Thread: Use of handbrake on downhill

Originally Posted by TuffRR

Believe it or not, 45 degrees is actually very steep and near the vehicles limits. Most hills which people would consider very steep would be lucky to be 40 degrees at most. Its funny though, if you draw a 45" angle on a bit of paper you wouldn't think that it would be steep at all.

As a retired surveyor I can confirm 45 degrees is to steep to actually walk up let alone drive. above 45 degrees is starting to defy gravity by climbing.

The approach and departure angles applied to landrovers infer the angles between wheels and bumpers ,both front and rear and have nothing to do with the climbing or decent capability of the vehicle.
As for handbrake assisted decents, transmission brakes allocate even braking to all four wheels unlike your pedal which can allow a wheel to lock up.
If decent speed is increasing despite the low gear, the hand brake gently applied is the preferred option. And it is not just a park brake it is an emergency brake if Hydraulics and all else fails.

Originally Posted by incisor

to give you some idea of what i was pushing thru, these are from oziexplorer track log of trip, the brakes went at about 1/8 way down the slope... made for a fun ride.....





see my gallery for the bigger pics where you can read the scaling....

http://www.aulro.com/app/showgallery.php?cat=508

Been using Ozi Explorer for a while now. Didn't even know about this feature.
Had a bit of a play. It's great!

Originally Posted by TuffRR

Believe it or not, 45 degrees is actually very steep and near the vehicles limits. Most hills which people would consider very steep would be lucky to be 40 degrees at most. Its funny though, if you draw a 45" angle on a bit of paper you wouldn't think that it would be steep at all.

Yes, when I was typing that I thought it would be questioned - and rightly so - it always seems a lot steeper than it probably is. Actually that's probably why if someone take photos of you on the hill it never looks as steep as you remember it.

OK I read the early posts. I have driven 100km with my hand brake on by accident. Found the thing would slow quick and obviously need more loud pedal to go.

That last trip to Ace's when I snaped the uni joint I found rolling back down the hill in the end I had zero control of any kind using the foot break. Gave up trying to control it and just tried to keep it kind of strait with breaks alternating between locked and free fall. Never thought to try the hand brake.

Hi Edd
Sounds interesting ,did you have the CDL locked when the unijoint let go??? If not it would have just been like neutral was selected,not much chance of controling the beast.

AUTO OWNERS
A tip I read in a 4X4 mag for short STEEP sections where the auto cant provide enough engine braking select the opposite gear BEFORE moving off you can now use the accelerator to slow the vehicle.There was a warning not to overdoo the loud pedal as it tends to get the tranny oil a tad hot.Apparentley a safe use of the gearbox given the low speed and short distance.I dont know if newer electronic controled boxes will allow you to do this.Any comments???
Andrew

Using the auto as a manual is nearly as good as a genuine manual.

Unfortunately as a means to stop over revving the motor, new RRs and D3s will step up a gear if the engine revs get near the red line.

This can be one hell of a surprise the first time it happens.

Steep ascents and descents are potentially the most dangerous types of 4WDing. If things go wrong everything happens very very quickly.

This is why correct procedures for stall recovery need to be learnt and practised until they become second nature. Now I know that autos don't stall, but they do occassionally fail to proceed for one reason or another.

This careful use of the handbrake was developed as the safest way to execute a controlled descent/recovery after you have FTP. We are not talking about applying the handbrake at 60kph when you are already out of control - this could certainly have the effect of serious damage to your driveline etc. The idea is to avoid getting into the emergency situation in the first place and this is successfully achieved by partially applying the handbrake and then 'driving through' the handbrake while decending at a slow controlled pace to a safe area to reassess your options.

I have experienced and seen this method successfully adopted over many years and have not had a problem (human or mechanical) yet.

It can also be used over very rocky terrain where very smooth throttle control can be achieved with a little retardation through the handbrake. By easing off the throttle a little as you go over a rock, the braking effect is instantly easing you down the other side. No lag time and no transmission clunking or knocking as 'slack' is already taken up.

Give it a go and let us know what you think or, dare I say it, join the club and discuss it with the guys who developed and refined it.

Roger

Originally Posted by Xtreme

Steep ascents and descents are potentially the most dangerous types of 4WDing. If things go wrong everything happens very very quickly.

This is why correct procedures for stall recovery need to be learnt and practised until they become second nature. Now I know that autos don't stall, but they do occassionally fail to proceed for one reason or another.

This careful use of the handbrake was developed as the safest way to execute a controlled descent/recovery after you have FTP. We are not talking about applying the handbrake at 60kph when you are already out of control - this could certainly have the effect of serious damage to your driveline etc. The idea is to avoid getting into the emergency situation in the first place and this is successfully achieved by partially applying the handbrake and then 'driving through' the handbrake while decending at a slow controlled pace to a safe area to reassess your options.

I have experienced and seen this method successfully adopted over many years and have not had a problem (human or mechanical) yet.

It can also be used over very rocky terrain where very smooth throttle control can be achieved with a little retardation through the handbrake. By easing off the throttle a little as you go over a rock, the braking effect is instantly easing you down the other side. No lag time and no transmission clunking or knocking as 'slack' is already taken up.

Give it a go and let us know what you think or, dare I say it, join the club and discuss it with the guys who developed and refined it.

Roger

Good comment Roger, done the course and couldn't agree more.

Give the blokes trained in how to do it some credit!