Typically it consists of a vertical pole, normally around a meter high, which is connected to the top of a landmine.
When the track or main body of a vehicle passes over the mine, the rod is tilted, releasing a spring-loaded striker which triggers a pyrotechnic delay of approximately half a second, followed by detonation of the main explosive charge.
The small time delay allows the vehicle to continue over the mine before detonating, exposing more of it to the blast.
A tilt-rod fuze has a number of advantages over pressure fuzes—it acts across the entire width of a vehicle, rather than just its tracks or tires.
The main disadvantage is the visible rod mechanism, which may be negated by laying the mine in undergrowth.