Anyone had to use a runaway truck ramp?

When the CDL first came about, the light steady was the recommended method in the manual. It was changed in very short order to the snubbing method (which most of us used anyways,) and the truckers rags of the time carried the story of the reasoning behind that switch, which was the variance in torque at the drum.

If the road is icy, you drop your speed which lowers the pressures needed to keep things under control. Generally, if the road is slick enough that jake usage is going to be an issue, the chain law is already going to be in effect anyways, giving you back the traction to jake down the hill. My max speed on chains is generally slower than I would come down the hill in normal conditions, and that reduces the amount of retardation needed as well.

And these modern engines kill the jake shortly after you head towards wheelslip anyways. In my experience, the jakes will cut out before I even realize a wheel was slipping. Then you merely use a light steady application to slow down a bit, and again, the reduced retardation generally allows you to keep traction.

I don't use snubbing as the principle means of coming down, I'll use it to slow if the rpm is creeping too high, but it that's a rare thing. At most a couple times on a grade, and normally only on one with very tight curves or high variance in the grade. In my last few trucks, the application gauge was all but useless at low pressures. It would impossible to use to maintain a 10 psi braking. If I had to do a light steady, it'd done mostly by feel, with the gauge useful only to let you know you were too high on pressure. Same thing on a snub, I know how fast I want to decelerate, and do it by feel, with the brake air pressure gauge used only to judge if I were snubbing to hard and heating the drums up. The gauges are great for helping teach new guys how much to brake, but experienced guys should be able to operate on feel, with the gauge only as a backup.

One last point, jackknifes are more a symptom of unbalanced braking than caused by overbraking. Sliding all the wheels will stay straight long enough to catch, locking the drives only is what causes most jackknifes. This is something everyone who pulls someone else's trailer should think about: how do your brake shoes and those on the trailer compare? If the trailer brakes are weaker than the drive brakes, you're asking for trouble, as the drive will lock first. This is also why your trailer should never be heavier than the drives. You want the drives to have the same or greater traction than the trailer. Slide everything, or slide the trailer, but never slide only the drives.

 

Nope. That's how it should be.

 

That's how they need to work. Jakes slow the truck. The drivers behind you need to see that. I have always been amazed that older trucks didn't activate brake lights when braking with the Jakes.

 

I actually did not know that.

I always took the driver using his trolley or his whole brakes. There is a 4 mile ridge up by Romance Near Heber Springs where some of the trucks would appear to ride their brakes all the way down. Im been wondering about that habit not thinking very much of that.

Now I learned something.

Stupid engineers... always messing with stuff that does not need to be messed with. It's generally understood by other PROFESSIONALS that you are under jake power coming downstairs at a steady speed with no brake lights.

 

I know their are different ways of going downhill so you don't have to use a runaway ramps. Every truck doesn't have engine brake. Engine brakes can go out. To me that seem like bad idae to need engine brake to go downhill. Just like I was taught in 1994. Before we had ABS and traction control. Worse case possible, no engine brake, snow and ice roads or chains required. We could get down that hill.

Today I have an auto shift transmission. If you turn on the engine brakes you get crazy engine braking power, that's great in the summer but on snow or ice roads. It will be a mess I think for the drivers using engine brake to get them down a hill. The way I was taught, it not a problem. I just turn off the engine brake keep going like normal.

 

FFE gave me and spouse a automatic with 16 miles on the clock brand new. I was not going to put up with it but they sweet talked me into thinking of the spouse and her shifting. Ok fine.

It had a manual mode in that rockwell/Meritor setup where you can either stay in a gear or come up or go down any old day like a manual. And it will do it.

It was a very good automatic. Perfectly tuned to the 500+ detriot 60 in that truck. Every time shes working hard fixing to shift Im reaching for the stick that isnt there anymore just when it does shift. Its a beautiful thing.

We ran the hell out of it in snow, rockies, ice in particular and so on. Not too much trouble. Except backing. Bounce house hopping making me look like a 2 week graduate yokel fresh from driving school. I solved that by sticking that trailer into the dock in one move. No more hopping once the clutch is out and were moving.

I understand today's transmissions do all sorts of things, even using satellites to tell them when they are on a hill. Thats disgusting. overengineer something and I just refuse em. Flat refuse it. Junk.

No offense. But I love my old iron. I don't care if it had a jake or not. However I prefer jakes. IF it did for some odd reason burn up on the oil or whatever and quit jaking for a very good problem, I can transition to 1950's driving fast enough.

 

The brake lights on when engine brake on is an ecm parameter. My truck used to do it and I hated it so had it changed. It needed the Peterbilt computer, not the cummins insite computer.

 

You don't want 4-wheelers behind you to see a visual indicator that you are slowing down? Why?

 

If I need to slow down going down the mountain then I push the brake pedal, otherwise I ride the jake without having to push the stop pedal. If I'm going that slow the 4 ways work well enough. I rather have it that way than have people think I'm going to smoke my brakes.

 

I would prefer Mr "Goky" to be doing his jacobs thing downgrade. Without those stupid engineering programmed lights. That only confuses me.

When I see Goky's rig downhill jacobs working hard etc all is well, no problems I'll work with him. The minute he gets on his trolley for the two inside tail lights or the service brakes for all 4 I know exactly what he is doing. Then my attentions focuses on his wheels all around looking for that haze and sniffing for trouble. If nothing then all is well. Until if there is trouble.

That's my preference. The stupid engineers programming lights to shine all the time with just jacobs on is BS, they know nothing about trucking. It's unnecessary.