front wheel drive on Craftsman walk behind lawn mower stopped working.

Greetings,

In short the answer to your question is yes, these front drive lawn mowers use a pulley style system to the drive lever so if it has become too loose it will not allow the drive lever to pull enough to tighten the belt which is what turns the front wheel.

On most of these lawnmowers if you remove the front cover there is an adjustment screw for the drive system that will allow you to take up any slack and get the mower moving again.

In an extreme case i have seen the belt so worn that it had to be replaced. There is a horizontal to vertical gearbox up front on yours but usually that is not the issue.

Give a look at the belt and the cable that runs the drive lever and report back.

Cheers!!

Moe