.

Is there anyone here who actually knows about deep cycle batteries and the pros and cons of different makes.

 

[viscount17]

Leftie,
essentially you have a choice of three types; lead acid (which is probably what you have), Gel, and AGM (absorbed glass mat). Both Gel and AGM will cope with deep discharge/deep cycle, which is what we need. AGM tend to be a bit cheaper than Gel, but are more than adequate; the one I have is rated for 400 cycles, which means it will probably do more. Sonnenschein are near the top of the range so will be more expensive.

One thing to remember is that they all require a different charging current so you'll need to allow for the cost of a charger if you can't find a deal that includes one.

 

[Leftie]

Thanks mate.

I wasn't aware that different batteries required different charging rates. Is that based on manufacturer, type e.g. gel or agm, or on capacity?

At the moment I've got 2 batteries - my Motocaddy one which I assume is a normal cheaper battery and have had for 2 years and a gel battery that I have had for 3 years. Both are gradually giving up the ghost after giving sterling service. I use the same charger (Motocaddy) which is a 3 stage charger for both. Is this wrong?

I'm thinking of going for a Sonnenscheim 33AH gel battery (hang the expense), not necessarily because I play 36 in a day very often, but more because they have an anticipated 500 cycles. Am I right in thinking that if most of the usage is 18 holes then, because the battery is not anywhere near 75% of it's discharge after 18, it should last longer anyway??

It's another minefield

 

[viscount17]

I dug up a website which I referred to in an earlier post on batteries (close to a year ago, I think) but as with much on the web, can't find it. However this might serve to confuse, http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

with regards to charging currents, the previous site (from memory) quoted from about 1.25 A (lead acid) to about 1.56 A (gel). Long charging times are good. Do NOT use car battery chargers unless you can control the charging current but especially not at the booster rate. (Car batteries are built differently with thicker plates designed to permit much higher discharge currents and higher charging currents.)

Multi-stage chargers are good, as they drop to a maintenance charge (trickle current) once the battery is fully charged. You can leave these connected (and switched on) as a battery will immediately start to self-discharge once charging is stopped. This is why it is recommended that you carry out a maintenance charge if the battery is to be unused for a period. Once a month should be sufficient.

The one thing about golf trolley batteries that is utter garbage is rating them as 18, 27 or 36 holes. How long a battery charge will last (and whether you can get 18 holes out of it) will depend on a variety of factors, eg initial state of charge, state of the battery, ability of the battery to hold a charge (eg self-discharging), the load drawn by the motor, which is dependent on weight of trolley and bag, the course (hilly or flat), friction surface, temperature etc.

I have two '27 hole', my original lead acid and an AGM (and two chargers). both will easily cope with 36 round my relatively short, flat course. If I'm playing 36 round a strange course (as tomorrow) I'll take both. Periodically I'll run them right right down (this is good for them although you only need do it about once a year) although the easiest way to do this is to connect a car headlamp bulb across the terminals and leave it until it's really dim.

 

[Leftie]

Thanks for that Steve. Interesting reading and not without some controversy. In the article, AGM is preferred over Gel but suppliers recommend Gel for frequent use .

Also I think the jury is out on occasional complete discharge. I accidentally overdischarged one battery (took it out without realising that it hadn't charged up after a round (faulty connection from charger)and it virtually gave up after 8 holes on the next round - never to give more than 15 holes again.