yep i'm sure the card cured the problem for now, think about what trashed the card to start with.
as long as you run golf cart batteries the capacity will always be an issue because the machine was not designed to run off golf cart batteries in the first place.
As for the load testing, i'm quite aware or what the manual's say about having the wheels off the floor, that is more for safety reasons than getting an accurate test and some drive tests can't be done with the wheels on the floor. Sure you can use the brake system to hold the motor and take a load test but if the motor slips then your test is NOT accurate, besides i see no point in putting undue stress on the brake system alone. Setting the machine up against a stationary object , accompanied by brake use will get you an accurate test result as well. I prefer this method because doing it the 'factory way' sometimes is not the best way.

Me being a factory tech i try not to do the kind of work on machines like was done here. From time to time we do learn tricks outside of the book so to speak. If it cannot be repaired back to factory specs then i won't bother with it.

Nuff said....

good luck
see you back soon ;o)