Tripods with leg-spread stops (braces) are best on flat surfaces.

Tripods without them can be better (and MUCH faster) set-up on un-even surfaces such as a grade or hill-side.

Movie tripods for field work rarely have leg braces. After the legs have been planted, a chain is used to brace the legs from splaying if necessary.

Cups are made to fit onto spikes or they can be put into the appropriate corners of a wheeled tripod dolly (moveable) or a three-legged spider (unmovable). Alternately, a sheet of cardboard or plywood can be used to protect the floor surface and hold the leg spikes.

The technique for setting them up is the secret. The grip carries the tripod on a shoulder and when needed for a location places one leg on the up-hill slope. The grip then holds the remaining two legs in each hand and plants them on either side of the fall-line equidistant to level the head.

Using this technique, it is possible to plant the tripod and level the head in two movements in about 5 seconds.

Wood tripods are also best in snow, swamp, and wet soil for field photography. There's nothing to jam or cross-thread since there's few sliding parts with tight tolerances to get fugged-up.

Disclaimer: I was a grip for several years on a camera crew in the wild for film and video. After you learn the technique, there's nothing faster or more solid under any circumstances.

They're still manufactured and used today. I preferred one for my 8"x 10" Deardorff for pure ease of use and speed.