We are into the part of the season where carts get used hard and nobody thinks about maintenance. Here are three things that take about five minutes total and prevent most of what I get called out for in August.
1. Look at the water level
If you have flooded lead acid batteries, check the cells now, not in September.
Heat drives water loss. A pack that was fine on a monthly check in May can be getting low every two or three weeks in July and August. Once the plates are exposed, the capacity you lose does not come back.
Charge it first, then top off with distilled water to about an eighth of an inch below the bottom of the fill well. Never before charging, because the electrolyte expands and boils out over the top.
That is genuinely the whole job, and it is the single highest value five minutes you will spend on the cart all year.
2. Check tire pressure
Heat raises pressure. Tires set correctly in April are very likely over pressure now.
Over inflated tires ride harshly, wear out down the middle, and grip worse on grass. Check them cold, in the morning, before the sun has been on them.
3. Park it in the shade
Not really a job, but it is the one that matters most and costs nothing.
Battery life roughly halves for every 18 degrees Fahrenheit above about 77. Our July air temperatures sit in the low to mid 80s, but a cart parked in direct sun runs well above the air around it, and the pack is what feels it. A carport, a barn, or just a tree meaningfully extends the life of a pack.
And do not put a charger on a pack that is already hot from sun and use. Give it an hour to cool if you can.
The August calls
For what it is worth, the calls I get in August are, in order: pack will not hold a charge through the day, cart is slow on hills, and something is grinding or dragging.
The first two usually trace back to water and heat. Both are on this list.
If something already feels off
Do not wait until the end of the season to mention it. A pack that is sagging in July is easier to save than one that has been sagging since July when you tell me in October.
406.270.9346.