WOW!!!!

I guess you found out that stab braking BS they teach in the CDL schools does not always work.
If you start down the hill slow enough just light pressure on the brakes is all you need.

I hauled potatoes for years out of the NW, We did not have jakes on the trucks at all.

 

Where was this 13% grade?you sure it wasnt 7% and just seemed like 13?

 

Im waiting for an answer too……..

 

If we don't get an answer I'll take that as a slight exaggeration.

 

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+one to THIS..
You can down a hill too slow every day of your Life.
You'll only ever go down too fast ONCE....

As for that stabbing the brake pedal BS. All that does is use up your Air faster than the compressor can pump It...

 

As others has said, 13% is not a joking matter. I deliver at a plant in Canada that has a 2.5km 15%. I go in loaded and out empty. The second load I went in with this last week was a tad heavy, my heavy weight was 54440kg. No chains and the road was a bit iced up. If you don't want to do the math that is nearly 119,800lbs.
I go slowly down at less than 10mph but coming back out is a tough one. Being empty and ice or mud you need some speed. I try to hit it at 25mph or better and I can usually get out without chains. Only problem with that speed is the power sliding through the corners and the rear trailer cracking the whip back there.
My first month down this road was a scary ride indeed. No guard rail and at best loose gravel. Been hauling in there 3-4 loads a week for 6 months now so not as big a deal anymore. And this is done in a 2014 Volvo 12 speed I shift too. The learning curve using an auto shift has been another issue for another thread.

 

There is a 15% grade on a backroad in S. Dakota, narrow two lane, large sign warning speed limit is 20 mph, that's for cars, haven't been down it in years, but always did it at 15 mph or less.

 

Row row row your truck slowly slowly & again I say slowly down the hill. I'm glad you are ok. There is absolutely nothing wrong with driving slow whatever is needed to be safe. We are a very fragile bunch

 

It's 84 over to Dothan and up the 231 or go up to Tifton and take the 82 right to Montgomery ... Is there even a grade on either of those?

 

By "messing up engine" I'm assuming you mean the rpm's got too high. How high were the rpm's?

Let's review a few facts and best practices for sustained descents. First you are in too high a gear if SNUB (not "stab") braking is higher than a 1:6 ratio for letting the Jake hold it back without braking. In other words for every second you are applying SNUB brakes you should have six seconds without brakes.

I'm emphasizing the word "snub" because that's what it is: an easy application of brakes up to about 20 psi. "Stab" braking is a hard application up to 80 psi. Use snub braking, not stab braking.

If you are getting less than a 1:6 ratio, then downshift. "Oh gasp! But they told us we would die if we downshift on a downgrade!" Get over it. Learn to downshift on a downgrade. Snub it until the Jake cuts out at 800 rpm's, then make the shift up at 1200 rpm's WHILE NOTING THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU STARTED THE SHIFT. If you can't get the gear, even by chasing rpm's on up to 1600 or 1700, then apply brakes and bring it back to the shift speed and try again.

Don't wait until your brakes are burning, identify the need to downshift early and get it done while your brakes are cool.

By the way, you said your Jake was working intermittently. Why? Did you know that there are four ways the Jake can stop working?

1. You can turn the Jake switch to the "off" position (duh).

2. You apply the clutch, even just a little bit, like some folks have a bad habit of resting their left foot on the clutch.

3. You apply the throttle, even just a little bit.

4. You let the rpm's drop to 800. The Jake automatically cuts off to avoid stalling the engine.

My guess is you may have been "riding the clutch" and didn't realize it. I had a trainee that did that on Cabbage Hill.

 

I personally have had no issues with braking on a down hill without an Engine/Jake brake because,
1. I stay in a lower gear.
2. Slow my truck with hard brake pressure to a slower speed, and then release to brakes to allow then to cool, but do not allow the truck to regain any speed if the hill is that dramatic.