Full load, grades, no engine brake

I have no jake brake now!! I routinely gross 85k pulling loads of tobacco and lumber in containers!! Running Fancy Gap, Black Mountain, Monteagle it doesnt matter; lower gear and stab breaking is the ONLY way to do it without smoking your brakes and causing brake fade!! If suggested speed is 35 mph I'm in 7th gear and as soon as my speed reaches 30mph I "stab" the brake until my speed slows to 25mph; classic text book way!!

.1 .
[FONT=Arial,BoldItalic][FONT=Arial,BoldItalic]- [/FONT][/FONT]Proper Braking Technique
Remember.
The use of brakes on a long and/or
steep downgrade is only a supplement to the
braking effect of the engine. Once the vehicle is in
the proper low gear, the following are the proper
braking techniques:
Apply the brakes just hard enough to feel a definite
slowdown.
When your speed has been reduced to
approximately five mph below your "safe" speed,
release the brakes. (This brake application should
last for about three seconds.)
When your speed has increased to your "safe"
speed, repeat steps 1 and 2.
For example, if your "safe" speed is 40 mph, you
would not apply the brakes until your speed
reaches 40 mph. You now apply the brakes hard
enough to gradually reduce your speed to 35 mph
and then release the brakes. Repeat this as often
as necessary until you have reached the end of the
downgrade



And yes I have used the trolley brake on the companies trailer to slow me down, thats what its there for!!

 

I dont care how long you've been driving!! When your wrong your wrong!! Common sense tells you when the brake is applied heat is generated!!

Telling folks to go down a mountain with your foot on the brake the whole time is probably some of the worst "advice" I have ever read on TTR!!

 

i am trying to figure out how holding the brake denies oxygen to the heat source? the brakes, drum, wheel are exposed on all sides

 

I wonder what truckers did before jakes were invented.Like someone says find a different company or tell your company to keep you away from the mountains.I would'nt tackel the mountains without jakes.

 

Love the jakes, use it all the time except on wet, snow or icy roads. Let's see, what I was taught is to go down the steep grade in one or two gears lower than it took to climb, AND to use stab-braking, slowing 5mph from the maximum safe speed to descend. Whatever you do, DO NOT SHIFT while going down. You pop it out of gear while going down, and you're not going to be able to get it into a lower gear, which may start your last ride in a big truck!!

Now with that said, I'll admit I've never had to cross mountains. I have been down some short steep hills, that seemed like your going to stand it on its nose. Couple that with a car stopping at the bottom to make a left-turn. Felt like I was driving a covered wagon, "Whoa mule, whoa mule, I said whoa!!! "

I don't know if you've read where I've talked about my younger brother. He pulls a skateboard, been everywhere. He's had his brakes just up and fail while going down one of the big passes. Jake still worked, but you know the line in the song Wolf Creek Pass, "Pedal went clear to the floor, sorta like steppin' on a plumb" ? Yep I think he still carries part of the seat cushion with him. The brakes went because the shop miss-matched the brakes on the trailer. When he got her stopped, the pads were hanging out of one of the drums. Good thing the mechanic was not there, I do believe he would have beat him senseless with those pads.

 

Is chinatown really serious that he drives with flaming brakes and just lets the wind put them out? If you get to the point that there are flames coming out then you are a short haul from losing them entirely. OY!!!!

Stab brake and a rule of thumb is to go down the hill in the same gear it takes to go up or less AND DON'T LISTEN TO CHINATOWN UNLESS YOU WANT TO BURN YOUR TRUCK DOWN

 

It was a stupid statement. Even if it was true, and it's not, then when the brakes were released they would burn like no-ones business with the sudden influx of O2.

 

So you use your jakes even on flatland?Don't tell me you're one of them that uses his jakes all the time because you like the sound,lol.Great advice about the mountains though.

 

Combination Vehicle Air Brakes


The trailer hand valve (also called the trolley valve or Johnson bar) works the trailer brakes. The trailer hand valve should be used only to test the trailer brakes.

 

Yep, like the sound..., not really the reason though. In heavy metro traffic, they help maintain speed and distance. Just let off accelerator and instant slow down. On the highways I like to run 68-70 mph (that's on 65mph roads), truck is capped at 73. Bears won't bother us so long as we're not running above 70, so to help keep it at about 69, I use the jake for a fast back-off when she wants to go above 70. Jake has saved my bacon several times when meeting a bear.

Losttrucker, I have to agree with Chinatown on the use of the Johnson bar, it is not to be used to help slow you down. However I do use it everyday, to hold the trailer while dumping, so to just use it for testing is not completely correct.