International Prosatar/Maxxforce: Worthless junk!!!

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by diesel_weasel, Feb 7, 2010.

  1. Cowpie1

    Cowpie1 Road Train Member

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    Well, some may think it is a stupid comment, but I will second your comment. I have gone down Cabbage, Grapevine, Snowqualmie, Tehachapie, Donner, etc so many times I have lost track without a jake and only an engine fan. Heck, I never had a jake until 1995, and that was after almost 15 years of driving. Sure, I got the brakes hot a few times, but it was due to not paying attention. But, I have gone down numerous times and never even faded the brakes in any way and never caught a puff of smoke off of them. And yes, I did it grossed out in weight lots of times. But I have to admit.... it was a long slow crawl down those hills.

     
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  3. freedhardwoods

    freedhardwoods Light Load Member

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    Everyone that has been driving for a while has had some "not paying attention" moments in various situations, including me. It isn't safe, but it should be a good learning tool when you scare the hell out of yourself because of it.

    You're right. The safe way of doing anything usually isn't the quickest way.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2011
  4. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    The whining in my first post? I stated many valid reasons why the Prostar is junk. Many people thanked me for that post, including several admins.

    Explain again to me what my unsafe driving habits are? Where did I say that I wanted to go down a grade too fast? You are assuming way too much. Your opinion of SAFELY differs from mine. 15 MPH down grapevine or cabbage is safe for you and you only, but the speed limit for 4-wheelers and big trucks alike is much higher. Any new truck that has to go that slow down a hill like that in this day and age is a piece of garbage that never should have left the assembly line.

    A properly working jake brake will make far more than 10 MPH difference in going down a steep grade. The lower you gear the truck down prior to descending, the more and better of an effect a properly working jake will have. I am not going to drive a truck so fast that I can not slow it down. I simply stated that the Maxxforce (affectionately known as the junkforce) jake brake is useless.

    I love you trying to use your fan clutch mentality, the Maxforce I drove didn't have a manual fan switch. Neither did the 2002 9200 I drove with no jakes.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2011
  5. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    My point is it isn't 1995 anymore, and there is no excuse for International to come out with a truck that has ineffective engine brakes.
     
  6. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    If you have properly working jakes then you are right, there is no excuse to have smoking brakes coming off a big hill.

    You seem to be ignoring the fact that if you do use your brakes on a hill, they will immediately get hot. It may take them quite a while to smoke, but they will eventually, especially if you apply and release the brakes repeatedly, exposing them to fresh air and allowing them to expand. I was taught not to do this and use the brakes the old fashioned way.

    A lot of trucking schools now teach the "stab braking" technique, which is moronic in my opinion. The same can be said for "go down a hill a gear lower than the gear you climbed it with". Sometimes its necessary to go down the hill 2, 3,4 gears slower than what you climbed it with. There are some hills where even granny low will not hold your truck back without a jake or stepping on the brakes. You're not going to cheat friction and the laws of physics.
     
  7. freedhardwoods

    freedhardwoods Light Load Member

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    diesel weasel

    I hope you grow up someday, much preferably before your idea of safe kills someone.
     
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  8. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    It's hard being correct and winning an argument, but I can handle it safely, just like I handle a big truck or 4-wheeler safely.
     
  9. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    I'm still waiting to see what my unsafe driving habits are?

    I would suggest that you grow up as well, instead of twisting and misconstruing statements people make when you've been proven wrong.
     
  10. freedhardwoods

    freedhardwoods Light Load Member

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    I was just going to ignore your ranting and write it off as teenage truck driver behavour. They both have been around just long enough to think they know everything. After they get a few more years under their belt, they usually realize they didn't. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to respond because someone might actually believe what you have been saying in this thread about going down steep grades.




    If your brakes are "cooking" you are going too fast. I do agree with the slowing down part. If your brakes are cooking you will be able to slow down a little before you hit the vehicle that wiped out just ahead of you because you can't stop.

    I, as well as hundreds of others, have been down all of them many, many times without jakes and without getting spongy brakes. You are trying to pull some Bill Clinton definitions on the word "hot". It is a commonly accepted definition in trucking that if you get your brakes "hot", there is a significant and noticeable decrease in stopping power. If you are repeatedly applying your brakes, you are going way too fast.

    I never said anything good or bad about IH.

    You did make some good points in your original post. I did not say you didn't. There was plenty of whining in there also.


    If any three people out of the hundreds on this forum, other than weasel, agree that I twisted and misconstrued any of his statements I will apologize.



    I found the following quote in this thread. In my opinion, you contradict yourself in the same post, but you know what they say about opinions.





    As far as who needs to grow up, at the age of 15, I was operating the family farm for my mom after my dad passed away a few months earlier. I did this while not missing any school and making A's & B's in all my classes.

    I don't know anything about your background, but just looking at your user name, avatar, and signature, and then looking at the following links is an indication of your maturity level. I couldn't confirm the link between your user name and the second link, but it looks suspicious. If there is no connection, you can let us know.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G07szNm_5Jk

    http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/151891/the-weasel

    To top it off, you didn't even spell your signature right.

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Durka Dur

    After saying all this, that doesn't mean I think you are a bad person or even a bad driver, overall. You have made many good comments in this and other threads. You seem to be more stuck on winning an argument (see the 2 posts above this) than thinking about a new driver reading this that hasn't gone down any of these hills.


    In my first post I didn't mention any names. I just wanted to make a comment on safety and be done.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2011
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  11. diesel_weasel

    diesel_weasel Medium Load Member

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    Well you've made your comment, now be done. Personal attacks also speak volumes about your maturity level. If you're so "mature", experienced, and such a big man, then be a "big man" and let it go.

    I can clearly see that reading comprehension was not your strong suit in school. On top of selective hearing and reading, you take your already twisted interpretation of what is said or written and try to use your age and so-called experience in a vain attempt to make me look bad, which has failed miserably by the way. :biggrin_25512::biggrin_25512::biggrin_25512:

    Regarding the show South Park, yes I do watch it and enjoy it, as do many people my age. It is an ADULT cartoon. Yes it is vulgar, eccentric, and melodramatic, but it actually is very conservative in nature from a political and social standpoint. They actually bring up some very good points about what is wrong with the world today (Al Gore, metrosexuals, slutty ghetto 12 year old girls, Pop culture) There is usually a hidden real-world meaning in every show, and they use satire and humor to tackle the situation. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

    Contrary to what you may think I do have a lot of respect for the older generation, but only for the ones who aren't condescending and make it their mission in life to trash talk the under 40 crowd every chance they get.

    I agree and have already stated that you should be able to get a truck down a hill safely without jakes. I still say that this is not something a truck driver should have to sweat about on a daily basis. If this were the case we would still have 2 cycle diesel engines, vacuum powered winshiled wipers, mechanical drum brakes, bias belted tires, and no seat belts.

    If you are the only truck doing 25 down a hill where the other big trucks with jakes are doing 40-50 and the 4 wheelers are exceeding the speed limit, YOU ARE A HAZARD, not to yourself but to the other traffic on the road. Instead of only worrying about yourself you need to look at the big picture.

    Not all of these hills and mountains have posted max speeds for trucks, or plain English warning signs that say "WATCH FOR SLOW TRUCKS". Therefore, seeing as how it isn't 1956 anymore and we don't see many Diamond T's and B59's without jakes, it comes to reason that most 4 wheelers and truck drivers alike are not always prepared for the 20 MPH lead sled when the rest of traffic is averaging 40-60 MPH. I'm not saying that is an excuse to go fast down a hill, I'm saying that's the way it is. I try to think about how others will think and react to what I'm doing before I simply do it.

    You know as well as I do you could go 15 MPH down a 7% grade with sparkling clean new trailer, clear clean 4 ways flashing and there still could be the ignoramous 16 year old cheerleader blond drama queen texting on her phone and putting on makeup who will ram right into your back end at 70 MPH. True it is her fault, but that situation should not have to exist in the first place in this day and age, for either her or the truck driver.

    I find it very hard to believe that you have never gotten spongy brakes or never gotten a single whip of smoke from them or had to pull over to let them cool. I think everyone has had a few learning experiences in that respect, I will admit I have. But I have never been going too fast with hot brakes to where I could not stop or stop safely.

    The other point I am trying to make are that there is no excuse for International to cut corners the way they did with the 1st two years of the Prostar. Having the fan come as their only solution to this problem is proof even more that they would rather cut costs than admit their mistake and make a commitment to safety.

    This is the last response or explanation you're getting from me, I've stated the truth many times and said what needed to be said. Take it what ever way you want, just know that your opinion does not necessarily constitute the opinions of everyone on TTF.
     
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