No, you still stab brake when you reach those RPMs (I myself used a 16-1700 limit) However you are traveling at a much slower speed in a lower gear at those RPMs and it takes a whole lot less energy to slow the truck. Make sure the jake is in hi and not low. So slower speeds takes less friction to slow, less friction is less heat. Etc. There are some really nice steep grades in pa. Not too long but with some 25mpg limits. Non interstate, 2 lane US and state highways. Your gonna see em eventually.
Know the speed for the gear you are in at the limit where you stab brake. If for some reason you make it out to CA the CHP won't care what RPM you brake at if your speed is even a little over the 35 mph limit on Grapevine. sometimes you have to go a further gear down even if it means your Speed is under the limit when you brake.
Ive been to ca. don't know what interstate the grapevine is on, but Ive been on I-10 and I-215 and also I-15 going from ca thru nv. to salt lake city terminal. I cant recall going on I-5n, is that where grapevine is? rarely make it to northwest states like wa, or, mt. my fm don't like sending me too far west. that was a rare trip to ca even tho i did go to the cold storage in id. a couple times. ok thanks for the info, I will shift to the lower gears, as long as I brake to keep it below or at 1700rpm. I rode it in 10th and kept it at the speed limit and when it goes to or over, I then brake it 5miles or more below the limit in 10th because I thought engine damage occurs past 1500 rpm. they got that half moon covering the rest of the rpm numbers past 15, so on down grades I did that to try and keep it at 1500. I have been thru the gorge on I-40 in nc. a few times and have seen a truck rolled over going up the grade as I was going down toward tn. .
I-5. At 79,000 GVW, on a 6 or 7% grade you ideally want to be in 7th or 8th gear, jake on high. That should bring you down at a speed that you won't touch the brakes at all. Go down those grades in 10th... if you don't have a brake fire or fade to the point that you don't have any brakes left at all... you'll be lucky. Try that 10th gear and pray deal on Emigrant, and you will be pushing up daisies. Who was the idiot who trained you? They obviously either had a death wish, or were incompetent fools.
Did the truck come with a driver manual? It should tell you what rpm range the engine break is effective at. I can't find it online that easy, must be some special secret. If your going down the hill using the brakes then they are already warming up and the use left in them is diminishing. What happens when you need to stop or slow down for traffic/obstacles in the road? They will heat up in a hurry and you want to make sure they are cool enough to handle it. It will happen sometime, a wreck, some debris on the road, a flatbeder that was kind enough to share his load with everyone, etc...
US-40 from Maryland into PA comes to mind as it as 4 or 5 one miles 9% downgrades and the last downgrade is 4-5 miles long with a posted truck speed of 10 mph. To answer another question he had Monteagle in on I-24 in TN right before you get to Chattanooga going east.
Name calling is not necessary sir. if you would have read my earlier posts, I said he didn't train me to do it that way. I did it that way myself to avoid the rpms from revving past 1500 to avoid engine damage.
Right now I wouldn't have any confidence going down those grades out west in this truck. But then again I haven't hit anything steep yet. The cascadia I was in had a strong engine break, a grade I recall, we were headed from Oregon into Washington but I cant remember which state it was in, anyways was a 7 or 8 mile long continuous 6% grade and all curves. Went down that at about 77000, found my gear and the engine break held me right at 35. Only used the breaks once. Did see a Werner truck pass at about 50 trailing a nice thick cloud of smoke as he was frying his breaks. So bad my trainer came out of the sleeper because the smell woke him up. Ill get used to it and figure it out. There are some steep grades out here through Maryland and WV. Love the prostar, just needs a more effective engine break.
