Advice on Golf Cart Battery Brands

Go to Costco they had the best value on batteries.

I have bought Costco batteries and they are made by Interstate. Excellent experience and 40% less expensive than buying them at an Interstate store.
You may have to shop around because not all Costco warehouses have them in stock but they will order for you. Their website provides good information.

Good advice

edcquesada said:

Go to Costco they had the best value on batteries.

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Sam's club is even better!

If considering Golf Cart batteries, take a look at the ones that are taller; for example, Lifleline 6CT will give you 50% more capacity, the L16 will almost double capacity of standard 4GC and with the same footprint.

batteries, i use a local company here in the NW, and i get what we call marine 'L" brackets, as i don`t like posts...as was mentiones above, get the biggest TROJAN 6v`s, with marine connectors/posts. they are long lasting batts...clyde

I picked mine up today.

I replaced 2 of 8D house batteries with 6 of T-105s and they've been great, especially since I installed solar, so the batteries never drop below 75% and are often closer to 90% charge when cruising. We don't stay in marinas much.

The thing to watch for is that you get your batteries from the same batch. Check the stamp on the negative terminal. A letter corresponds to a month, with "A" indicating January, "B" February and so on. The number next to it corresponds with the last digit of the year. A "2" could mean "2002" or "2012"; Trojan gives no indication of the decade, so it's up to you to tell the difference between a one-year-old battery, and an 11-year-old battery!

Pack Mule said:

I picked mine up today.

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I have 2-8D's Interstate in the Blufin , need to be replaced but don't want to go back to Interstate, not real happy....
Thinking of going with 6 Crown, 6 Volt 3 Batteries same foot print as the 8D's,

"The thing to watch for is that you get your batteries from the same batch."


Good advice , but if the dealer has a shelf full , the ones with the same build dates with the highest voltage might be best choice.

Don't mix and match

I have 10 new 6v duracells for my house bank. I made two big mistakes which caused me to make this early replacement.

I mixed and matched older and new duracells with new trogans that were a little higher ah rating. This caused a my chargers (solar and 110v) to over or under charge the different batteries in the bank.

I also was not able to keep the battery water level correct when boat was in storage may-oct. Even though I was paying to have the boat cared for.

Bottom line, good batteries will not last if they don't match and receive proper maintenance when you are on and off the boat.

Replacing 10 of anything is an expensive stupid lesson.

jkxtreme said:

The golf cart battery of choice in The Villages, Florida is Trojan. There are more than 60,000 golf carts in this retirement community and Trojan is the choice of most golf cart owners. In this community, which covers more than 30 square miles and has over 40 golf courses, golf carts are the preferred method of transportation so reliable, long lasting deep cycle batteries are a must. I just installed a 4KW inverter in my boat and chose the Trojan T1275. These are deep cycle batteries not starting batteries.

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Don't ignore the RV suppliers.

When I last replaced my house batteries, I bought from Inlet Marine in Port Moody BC. They ordered mine in from their supplier, and I didn't have a choice of brand name. The previous ones lasted 12 years, so I was confident in their supply.

When I replaced my Motorhome house batteries, as I was on the ferry out of Saltspring when I found that they had failed (indeterminate, but up to 12 years old), supply was important, so I asked each of the suppliers in Sidney BC how many they had in stock. Arbutus RV in Sidney had 140 in stock, and a willing parts guy with a two wheel dolly to get them out of the part warehouse and into my RV. None of the marine stores had the 8 that I required in stock.

These are Interstate and they gave me a decent price.

My last vessel had 6 Trojan T-105 flooded lead acid batteries for the house bank. I received excellent service and support from Trojan. The batteries were still functioning properly after 6 years in the tropics, when the vessel was sold. The SG of each cell was checked monthly and water was added as needed. A 3-stage battery charger is important for long battery life. I suspect that the Costco golf cart battery is a better value but you will have to decide about the best value for your application.

"I also was not able to keep the battery water level correct when boat was in storage may-oct. Even though I was paying to have the boat cared for."

This is a common PIA and best solved buy using a batt charger and solar regulator that can change the charge settings easily.

When on a cruise higher voltages will restore the batts quicker, but in storage lower charge and especially float voltages will still keep the batt happy , and use much less water.

Relying on anecdotal evidence that equates battery brand with longevity is a stretch, at best. Battery life will be determined by use. A (lead acid) battery bank that is lightly discharged and then recharged to 100% SOC will outlast a bank that's routinely discharged to <50% SOC then recharged to 90% SOC. Well documented. Not to understate the importance of having a well-matched bank that's appropriately sized for its task.



It would be more beneficial to insure that your system is capable of returning your bank to 100% SOC on a regular basis than to invest in more costly batteries because your dock neighbor had "excellent" service from brand "XYZ". Perhaps in the 7 yrs he's owned those batteries his queen never slipped lines.



The batteries are a small piece of the whole picture. If as much attention were lavished on the DETAILS of how those batteries are being maintained vs. who made them and where they were purchased, they'd last LOTS longer!

Maerin said:

Relying on anecdotal evidence that equates battery brand with longevity is a stretch, at best. Battery life will be determined by use. A (lead acid) battery bank that is lightly discharged and then recharged to 100% SOC will outlast a bank that's routinely discharged to <50% SOC then recharged to 90% SOC. Well documented. Not to understate the importance of having a well-matched bank that's appropriately sized for its task.



It would be more beneficial to insure that your system is capable of returning your bank to 100% SOC on a regular basis than to invest in more costly batteries because your dock neighbor had "excellent" service from brand "XYZ". Perhaps in the 7 yrs he's owned those batteries his queen never slipped lines.



The batteries are a small piece of the whole picture. If as much attention were lavished on the DETAILS of how those batteries are being maintained vs. who made them and where they were purchased, they'd last LOTS longer!

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yes!

and its not only returning to 100% SoC but how they are returned to 100% SoC so the charger being used and how it charges is a huge factor.

I'll add that "value" and "initial price" aren't equal.

Inexpensive and long lasting, good. Inexpensive and dead tomorrow, bad.

Expensive and long lasting, depends on what "long" means. Expensive and dead next week, crap.

Hard to gauge value at purchase time; easier to tell after a bank of batteries is declared dead.

FWIW, I back-doored myself into a bank of 4x Lifeline 6V AGM GC2s (GLP-4CT)... based on reputation but also on the longevity achieved with the bank of 3x Odyssey 12V G31s (PC-2150). Which is weird analysis, I admit. But we got ~12 seasons from that (expensive) Odyssey bank, toward the end of that I worked out a way to fit four GC2s into the same area instead (more capacity!), and I considered that Odyssey and Lifeline have approximately an equal reputation for quality and longevity.

Do I know value of the previous Odyssey batteries? Yep. (And we have another bank like that, going on ~10 years now, seems good.)

Do I know the value of the Lifeline batteries? Nope.

But I have hopes.

And the AGM-hood-ness (and especially the reduced service regime) adds, for us, to whatever economic "value" exists.

-Chris

Mischief Managed said:

I'm curious, how many Trojan T105REs are in your house bank? I have a similarly-sized boat, room for 1000ish watts of solar, and have similar plans (6 months on the hook) for my boat.

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Bank of 8
So far so good, would highly recommend

My family pounds on our house bank (a mere two 6 volts) every weekend from May to October. We stay out Friday to Sunday, sometimes Monday on two six volts. We run the stereo, my daughter opens the fridge and stares inside (slowly), movies are watched on our 12 volt TV/DVD combo, and lights, (led thankfully) are not always turned off. Our prior boat had Costco Interstates for 3 years of our ownership that are still going three years later I believe (I sold that boat but it is still in our marina). For our current house bank I purchased two 6 volts, the Duracell equivalent of Trojan T145 (https://www.batteriesplus.com/replacement/battery/trojan/t105/sligc145ut) three years ago. I went heavier so I could (maybe) be less grumpy about the above fridge and light behaviors. So far, all is well. Trojans don't seem to be a very good deal around Portland/Olympia. Batteries Plus always has a coupon. I do leave them on shore power during the week and keep them watered. Without a kid and TV, the Costco Interstates at $94 (looked the other day) would be my choice. Happy (battery) hunting.

Aquabelle said:

Crown 235Ah golf carts are around $240 each. I expect my House bank to last 7 years, maybe 8 with these.

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Are they 8Ds, the amperage sounds like it? Are they 6 or 12v? I`d be interested to know the source, not to purchase immediately, just for the future.

Battery Replacement

Thanks again to everyone who commented on golf cart battery brands. I just finished the conversion and I wanted to give everyone an update (picture attached). I decided on the Crown brand at 220 AH. For the house bank two pairs in series/parallel gives me 440 AH which is over twice what was available in one of my 8D's. The house bank is also used to start the Cummins engine. My Aux bank is for windlass and bow thruster and is two Crowns in series at 220 AH. When I start the Cummins engine I do a momentary parallel of the house and Aux banks. Power to spare.

Not visible in the picture is a new Balmar SG200 battery monitor which has a shunt connected in the negative path of the house bank. I have found it to be a valuable addition to the system. In particular I find it helpful to see the current that is drawn by various devices as well as the state of charge. In the past I was using voltage as a proxy for state of charge. It also provides a state of health % which is, roughly speaking, the ability of the battery to be charged to its capacity when new.

88FuHwa said:

I have bought Costco batteries and they are made by Interstate. Excellent experience and 40% less expensive than buying them at an Interstate store.
You may have to shop around because not all Costco warehouses have them in stock but they will order for you. Their website provides good information.

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Interstate does not make batteries. Others make batteries that Interstate sells with their name on them.

Gray Dog said:

Thanks again to everyone who commented on golf cart battery brands. I just finished the conversion and I wanted to give everyone an update (picture attached). I decided on the Crown brand at 220 AH. For the house bank two pairs in series/parallel gives me 440 AH which is over twice what was available in one of my 8D's. The house bank is also used to start the Cummins engine. My Aux bank is for windlass and bow thruster and is two Crowns in series at 220 AH. When I start the Cummins engine I do a momentary parallel of the house and Aux banks. Power to spare.

Not visible in the picture is a new Balmar SG200 battery monitor which has a shunt connected in the negative path of the house bank. I have found it to be a valuable addition to the system. In particular I find it helpful to see the current that is drawn by various devices as well as the state of charge. In the past I was using voltage as a proxy for state of charge. It also provides a state of health % which is, roughly speaking, the ability of the battery to be charged to its capacity when new.

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No boxes? No covers instead?

Gray Dog, thanks for sharing your decision. I have a question for all who were following your thread. It's not a total hijack of your thread due to my similar situation. I, too, am replacing two 8D's with 6-volt golf cart batteries. I noticed you said you are using your new Crown 440 amp hour bank as your house and also as start batteries for your single Cummins.

I'm leaning toward 8 Trojan T-105's and sticking with flooded lead acid, just as you did. My 2 8D's were house and start batteries for my twin Cummins 6BTA engines. Should I add a start battery (or 2) to the bank of 8 T105s? I feel like I should, but I would like to save the space. Any thoughts are welcome on this. Would using the 8 Trojan T-105s as start batteries in addition to house be a bad idea?

Also went with Crowns 4 years ago. Very pleased with their performance. Due to my cramped battery area I also went with a watering system which makes them a snap to maintain..

Heron said:

Also went with Crowns 4 years ago. Very pleased with their performance. Due to my cramped battery area I also went with a watering system which makes them a snap to maintain..

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holy moly that is cramped!

speaking of watering, my sam's club duracells held water levels nicely the past 5 months but probably because they were kept charged/maintained and not drained without a charge being present (winter storage). i was worried i hadnt checked on them over winter so relieved.

Heron, are those house only or do they also serve as your start battery/batteries?

Do you have a genset with a dedicated starting battery? I think it is easier to make a case for a single House/Starting bank so longer as there's at least one other independent charging system aboard.

Heron said:

Also went with Crowns 4 years ago. Very pleased with their performance. Due to my cramped battery area I also went with a watering system which makes them a snap to maintain..

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Did you go for Crown's own watering system or another ?