First off, why would you use engine brake when empty?

Second, which engine brake are you speaking of? Jake or what? They are different.

Third, Jake brakes have different settings. At best empty you would only use the smallest setting. Or are you just cranking it full on?

yes it CAN be..

a bobtail tractor has no weight on the drives..so under certain conditions..the jake can cause a skid in a bobtail or empty tractor/trailer..

Rain, snow, or ice on the road..

Now I say CAN cause a skid..it depends on how much jake you are running..on its lowest setting it shouldn't be a problem unless it just started raining or is right around freezing with snow and ice/slush on the road

Dry roads..you can run it without too much of an issue as long as you pay attention to what your doing when using it and your air brakes at the same time...I would advise just running it on its lowest setting on dry as well..lowest setting is more than enough assist to the air brakes on a bobtail...

Now..are you supposed to..the answer is No...

Personally..my jakes were always on except in snow/ice..rain I would just set em to low..dry..always on and when loaded always on high

petey

I only used it once for the empty trailer and once for the flatbed. I just use it to see if it would slow me down quicker versus just relying on the brake pedal. I never use it when bob tailing.

I keep my engine brake on most all the time. You can control it with the throttle. It saves the brakes and can help when you need additional braking power. Some don't use their jake unless they are heavy and in the mountains. It can be risky using it on snow or icy conditions, but otherwise, it can be a little safety net.

i use mine even bobtailing. just use your head with a little common sence.

Originally Posted by danny_379

I only used it once for the empty trailer and once for the flatbed. I just use it to see if it would slow me down quicker versus just relying on the brake pedal. I never use it when bob tailing.

enginebrake=jake..(as it was explained to me..could be right or wrong) the jake flips the intake and exhaust valve cycles on either two/four/or all six cylinders..so is an engine compression brake

exhaust brake is exhaust brake..increase back pressure..loads engne causing deceleration/temporary loss of power in a controlled manner in the engine by increasing engine cylinder pressure...

I might have that backwards..in any case..they do what they were designed to do..LOL

because the braking force is being applied engine to trans to the active drive axle only and not to all axles it can cause a skid in certain conditions..

Why would you run it while empty? easy..car pulls out in front of you..the jake kicks in as soon as you lift your foot off the fuel to move to the brake..so the truck immediately and drastically starts to slow instead of coast for that instance..then continues to decel under the jake during brake lag..thats an additianal second to second and a half of deceleration that without it would have just been coasting..so yes..the truck empty or loaded will stop sooner than without it..and loaded even sooner...remember..empty trucks take more distance to stop because there is no weight on the axles..that second and a half of additional braking can save lives and bad dac report entries..LOL just remember to delay pushing the clutch in until the air brakes kick in

Petey

Originally Posted by danny_379

I only used it once for the empty trailer and once for the flatbed. I just use it to see if it would slow me down quicker versus just relying on the brake pedal. I never use it when bob tailing.

I was trained by a guy that gave me a good crack on the knuckles for using the brake pedal for anything other than emergenciesor coming to a complete stop.
The only time i wont use the jake is in conditions it will effect traction (on ice, when empty) and in the low side of the tranny.