Husqvarna Mower Won't Start after Collision

Hey all,

Like a chump I hit the front end of my lawn mower into a plastic pipe (which I thought I could clear). The mower in question is a Husqvarna 22" walk-behind mower with front wheel drive. After that incident, the mower won't start and it seems to be because the drive belt is not tight any more. The part it attaches to is pictured below:

part.jpg

I assume it used to be tight, but now it rocks around on the front axle so the belt isn't tight enough to start. I tried removing the belt altogether figuring at least I could push the mower manually (my penance for stupidity), but without the belt on, the mower still doesn't start. So questions:

1. What is that part it attaches to called?
2. How is it meant to be attached, and could it be fixed?
3. Failing that, is there a way to start the mower without the belt?
4. Am I off base and there is another reason the mower won't start?

Thanks a lot for reading and any insight you could shed.

Attached Images

• part.jpg (101.7 KB)

Husqvarna Mower Won't Start after Collision