How many operate the left/right brake pedals independantly?

[GregbkH]

I have never unhooked the latch that connects my brake pedals together. I was told that you could manuever better and correct some traction problems easier this way. What are some of the pro's and con's?

 

[rasimmo]

The only time I have used them seperately when I worked for a construction company. We would clean up around the asphalt plant with a backhoe. Put the bucket down and scrape the loose material up off the cement. Without much weight on the front tires, that was the only way to "steer". On a tractor in the field, I have never used them seperately.

 

[brin]

Just remember if you do lift the latch and use the brakes independently , do not forget to put the latch back down , especially if you are going out on the road with your tractor...In an emergency stop or any stop without the brakes latched back together you could easily end up in the other lane , in a ditch or into a tree...be careful...I never use mine independently...

 

[Bird]

I used them to turn shorter occasionally, or to do as rasimmo said, but pretty rarely.

 

[Piston]

That's funny, I'm just the opposite, I've almost never latched the brake pedals!

On my kubota, its a lot harder to use the brakes independently because they are on the same side as the hst. I have to either use the cruise function so i can use my right foot for braking, or swing my left leg over which is what i do more often.

When stopping (although rare that I use my brakes to stop even though that sounds strange) I just have my foot in the middle of the two pedals, it's the same as having them linked.

I do link the brakes when I use the parking brake though.

I used to use the separate brake all the time for turning tightly until I got my current tractor. You can turn much faster with using the separate brakes. Also when one tire is slipping you can tap the brake on that tire to get the one with traction to turn.
In the snow it's helpful to use the brakes to help steer when your turning, or to keep you straight when you don't want to turn!

I love operating the 410 backhoe in tight quarters because it has the split brakes on the left (thank you Deere) and its amazing at how maneuverable that larger equipment is when using the brakes. Without split brakes-no way!

 

[schoolsout]

I don't think I have enough brakes left to use them....I have a horrible habit of locking the brakes while I do something then getting back on and tractoring around until I realize what I've done. It never fails, even when I tell myself not to leave them engaged as I'm engaging them

That said, I've never used them separately.

 

[pacerron]

A good reason to unlatch them periodically is to test to see if they are both engaging at the same pedal travel and pressure. Adjust them if they
are not, or you might have a "Brin moment" when they are locked.
I use mine independently when plowing dirt, when on ice, and when in a real tight turn situation.

 

[Wilky]

I don't think they are a lot of help steering with wide front ends back in the day with narrow front ends you could steer with brakes. They do help in loose dirt or on ice though IMHO.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

I had an occasion to use independent brakes recently when I hooked onto an implement and found I could not drive forward because there was a tree on the left side between the implement and the tractor. I scratched my head for some time trying to figure out a way to be able to slide the implement over but there was no room to get the tractor to that side to pull it away from the tree. Finally it dawned on me that if I hooked up to it and engaged the left brake the tractor would swing the implement off to the right and out of the way of the tree. The steering just wasn't tight enough to do it alone. It worked flawlessly and at that moment it became pretty clear how handy that feature is. For normal driving I don't find myself using it though. I've seen others sucessfully use it to transfer torque to non-spinning tires, but with a differential lock that eliminates that need.

 

[TerryR]

I have them latched only when I have the pedals locked down as a parking brake, and generally unlatch them before I release the parking brake. The only time I don't unlatch them is when I'm doing something that involves frequent stops, like vacuuming leaves from the ditches.

I use them independently all the time to help turn. Otherwise the front tires tend to slide on grass, especially on hillsides, which is mostly what we have on our place.

I learned to drive on a tractor around age 10, and using the "steering brakes" was one of the first lessons. It was especially necessary when cultivating, where you needed to make a U-turn at the end of each row. It has never occurred to me that it wasn't standard operating procedure for all tractor operators until I read the replies here.

Terry