Jake-Brake

The problem is you'll start to slow and brake the tractor and not the trailer. Remember, the engine retarder slows down only the truck directly. When you brake, the relays help you brake proportionally to the load between the tractor and the trailer.
Using the engine retarder in slippery conditions is akin to braking with only the tractor brakes and not the trailer brakes...anyone familiar with the term "jackknife"???

 

Heh, we all had the same idea...I was talking to the wife before I posted it...late I might add....

 

Looks like three of us are in the 'Great Minds Think Alike' club!

 

Looks like it aye? only tonight my mind feels like it aint so great

 

From the sounds of the day you had, I can't say as I blame you!

 

I drive in winter conditions for 6.5 months of the year and run my Jake on full all through that and never have a problem. Just have to know the conditions and how to recover if something does happen.

 

Why take a chance???
But then again you must not have a ton of 4 wheelers up there.....

 

OK...
As the wife of a trucker..
I LOVE the SOUND of those jakes!!
(Nothing sounds like that!!!)

I now live 2 blocks away from a major NoCal hwy.

When I hear those jakes, I know that a driver has not been paying attention to the speed limit along this hwy, and could possibly run over a pedestrian.

(There are bus stops ON the hwy. Not safe, IMHO, but that's the way it is here..)

My advice is, never travel so fast that you HAVE to use the jakes....

JMHO
Judi

 

Not a ton of 4 wheelers and the downhills that I run all day. I am loaded with 145k lbs at least every trip and am smack dab in the mountains so not using the jake is not an option IMO at 8-12% downgrades. Also the weight on my drives deffinatley keeps the drives from locking up as well.

 

That's an entirely different animal up there! I won't trade places with you either.