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Electric EZGO Electric EZ GO Marathon, Medalist, TXT and RXV.



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Old 12-22-2018, 10:18 PM   #1
firemedicsafd
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Default 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

I was gifted an extremely used 1994 ezgo marathon. I have already replaced all the batteries and put a back seat on. I would like it to go faster and have some lights and radio on it in the future. It is already lifted and works good since the new batteries. Should i keep spending the dough on electrical stuff or start saving toward a gas conversion? My goal is more speed and the ability to haul people without problems. This site has already been a huge help to me with wiring issues and the possibilities for my cart.

If i stay electric, what can i do next after the batteries to get more speed and run time?

If i go gas, can the gas motor be mated the electric rear axle? does the swap retain the forward and reverse function?

Any and all help will be appreciated. Thank you for your help!
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Old 12-23-2018, 09:12 AM   #2
Sideways
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

There are more people on here better versed than I am and they will chime in shortly.
My suggestions is to get in touch with Scottyb or any of the other site sponsors.
They will need to know what type drive your cart is, tire size etc...
Upgrading to 48v (assuming your at 36v) would be your best bet for more speed and run time. It's not going to be cheap but will be worth it.
I will venture to say that converting to gas is not going to be recommended.
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Old 12-23-2018, 12:00 PM   #3
orangeman6
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

It’s too bad you already bought new batteries. I’m assuming 36v? A jump to 48v would give you 33% more speed. A lift (which probably means bigger tires) and a back seat (meaning more passengers) is not a great combo for a stock 36v cart. Think of what that cart was designed to do.

Get an Alltrax 500 amp controller and Hd solenoid
2g cables
Sell those new batteries on cl, you’ll probably get a good bit for them. Get a 48v pack.
Reversing contactor or hd f/r. Assuming that thing is series.

That’s a bit of cash I’m talking about there, but your cart will kill it with that setup. All you would be missing would be an upgraded motor, which you could decide on down the road.

I’ve read here that the gas conversion is a pia.

Btw- where is safd? I work for Sacramento Fire
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Old 12-28-2018, 09:37 PM   #4
firemedicsafd
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

SAFD is St Augustine Fire Dept. I got that email when i worked there. I work for St Johns County Fire Rescue now. Been here for 16+ yrs.

Good info. thanks for the input. I have ALOT to research.
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Old 12-31-2018, 10:31 AM   #5
bronsonj
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

converting to gas is possible. There's a whole sub-forum on it. I converted an old marathon cart to gas. If you keep the electric axle and still want reverse then you'll need to get creative either with a second motor, like a car starter motor, to provide reverse or a motorcycle engine/trans so reverse is handled in the trans.

It is a lot of work, but depending on what you want to do it can be quite rewarding. There was a place called Vegas Carts (if I remember correctly) that sold kits to help with this, but kits cost more $$$ than rolling your own.

Electric can do what you want too. 48v is a great upgrade to both speed and torque. If your battery pack is pretty new, adding two batteries is reasonable... They will age to the same age as the rest of the pack but that may not be an issue, depending on how old the pack is.

Adding a rear seat is good, you will want HD rear springs to go with.

Bigger tires will reduce torque but gain speed.

If you want, you can get the Alltrax controller, it'll work on 36v, 42v and 48v. So you will have your torque. Your electric motor will handle 36v and 42v just fine. Most will handle 48v but I thought I've read somewhere that the PDS electric motor likes 42v??? JohnnieB is a great resource for stuff like that.

If you are worried about expense and you just bought the batteries then you can get the controller from cartsunlimited.net and add bigger tires. If that's no good, then upping the V is the next step and will involve batteries and charger, cables, solenoid and (depending on what cart you have) F-N-R switch.

So if you buy the controller now, guessing $450. Then run it a month and want more and your pack is pretty new you can upgrade to 42v or 48v.
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Old 12-31-2018, 10:42 AM   #6
bronsonj
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

Quote:
Originally Posted by firemedicsafd View Post
If i stay electric, what can i do next after the batteries to get more speed and run time?
More batteries or better batteries. More efficiency is another option. Make sure the larger tires you get are rated for the weight. Low pressure tires are very much not efficient. Get tires that are 20psi capable or more and set the PSI nearer to the high side. Set it too high and the ride gets rough, too low and your rolling resistance will get too high.

You can also drop weight from your cart... Yes, even after adding a rear seat and passengers, your cart can weigh less than stock which is why I run 58v lithium and love it.

My buddy has a 36v industrual cart running on 44v lithium and it's great.
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Old 01-04-2019, 08:11 AM   #7
420ma
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

I have a 93 Marathon that was 36v, 275 AMP Curtis Controller 20" Tires. I upgraded to 48V, 500A and it runs around 17mph on flat ground and does much much better uphills with people in the back. I saved money by buying the "knock off" Curtis controller on ebay which works fine. But I'm not using my cart constantly everyday, just at a campground 6 months a year and that's only on weekends. My budget conscious method cost me about $1200 plus the a new charger to go to 48V from carts unlimited which is awesome.
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Old 01-04-2019, 08:33 AM   #8
scottyb
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

There are high speed Series motors available for this cart too. You can add 2 more 6v to the rear bagwell to make 48v but - as mentioned - the result is 150 pounds or 15% more overall weight which adversely effects performance, verses the 6/8v which fit the OEM battery rack.
Either way - 48 volts is highly recommended for any performance upgrade in this cart.
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:26 PM   #9
mes
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Default Re: 94 marathon gifted to me...What to do to it now?

420ma, what was the model number on the "knock off" Curtis controller you purchased on ebay?
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