(ET) thermal fuse, mower blades, and hubris

[john rieffel <rieffelj union edu>]

Hi Trekkers,

It's pouring again now in Upstate, NY, but during a break in the
weather today I was able to test out my new batteries (thanks
harold!), and was very impressed by their power and longevity (my
3x12v deep cycle marine setup was good while it lasted, but...).

After 40 minutes of pretty intense mowing (two straight weeks of
springtime rain) in the lower of the high gears, my E-15 came to a
dead stop - as if I had kneed the power cutoff.    The power meter
registered zero.  After wiggling and jiggling and poking and prodding,
it seemed to come back to life (meters in the green again) of its own
accord.  Could this be due to the thermal fuses?

It is worth noting that the power cables connecting the ET to the
batteries were quite hot, although my brand-new interconnects were
barely warm.  Should this be a cause for concern, and if so where do I
start?

Unrelated: For the sake of longer battery life and better cutting, I'm
interested in sharpening and balancing my blades - any advice?  I have
a 10" bastard file, but no bench grinder.

regards,
jr