SMOKIN on Fancy Gap

great. just the page i need to be on. i smoked my brakes again, for the 2nd time! first time i was fired (which i have no prob against) i was haulin beer on 70 in colorado. really didnt understand how to use to j brakes or follow the posted speed limit with flashy lights. my fault! anyways that same day i was taught how to get down the hill safely, as i enjoyed the view. and ever since that day, any other down grade ive been on was cake, kinda fun, knowing that i was doin it right.... but just today driving with my new job, i was coming into slc and theres this 6% grade for 10 miles. ive done this same route a few times in the last few weeks, no prop. but today i was haulin 76000lbs without jakes going about 20-30mph. i still smoked them. how should i have done this hill the right way??? i keep my rpms between 15 and 20, and brake at 20 till its 15 or below, but it picks up hella fast without jakes. so i guess i smoked them because i was brakein almost the whole way down. do i need to just pull over ever few mins or every 1/4 of the way down (since i kinda know the hill) pleaseeee give me some pointers. remember i get a differ truck everytime and i dont always have jakes... thanks!

 

kloy, sometimes you just have a wheel with the brakes out of adjustment and they will grab more then the rest. some will say adjust it and go on. I've been told by DOT guys in numorous states and Canada ,that if you aren't certified as a brake technician, you are not legally allowed to work on them. if you have an accident, you are liable, as the last one to work on the brakes.
granted proving it is one thing. I know all the "super truckers" are gonna chime in with,"I've been adjusting mine for100 yrs". well,so did I, until I was told that about 10yrs ago. one company actually would take you out to the shop give a wrench and showed you how. then it is now your job!! lol, I refused and told them why. not really a big problem, they must have know the law also.
you could get away with it at a rest area, but not at a scale house. that is where I found out.

 

Fancy Gap is a piece of cake set jake at 70 and ride like some one said most of the smokers are newbies that you will really want to keep out of the real hills out west

 

went down it for the first time today, wind gusts were the worst part and that wasn't too bad. High gear and let the jakes do the work. You gotta really F up to need one of those runaway ramps.

 

Awww Fancy Gap, I thank God I had a good trainer. Been driving only about 7 or 8 months and can handle upgrades and downgrades pretty good. In an automatic you just throw that bad boy in manual override and drop to 9 and let the jake do the work and likewise in a 10 speed. Once you have your jake holding you can go into different stages. I have been on the gap and saw a guy in front of me just a smoking and as you got toward the bottom guess what stopped traffic in one lane, so thankful that he could stop and there wasn't nobody gunning down the mountain. Going North the view is so amazing, so I try to stay in 7 or 8 climbing up just to sneek a peek.

 

It is a spectacular view. I agree about taking it slow and easy down Fancy Gap! Some drivers have no sense

 

US 33 from Harrisonburg to Weston, WV, now that's a fun road to drive!