driving down mountains in truck has no engine brake,how to handle that

Many old timers will say the opposite about braking. Light steady pressure all the way down the grade, in the proper gear, will get you home.

I've done it both ways, and survived. I prefer the light steady pressure method myself. Done properly, it's not a problem

 

I think Schneider did a study recently with an equipment manufacturer and found light steady pressure for the whole distance made the brakes more effective than stab braking.

 

ME TOO!!! LOL should keep you around 35 to 40.mph.

 

I wouldn't do that. ( steady pressure )
The gear is determined by grade and weight. And the backside of the hill may be a different grade than the front side. Most steeper downgrades will be marked. The steeper the slower.
Use stab braking to maintain a 5MPH window at a safe speed. Error on the slow side. Feel for brake fade, check mirrors for smoke. If either occur, pull over immediately.

 

Only for the AMT trucks - and even then only on eithet dry or wet pavement (don't remember which, but I think it was wet).

Even with that study, our most recent instructional material still advocates for snub braking.

 

Best Gear -Georgia Overdrive

 

The trick is to go slow. You should go down around 25-30 mph . I'd start on the slow side. One of the most important item would be to make sure the brakes are all working together. You can adjust them by just sitting still with all the brakes released and applying over 70lbsp. Then check to make sure all the brakes are working. If not, DO NOT adjust them. If you do they will go out of adjustment all the time. Let the shop do it.

I've gone down many a grades most out west. I was pulling a D-8 once with a RYDER tractor, 350hp, and no engine brake. I grossed over 115,000lbs and down the hills into Salt Lake. Yeah, I'd say take it slow to start off.

 

I go by whatever gear you come up minus one coming down.

I also try to find that spot in speed where it balances out to drift if possible.

Finally I will allow the brakes in a light application that is constant. Hopefully trading thermal to the drums at a rate sufficient not to fade the pads or crystallize the drums. Once she starts or smell smoke I have to let her go no power and very little to keep moving for a while.

It's been a long time since I ran no jake trucks but that was a general thing daily for years early in my time. Once I got into the jakebrake business things improved quite a bit. One exception my first job, bulk tanking had a mack with a good jake with one crevat, allow the rig to get rid of the arthritis the first ten miles or so in the morning. (Lube oil etc) In those days the gauges will show the axles at temperature along with oil and trans in agreement with coolant and pyro. None of that dumbed down computer stuff today. (No offense)

Believe it or not Donner is one of the best for drifting. I'll run that or techahaphi before I run Cabbage without a jake. Donner gives you about 8 miles roughly halfway down to get a chance to drift and cool the brakes for the final 12. It's 44 miles though.

I have been the other way in mountains particularly on 68 west of Cumberland to WVa. Run her regardless of braking and speed. Usually because the passes were straight runouts no need to worry for the most part the curves at the bottom. That got me into trouble a few times.

I can tell you this. I consider myself a god on the mountain, but frankly anyone who fails to spend a dollar to put on a good Jacobs is a fool. (Old iron excepted, they were not always availible in those days) I have incurred more damage on braking, drums and pads in trucks without jakes and never with jakes. So they pay for themselves.

A secondary plan is to sometimes begin the constant application at the trolley valve then the service brake after a time, it preserves the tractor brakes keeping them cool as long as possible on more dangerous downgrades. For example in PA on some of the steeper coal roads there is rain going on and the weight of the trailer is forcing the 5th wheel to go to side and side trying to fold the tractor, you do not want to tractor brake under those conditions. That's one example. But I would imagine by now PA has closed off many of those roads to most trucks so this may not apply.

No matter what, keep calm and have a plan C. Either a escape ramp or a rub with a rock wall or some trees Never with the old time cable gaurdrails or single rail metal systems. You might have to do it with the median strip cement barrier. Anything is better than running off the mountain or killing people.

 

Can't beat this for engine longevity.

 

My first trucking experience was at dolly world when I was 10 years old. They had a 3D movie experience of being a runaway truck carrying logs down a mountainside. So my first truck experience I flew off the road and died. I'm still looking for my right company for training but I guarantee you I will be sweating buckets when my truck meets its first mountain. This will be the worst part of training for me.