Left Foot braking??

[ballkillerxxx]

my dad was a heavy equipment operator for many years and he has developed that habit from his work. He drives constantly all the time with his left foot on the brake and right foot on the gas i use to harass him all the time for that. riding with him is like being in a tank.

[bcsfj]

Left foot braking is for those of us that purchased a stock vehicle without a-trac...Yes they do exist.

[MDA SANDMAN]

I don't know where you could pick one up, but there is a VHS of "4 wheel driving the right way" by Grahame Maxwell of Cape Enterprises made in Australia which is the best instruction I have seen. In the video there is instruction on left foot braking, sand wheeling, and the best instruction I have seen on restarting the engine on a steep grade (what the clutch start cancel switch is for) If you can find it, get it. I have a San Diego phone number for the distributor 619-223-6789, but the tape is probably 12 years old now.

[CA Annie]

LFB was the one of the best things that I learned from the Trail Teams on the Rubicon. Drove that way for four days, it was hard to break the habit after I got home.

It makes a world of difference, AT. Smooths out the ride, nicely!

[PandaFJ]

Would keeping the E-brake up just enough the keep you at a slow steady pace be the same as left foot braking?

[fj in nepa]

i cant do it, i had a trail team guy ride with me last easter at rousch creek and he tried to get me to do it , i cant, i guess im not coordinated enough

[partman]

left foot braking loads the suspension for smoother ride on rought stuff really works great when you get the hang of it. A-TRAC doesnt work when foot is on the break too

[CA Annie]

PandaFJ previously said:

Would keeping the E-brake up just enough the keep you at a slow steady pace be the same as left foot braking?

No, I cant imagine it'd be as effective. You wouldn't have as fine/precise of control with the emergency brake lever as you would the standard brake. And with serious rocks, you really need both hands on the wheel.

You want your right foot to keep a constant idle of about 1200 rpm, and to control your speed with the left foot brake, only. With both heals touching in a V shape, it's supposed to be a smooth ballet of rock-crawling goodness! I'm still practicing.

fj in nepa previously said:

i cant do it, i had a trail team guy ride with me last easter at rousch creek and he tried to get me to do it , i cant, i guess im not coordinated enough

Too much Guinness?

[Singha]

BEST advice I ever gotten for wheeling.
This is especially use full for my non lifted rig.
Took sometime to get it down, now it is second nature.
Learned from the TT guys.

[FJ-Piper]

I have used this technique in off-roading now for over 10 years. The main purpose of this technique is to smooth the ride as you pass through uneven terrain, generally rock gardens but can be used in other situations too. The benefits of a smooth ride are for more than just comfort. Damage will be les severe or even non-existant in cases where clearance of vital components is compromised. Think of slamming your rig down on some large rocks versus gently setting it on them.

1. With your transfer in low gear and your AT in low, apply pressure to the brake with your left foot then gently apply pressure on the gas pedal to bring the RPM up to 1500 (this is the number I like, you will find your favorite in time)
2. Begin to release pressure off of the left foot ever so gently to allow the vehicle to creep forward.
3. As you begin to move through your uneven terrain, you will find that the vehicle will move trough the obstacle much more smoothly especially when dropping off on the back side of large rocks. Without the brake being applied, the vehicle will want to slam down but because the brake is applied, there is too much resistance for it to slam down and it just comes down soft and gentle (comparatively speaking)

A secondary benefit of this technique is what has also been mentioned here in previous posts which is to pre-load the drive train thus minimizing the numerous gears and joints slamming together every time the resistance increases and decreases as you're moving through the uneven terrain.

If you want to try this yourself in an AT, there is absolutely nothing to it and you will notice a difference within the first few seconds of doing it.

Go find an empty parking lot with concrete parking stops, drive over the parking stop in your normal "too lazy to back up" fashion, feel the bump as the vehicle drops of the back side of the concrete stop. Now do it again only this time, use the left foot braking technique. Smooth as ...... well you'll see let's hear from ya if you try this.