It probably happened when the tensioner failed and the belt flew off.

I don’t think the hub of the fan was pulled over to make those grazes, I think it’s more likely those happened when blades broke off or something went into the fan and was dragged over the transmission case.

As for running without, that fan is partly there for direct cooling, partly to keep grass clippings from collecting on top. Even in cooler temps, a blanket of clippings could make it get hotter than it should be.

And it costs municipalities less money than the problems it prevents, so obviously we shouldn’t do this everywhere and raise the standard of living for everybody. Because it wouldn’t be fair, somehow.