[joeabare]

Hi folks,
This is my first time creating a post so some slack please. I picked up my Gator TE on GOVPLANET back in Nov 2021 out of Pennsylvania for about 3K. It was one of about 8 similar machines being auctioned off after about 10 years of service for the government. All were loaded up with Curtis hard cabs, heaters, horn, outside dome light, 48 Volt to 12 volt converter and wipers but all looked to have been sitting for awhile.

Other than a dead tire and NO batteries, I had no idea if any of the main components worked but I had my fingers crossed. After some lengthy research, I decided to to go the LiFePO4 route through Dakota Lithium (dakotalithium.com). Not sponsored at all for this post. I chose the set specifically designed for golf carts which were the only option to work with the Gator's 400 amp drive motor. (dakotalithium.com/product/dakota-lithium-48v-golf-cart-lifepo4-battery-set). I now have a set of 4 of the 12 volt 60Ah batteries weighing 16.5lbs each (current priced at $2099). There is an optional heavier 135Ah set that just came out but they are pricey. One Trojan SLA T105 weighs 62 lbs and one SLA T145 weighs 72 lbs. My new battery set weighs a total of 66 lbs and are totally maintenance free and warrantied for 11 years. That trims off 430 lbs from a set of 8 SLA batteries. Since my Gator did not come with batteries or cables, I picked up a set of golf card cables from Dakota as well.

The 48 volt battery set came with its own 48 volt charger that has a standard 110v wall plug. The OEM charger is not designed to charge LiFePO4 batteries but I left it in place anyway. The main controller looks for connectivity with the OEM charger and more specifically, if it is plugged in and charging. Once I had everything wired up and key turned on, the hour meter only showed 105.3 hours on the Gator - and everything worked! It runs perfectly. I will upload some more pics soon!

 

[200mph]

Congratulations on the upgrade/conversion.

Please report back after you’ve had a chance to use for a while.

Did you read the details of their 11 year warranty? It’s not as great as it sounds and is heavily adjusted after 5 years. They have the option of requesting you buy new battery at 30% discount

 

[dane]

I fly RC airplanes and three years ago started switching out the LiPo batteries for LiFe to power the radio systems. Luckily my batteries are much smaller and less expensive than yours. The iron batteries don't hold as much energy as other lithium technologies but they are a lot safer.

It's a shame you didn't own and operate the Gator when it had lead batteries. I bet you'd notice the benefit of shedding a quarter ton of battery & cable weight. And, lithium's can dump their energy more quickly so it might also help if you put the pedal to the floor.