Why split brakes??

[drjay9051]

My CK25 has split brakes. What is the purpose? i supppose I could brake on one brake with the right foot and hit the treadle with the other for a real tight turn. Is this the purpose?

I really dont understand this??

 

[Dmace]

Exactly, it's for tight turning and braking one side of the tires. I have only used it a handful of times since it's difficult with the HST pedal on the same side but it worked well for tight areas. I can hold the brake pedal with my toe and move forward with my heel, I guess the size 13 boots help.

 

[/pine]

sometimes doing loader work in wet, hilly conditions...the front wheels can lose traction and not respond regardless of where you turn the wheels..That is when I've used the brakes to steer...

 

[Gittyup]

Works best in 2 WD too. Can aid when stuck sometimes. But, diffy lock is just as good or better for that.

 

[beenthere]

Right and left wheel braking is useful when turning and/or losing traction with one wheel.

With HST tranny I find I don't use the individual brakes as often as when I had the gear tractors. Having 4wd is another reason for not using individual brakes as often as before.

Sounds like you are talking of a tractor with individual brake pedals on the same side as the forward/reverse pedals. If so, then they are near worthless, and IMO a design flaw.
But many who have them excuse the design problem and are not unhappy or do not use their tractor where they feel a need for individual braking.

Likely we adapt to what we have in most situations.

 

[NSBound]

sometimes doing loader work in wet, hilly conditions...the front wheels can lose traction and not respond regardless of where you turn the wheels..That is when I've used the brakes to steer...

Similar situation to what /pine said, but i have found them useful in winter. When using the FEL to shove a lot of heavy snow up a long slight grade, my front wheels start to slide sideways when they lose traction (I have tire chains but just on the rear). So when they fronts start to slide, I hit the brake hard on one side to correct the steering. I You don't likely need to use it much in a winter, but it works good when you do. :thumbsup:

 

[Highbeam]

You are supposed to use those split breaks when the HST trans is locked into a set speed with the cruise control. Otherwise you can't safely do it.

I now have 900 hours on my machine and have never unlocked the split pedals from each other.

It's one of those things where if they had not supplied split pedals then some smartypants would likely accuse them of cheaping out because of it. Kioti couldn't win and some benefit was gained by having them including only needing to manufacture one set of brake pedals for all models.

 

[SPYDERLK]

My CK25 has split brakes. What is the purpose? i supppose I could brake on one brake with the right foot and hit the treadle with the other for a real tight turn. Is this the purpose?

I really dont understand this??

The purpose is to be able to aid in controlling the traction and direction of the tractor independently or simultaneously. Some tractor setups make it difficult to use split brakes while applying power to the wheels and hence present a handicap to the advantage they can provide.

A differential lock can easily be applied in conjunction with power, and aids traction, but only aids direction control if you want to go straight. All a DL does is get both rears turning at the same speed. This gives more push but inhibits maneuverability - it wants to go straight. Split brakes can stop or inhibit rotation of a selected wheel, shifting torque to the other wheel. In this way any traction that the braked wheel has can be used to favor turning the tractor to that side. With skillful application the selective brake can give the full traction benefit of a DL, but while turning and aiding the turn. The only disadvantage is the waste of some power while doing this. A few drops more fuel is used along with a little brake lining. A bargain.

Every tractor operator can benefit from split brakes. This benefit will come in extremely varied and frequent circumstances to those who really know how to use them. The situations of benefit will not be restricted to unpredictable terrain or transient traction conditions, but will present potential benefit it every situation of direction control or traction control. In some of these cases they will be essential to enable efficient work w/o excess maneuvering. In others they will prevent embarrassment or death. It is a good thing if your tractor is set up in a way that allows you to use them conveniently -- its a poor mans traction/direction control, unlike the virtually identical application of the same idea under computer control in high end cars. Nothing you cant do with your feet at tractor speed, assuming your tractor does not tangle them up.
larry

 

[kattywumpus]

In my younger days I used the split brakes to knock my bother off the tractor. I'm sure it wasn't a recommended technique but it was sure fun. I suddenly miss that old model "L".

 

[teg]

With 4x4 engaged, it doesn't work worth a hoot (I tried :ashamed but in 2x4, you can spin the tractor around on a dime. With HST, it doesn't take any effort to do a "U" turn in the field so it's not used as much as on geared tractors.