How to Wire Lights on a 48 Volt Golf Cart? [ Everything you need to know ]

Golf is an intriguing sport.

It’s similar to other pastimes in the sense that it also uses clubs and balls, but it’s unique in the sense that it doesn’t have a standardized playing field. & want to learn about How to Wire Lights on a 48 Volt Golf Cart.

Simply put, golf is played by using varying clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes that are strategically located all over a vast playing field.

The caveat, however, is that you have to do so with the least amount of strokes possible.  

Most courses have 9 or 18 holes, covering an average area of 74 acres – imagine having to lug all your golf equipment around such a huge space. 

With that said, this is the reason why golf carts are common companions for golfers.

These miniature motorized vehicles help players travel across the field, which not only reduces their burden but also speeds up the game.

And sometimes we usually come up with these basic questions on how to Wire Lights on a 48 Volt Golf Cart?

Why Is There a Need to Wire Lights?

Golf carts are smaller than your average sedan, but they’re usually big enough to squeeze in two players and their equipment.

Because of this, they don’t usually have all the features that a car has, but they can certainly be modified. 

Wiring lights into golf carts are a common modification requested by golfers.

Since golf is often played in the daytime, carts are not normally manufactured without headlights.

Nevertheless, playing golf at night is slowly gaining popularity, thereby also increasing the demand for installing lights. 

However, since most lights are 12-volt accessories, the installation procedure for a 48-volt golf cart is a little different.

I’ll show you a step-by-step guide on how to wire lights on a 48-volt golf cart in this tutorial.

Wiring Procedure

Materials needed. Before I start with this tutorial, I want you to gather all these necessary materials first. You will need:

• An electric drill
• 9/16 wrench
• Wire crimped
• Wire stripper
• A voltage reducer that works on 48-volt golf carts
• Your light of choice, some pre-made lighting kits are already available for easier installation. 
• Mounting brackets
• 16-gauge wire, the length depends on the distance from your battery to where you want your
• light switch to be placed.
• Solderless butt connectors
• Solderless ring terminals
• Inline fuser holders
• Insulated female spade terminal
• Nylon wire ties
• Electrical tape
• Screws and a screwdriver
• Safety gloves
• Protective glasses
• Volt meter

Step 1. Begin by making sure that your engine is turned off, and that your cart is in the tow maintenance mode. 

Step 2. Locate your cart’s battery and disconnect its positive and negative terminals.

If your cart contains a series of batteries, locate the beginning of the series and disconnect the negative terminals from there. 

Step 3. Locate a space inside the battery compartment where you can position the voltage reducer.

Install the voltage reducer according to the manufacturer’s specific instructions and secure it in place by drilling it into the frame of your golf cart. 

Step 4. Use butt connectors to close off the 12-volt wire from the voltage reducer.

This is where you will be connecting your light’s wirings to.

As a safety precaution, use a voltage meter first to check if the voltage is already reduced to 12 volts.

Step 5. Reconnect the positive and negative terminals of the battery, and make sure that everything is properly in place.

Otherwise, your cart may suffer from serious damage brought about by faulty wirings. 

Step 6. Choose a location where you want to mount your headlights and their switch.

Ideally, lights mounted on top of the cart provide players with the best illumination.

Secure your lights in place with mounting brackets. 

Step 7. For the switch, drill a hole where the switch will be fitted into.

The size of the hole would depend on the size of the threaded portion of the switch but is usually about half an inch in diameter. 

Step 8. Connect one lead end of the inline fuse holder with the voltage reducer’s power output terminal.

Close off the other lead end with a butt connector.

Step 9. Extend the other end of the inline fuse holder to the switch and connect it to the center terminal with an insulated female spade terminal. 

Step 10. Now, get the 16-gauge wire and connect one end to the second terminal of the switch.

Carefully extend the wire to where the lights are located.

With a butt connector, link the other end of the wire with the lights. 

Step 11. Take as many nylon wire ties as you need to securely hold the 16-gauge wire in place.

Cover the connections with electrical tape for added security. 

Step 12. Finally, secure the switch into position with screws.

Toggle the switch on and off to test if it works. 

Here is a How to Wire Lights on a 48 Volt Golf Cart?

Important Notes

The procedure laid out in this tutorial can also be applied for golf carts running on 36 volts. 

Some carts use a series of 12-volt batteries, and other users prefer to connect their lighting kits onto one of these batteries to avoid installing a voltage reducer.

That can also be done. However, this method tends to wear out that specific battery faster than the others.

Do we hope you got your answers on How to Wire Lights on a 48 Volt Golf Cart?