Craftsman Golf Cart Charger

Craftsman Golf Cart Charger Review

A golf cart charger is in high demand throughout the course of its life.

If you own an older electric golf cart, your charger has been put under an electrical load for literally thousands of hours. During that time, it’s been subjected to a healthy dose of heat, dirt, dust and maybe even the occasional mishap.

All that to say: it’s inevitable that your charger will stop working at some point.

So what should you do when your golf cart battery charger needs to be replaced?

In my opinion, you have two options:

Option 1: Find a used 36v golf cart battery charger for sale. This may be the cheapest option, but it’s not the smartest option. After all, any used charger will be a victim of the same wear and tear as the charger you’re trying to replace.

Option 2: Find a new 36v golf cart battery charger replacement. There are several options on the market, and in this case, new is definitely better than used.

Today I want to highlight one of those options.

Please note: This article contains affiliate links. This means we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase.

  • Fits 1996-2009 EZGO Models: TXT, TXTE, TXT PDS, Freedom TXT, Shuttle with "D" style plug

  • Fits 36V carts with "crowfoot" style plug & Pre 1983 EZGO carts. This also fits 36V carts from any year from the following manufacturers: Cushman, Melex, Legend, Noland, Nordskog, Karrior, Westinghouse, Pargo,Taylor-Dunn, Hyundai.

  • Fits Club Car 48v golf xarts with 3-Pin Round Plug charger connections. Please note: 1995-2010 48V Club Car DS and 2004-2014 48V Club Car Precedent will require OBC Bypass modification.

Fits 1996-2009 EZGO Models: TXT, TXTE, TXT PDS, Freedom TXT, Shuttle with "D" style plug

Fits 48v EZGO TXT and RXV models with 3-Pin Handle Plug

Fits 36V carts with "crowfoot" style plug & Pre 1983 EZGO carts. This also fits 36V carts from any year from the following manufacturers: Cushman, Melex, Legend, Noland, Nordskog, Karrior, Westinghouse, Pargo,Taylor-Dunn, Hyundai.

Fits Club Car 48v golf xarts with 3-Pin Round Plug charger connections. Please note: 1995-2010 48V Club Car DS and 2004-2014 48V Club Car Precedent will require OBC Bypass modification.

Fits EZGO Marathon 36v golf carts with Anderson SB-50 Style Plug

Craftsman Golf® EZGO 36V Charger Review

A friend of mine has a 1999 EZ-GO TXT with a crazy lift kit and the original golf cart charger. That charger was 23 years old.

Side note: If you don’t know the make and model of your EZ-GO, this website will help.

Finding charger parts or a used replacement for his EZGO cart didn’t seem like the best move, so we opted for a new EZGO golf cart charger from Craftsman Golf®.

At the time, I couldn’t find any reviews for their 36 volt golf cart charger, so I thought I would write one myself.

Step 1: Ordering from Craftsman Golf®

I navigated to the Craftsman Golf website and found the golf cart charger page.

Craftsman Golf website screenshot
Craftsman Golf website screenshot

I found the EZGO 36V charger that we needed and placed an order. Their website site accepts all major credit cards and Paypal for those who don’t like entering their credit card information if they don’t have to (that includes me).

Free shipping is offered for any US orders over $49 and any international orders over $69 which means that all golf cart chargers will qualify for free shipping.

I received a tracking number from the website and the charger arrived in 4 days. Good communication, no headaches.

Step 2: Unboxing the New EZGO 36v Charger

Craftsman Golf Cart Charger Box
Craftsman Golf cart charger in the box.

The package arrived in a large box. This box made me a little nervous at first because it appeared the new charger was going to be larger than the older one.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite to be true.

After opening the big box, I found another much smaller box inside that measured 11.5″ by 9.25.” Packed inside were two important booklets, a basic owner’s manual and a troubleshooting guide. Both were printed on heavier glossy paper to help them hold up over time.

EZGO 36v Charger Owner's Manual and Troubleshooting Guide
Owner’s Manual and Troubleshooting Guide

The instructions aren’t anything special, but they can help an owner figure out a number of common charging scenarios without contacting customer support.

The EZ GO charger itself was carefully packed in a rigid but flexible protective foam. This prevented the charger from damage during shipping.

Step 3: Sharing My First Impressions

My friend’s old EZGO TXT charger was the standard 12″x12″x12″ silver metal charger that came with most old golf carts.

Craftsman Golf's EZGO 36V Charger unboxed
Craftsman Golf’s EZGO 36V Charger with Cherry Red Finish

The Craftsman Golf EZGO TXT charger has way more appeal to the eye. All of their battery replacements feature a dark cherry red metal finish with black accents. Not that it matters, but this charger looks much better than the OEM options.

The replacement charger takes up way less space. That means less wasted space in an already-packed garage. The Craftsman Golf charger measures 8.25″ wide by 4.75″ deep by just 3″ tall. Somehow they figured out how to pack all of that charging technology into a smaller space.

The charger also weighs less. My guess is that the Craftsman Golf charger weighs about 5-6 pounds, which makes it portable enough to take with you on the road.

There’s plenty of cord to work with. All in all, golf cart owners have about 16 feet of cord which allows for greater flexibility in charging. In my friend’s garage, the outlets are not in convenient places, so having this extra reach makes a big difference.

Step 4: Testing the Functionality

So I’ve already covered some of the aesthetics. The charger looks good and takes up less space, but you’re probably wondering: How did the charger perform?

After all, if you’re searching for a solution to charge you golf cart batteries, it needs to work well.

My friend was on the road the day the charger arrived, so I headed over to his shop and took the cart out for a spin to burn up some battery life. When the batteries were at about 50%, I pulled the cart into the garage to the test new charger.

Golf cart battery charger
The charger plugged into the EZGO TXT for the first time.

I turned the cart off and put it in neutral before hooking up the charger to the outlet on the wall. I then inserted the “D Style” plug into the EZGO TXT. The charger went right to work with no issues.

A red light (labeled LED1) indicated that the charger was getting power. A second red light (labeled LED2) showed that the cart was being charged. Once the cart was finished charging, the LED2 light turned green.

LED indicators on golf cart charger.
LED indicators help you know if the cart is charging and when charging is complete.

Because the batteries weren’t fully drained, it didn’t take that long to complete the charging process.

This Craftsman Golf charger is an 18amp rapid charger, so if your batteries are fully drained, you should expect a 7-8 hours charging period.

Step 5: Discussing Any Negatives or Complaints

The Craftsman Golf Cart Charger seems like a great solution, and I don’t have any real complaints to mention. The charger comes with a generous 18 month warranty, so my friend will have plenty of time to put it to the test.

One thing that I would mention is that the unit gets hot during charging, so my only comment would be to make sure you don’t place the charger on a surface where something could melt or warp (like plastic). A hard surface like metal or concrete would be best.

My 2024 Update

I went to check up on the availability of thecharger that I purchased back in 2022. It was sold out, but Craftsman Golf now sells a waterproof version of the same charger.

This is a great solution for those of you who don’t have a dedicated garage or workspace for charging your golf cart.

Final Thoughts

If you need a golf cart battery charger replacement, Craftsman Golf® seems to be a good, cost-effective option.

Their website offers charger replacements for virtually every make and model (including my 1987 Club Car DS). Both 36v and 48v chargers are available, along with all of the different plug types. They even have several waterproof chargers, which can be really helpful for golf cart owners who don’t have a garage or enclosed space.

I’ve interacted with Craftsman Golf® by email and their team has been very pleasant and willing to answer any of my questions. They’ve even offered my readers an exclusive 15% off promo code.

CraftsmanGolf.com Promo Code

If you’re making a purchase, all you need to do is use code P3NM during checkout. The code doesn’t work for custom embroidered items, but it will work for all golf cart chargers.

  • Fits 1996-2009 EZGO Models: TXT, TXTE, TXT PDS, Freedom TXT, Shuttle with "D" style plug

  • Fits 36V carts with "crowfoot" style plug & Pre 1983 EZGO carts. This also fits 36V carts from any year from the following manufacturers: Cushman, Melex, Legend, Noland, Nordskog, Karrior, Westinghouse, Pargo,Taylor-Dunn, Hyundai.

  • Fits Club Car 48v golf xarts with 3-Pin Round Plug charger connections. Please note: 1995-2010 48V Club Car DS and 2004-2014 48V Club Car Precedent will require OBC Bypass modification.

Fits 1996-2009 EZGO Models: TXT, TXTE, TXT PDS, Freedom TXT, Shuttle with "D" style plug

Fits 48v EZGO TXT and RXV models with 3-Pin Handle Plug

Fits 36V carts with "crowfoot" style plug & Pre 1983 EZGO carts. This also fits 36V carts from any year from the following manufacturers: Cushman, Melex, Legend, Noland, Nordskog, Karrior, Westinghouse, Pargo,Taylor-Dunn, Hyundai.

Fits Club Car 48v golf xarts with 3-Pin Round Plug charger connections. Please note: 1995-2010 48V Club Car DS and 2004-2014 48V Club Car Precedent will require OBC Bypass modification.

Fits EZGO Marathon 36v golf carts with Anderson SB-50 Style Plug

Have you tried a Craftsman Golf Cart Charger?

If so, leave a comment below and tell us about your experience.

Craftsman Golf® EZGO Golf Cart Charger

If you need an EZGO 36v charger replacement, you should read my review of the Craftsman Golf® EZGO Golf Cart Charger. I offer in-depth analysis.

Product SKU: 5900930

Product Brand: Craftsman Golf®

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 229.99

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
5

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