Using jakes on long downhills

When I was taught to drive in 1980, the owner who was teaching me would look for opportunities to turn the Jake off and give the engine a bit of fuel, claiming that it would let the top end get lubricated with fuel.
This was on long down grades, with a 1970 Pete with a 318 (8V71) two stroke Detroit, and high sulfur fuel. I do not know how necessary it was then, nor if it is at all beneficial with modern engines, but old habits are hard to get away from and I still look for flatter spots on a long grade with which to turn them off for a bit and give it a touch of fuel.

 

Only thing that needs lubricant is the rings which get lube oil from underneath as per usual.. if anything was touch cylinder walls it would burn up in seconds the piston top only touch’s air PS fuel would just wash away lubrication if it was unburned

 

I've never asked such a group why they were pulled over, nor investigated the reasoning for it.

I have seen some very large loads pulled over on a shoulder, whether it was for a break, for a mechanical breakdown, or some other reason I don't look into.

 

As I said, I'm not suggesting that it is beneficial, but that era of equipment and drivers may be where the suggestion came from.
One good thing about running Donner is that there are many opportunities to just let it roll without the Jake on.

 

Hell no.

Set it on high, find the RPM it wants to be at and ride it all the way down. You can run a Jake a thousand years if you needed to on a vertical plane.

Once in a while off the interstate system I will have the jake working harder than spec meaning slightly outside the factory redline. Especially if coming out of gear will remove the balancing forces just long enough to take you completely off the hill.

Just one minor quibble. If you are going to run a truck with a Jacobs in it by thunder you need that Jacobs to have beef. I cannot stand it when I discover a casterated company truck cheapened to the point that there is essentially no jake at all worth a ####.

Don't need too much morning coffee for beautiful places to work, rain or shine.

 

You're probably familiar with this. The stretch. Plenty can go wrong with a stretch. You have to really be able to read the road to avoid getting high centered.

This is a schnable.

"Duh, I know what a schnable is, Six."

Very good. Then you know how dangerous they are. They have the tendency to roll. You don't pull a schnable over on the shoulder to pee. Since this isn't your first rodeo and you have been to the big dance before, why you would tell me that the driver, an experienced 13 axle schnable driver, with pilot cars, would pull over to pee? Do you automatically assume that all drivers are stupid?

Why do you automatically assume the worst in drivers? Aren't you a driver?

 

If it's not safe to pull over to pee, then I would assume it's not safe, period. Why would they pull over to regen if it's not safe?

 

I spend about 90% of my time in The Rockies, Sierra Nevada's, and Sis-Q's.

I use my jakes for all stops or slowing on the highway, unless prohibited.

 

I use my jakes even where prohibited because they're properly muffled and not much louder than the engine under load.