48" deck - purpose of threaded stud
On my 48" deck there is a 5/16" threaded stud about an inch tall near the idler pulley. On the attached photo I placed a white nylon cylinder next to the stud. When I removed the deck shields I noticed a fragment of a black rubber hose that was over this threaded stud. I've got the mower deck parts manual here and it does not show this stud or the rubber hose. So I'm wondering if this stud and hose was put on by a previous owner or was it original to the mower deck and has a purpose.
While running the deck without the shields I can see the belt whipping around and striking the stud so some sort of cushioned cover might help the belt from getting chewed up. I also noticed that when the deck belt is broken or removed the stud keeps the spring loaded idler pulley from going past the stud.
On the left side of the mower deck there is a hole where perhaps a matching stud would be placed but no evidence that one was ever there.
So my questions. Is this threaded stud supposed to be there, and if so is it supposed to have a rubber hose sleeve, some other type of cover, or was something else attached to it?
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