My question is about the decision - will there be any cost or power savings, any benefit from "simplifying" my solar layout?
If you want that answer, you should ask that question in your original post, which doesn't ask anything about those things. It only asks if it is possible.
(reference quote below for later, if first post does get the new question edited in)
Not sure where to put this - feel free to move it. I am accumulating some $$ to enable me to attack some projects that will need batteries - an electric tractor conversion, solar panels on my house, an electric car conversion and a water pump. Is it possible to set all of them up so that each one operates on a 48v - or multiple of 48v, i.e. 2 48v batteries, 3 48v batteries, etc? Car might be 5x48v. My goal is to be able to use the same charger for any of the batteries. I plan to have a diesel powered generator and solar panels.
To begin to answer the new question:
Cost savings vs what other specific option(s)? I'm sure there are cost savings doing it this way vs some others, but there would also be cost savings for other ways vs this as well, depending on the specific options being compared and the specific ways you're going to use them.
Power savings? Not sure what you mean; you'll need to be more specific as to scenario vs result you are after.
What "benefit" are you looking for? Rather than asking if there are "any" benefits (none of which might apply to your needs), consider and list the things you want out of a particular method of doing things, or a particular device or system. Then things can be found, or systems suggested, that have those properties.
FWIW, I mentioned the issue I did because it's a major consideration for which specific batteries you would be buying / using / building, vs what the systems themselves and the usage scenarios require in order to protect those batteries from damage. If you require batteries with typical BMS in them and don't want to design and build modifications to them to prevent damage (or otherwise just risk such damage) then you wouldn't want to series smaller modules and instead would want specific batteries for specific tasks / equipment that are different voltages.
