What did the foot brake pedal operate on the Ford Model T?

The Ford Model T’s foot brake pedal operated a transmission band brake. Pressing the right-hand pedal tightened a band around a drum inside the planetary transmission, slowing the drivetrain and stopping the rear wheels.

This arrangement was very different from a modern hydraulic braking system. The Model T did not originally have a conventional service brake acting directly on all four wheels. Its parking and emergency brake was controlled by a hand lever and used bands associated with the rear brake drums.

The Model T’s three pedals are a frequent source of confusion. The left pedal controlled the transmission, the center pedal selected reverse, and the right pedal applied the transmission brake. A steering-column lever controlled the throttle, while the floor lever also helped select neutral and operate the parking brake.

Because the brake acted through the transmission, adjustment and wear in the bands mattered greatly. Later cars and aftermarket equipment could provide additional wheel-braking arrangements, but the factory foot pedal’s defining mechanism was the transmission band brake.