Comments on: Sun Mountain Speed E Cart Review

By: Jon Krizman

Jon Krizman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:57:34 +0000

The traction is easily overcome by slightly apply upward pressure on steep incline or areas of reduced traction, great unit, would like to find a cheap back up battery

By: frank

frank — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:49:41 +0000

bought a used one and love it! Great product. I will be interested to see the "new" unit coming from Sun Mountain.
Frank

By: Crayaco

Crayaco — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:50:15 +0000

Bill,

I have dealt with J-Tech and they have been outstanding in their service of the e cart. I did not ship my cart to them. I talked with Frank at J-Tech and he shipped me the parts and I installed them myself fixed the cart.

The parts are easily changed out. My cart is running fine. I may retire it soon as I will be getting a riding cart.

Ray

By: Erik J. Barzeski

Erik J. Barzeski — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:32:31 +0000

Bill Kirkvold said on August 11, 2009:

even though the previous owner had purchased this unit a year earlier

I'm fairly certain the Speed E Cart wasn't introduced until early 2006, so I doubt the guy you bought it from was using it back in the middle of 2005.

By: Bill Kirkvold

Bill Kirkvold — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:35:32 +0000

I purchased a Sun Mountain Speed E Cart on eBay in mid 2006 and have had a minimum of problems with it since. I had previously owned a 'motor caddy' which was much heavier (a 1980's design) and often didn't have enough battery power for a full 18 holes, even with a near new battery. I have never had that problem with the 'E'Cart, in fact, even though the previous owner had purchased this unit a year earlier, I was able to go a full 36 holes with it more than once with the original battery. One of the reasons I purchased this unit was the seller's testimony that he "Loved the cart and was only selling it because it did not 'go' with the color of his new golf bag." I have very few criticisms of the 'E' Cart other than the unavailability of repair services. I was upset to learn that S M had outsourced the support of this unit to E-Tech, although the comments about E-Tech on this forum have generally been positive. My concern is that repair of the electrical system on this cart is not possible by the owner and would likely be very difficult for an experienced electronic technician without schematics. This leaves E-Tech as the only repair alternative,which means shipping the whole unit to them for repair. If any one else knows of repair alternatives, please post them.

By: Ross Haslam

Ross Haslam — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:29:52 +0000

Doug,
There are numerous factors that influence battery life.The life expectancy of your battery depends on you. How they’re used, how well they’re maintained, how they’re discharged, how they’re re-charged, and how they are stored all contribute to a batteries life span.

One important factor to battery life is how deep the battery is cycled each time. If the battery is discharged to 50% everyday it will last twice as long as it would if it’s cycled to 80%. Keep this in mind when you consider a battery’s amp hour rating. The amp hour rating is really cut in half because you don’t want to completely discharge the battery before recharging it. Your better off buying a higher rated battery for more $$ because it will last longer and will be better value for money than a lower rated battery.

The life expectancy depends on how soon a discharged battery is recharged. The sooner it is recharged the better. Battery life is reduced at higher temperatures - for every 15 degrees F over 77, battery life is cut in half.

Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% time after time, and have much thicker plates. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are SOLID Lead plates - not sponge. This gives less surface area, thus less "instant" power like starting batteries need. Plate thickness (of the Positive plate) matters because of a factor called "positive grid corrosion". The positive (+) plate is what gets eaten away gradually over time, so eventually there is nothing left - it all falls to the bottom as sediment.

Thicker plates are directly related to longer life, so other things being equal, the battery with the thickest plates will last the longest. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to tell what you are really buying in some of the discount stores or places that specialize in automotive batteries, in general you get what you pay for.

Im on my 2nd battery and after 7 months it is also on the way out. But I live in Brisbane (Oz) where it is very hot most of the time and the battery sits in my garage (where it is even hotter) on trickle charge all the time its not being used. I play about 75 rounds a year. Battery cost me $90, so 75 rounds for $1.20 per round is not too bad.

By: Erik J. Barzeski

Erik J. Barzeski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:31:41 +0000

BirdieBob said on August 9, 2009:

I am on the battery that came with the cart in March 07. I keep it on the charger when not in use.

Me too. My battery still lasts 36 holes.

By: Don Wilson

Don Wilson — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:10:11 +0000

I just broke my storage that hold the cards. Can I replace the whole thing that is attached to the handle? If so what would it cost?

By: BirdieBob

BirdieBob — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:44:37 +0000

I am on the battery that came with the cart in March 07. I keep it on the charger when not in use.

By: Doug

Doug — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:35:38 +0000

I think my speed e cart is great but I am on my third battery in two years. The first 7Ah battery lasted only about 20 rounds and the second 9Ah battery lasted only about 50 rounds. I am curious if others are getting more rounds per battery. Also, does anyone know of an available Li Ion or NiMH replacement kit for the stock SLA battery? From what I read they should last for far more charge cycles.