Help me get down this mountain please

I should of been a dentist.

 

From the FLA dmv book:
Stab Braking

• Apply your brakes all the way.
• Release brakes when wheels lock up.
• As soon as the wheels start rolling, apply the brakes fully again. (It can take up to one second for the wheels to start rolling after you release the brakes. If you re-apply the brakes before the wheels start rolling, the vehicle won't straighten out.)

 

I agree completely. Worked for me for 12 years running 48 states and Canada.

 

I perfer the "drop it in neutral" and let it roll method....

 

Can you lock up(skid) your brakes going downhill loaded heavy? You can't stop hard enough to activate the abs . I drove my first million miles without a jake, didn't have brakes on the steer axle the first few years and I know how easy it is to get them hot enough to fade. I can't imagine the carnage if these training companies didn't have Jakes. You would have to get a reservation to use the runaway ramp.

 

I've pulled lowboys with Cat D-8L's and TD 25's bulldozers as loads with a truck that had NO engine brake or Jakes.. I was always going to Salt Lake from the east coast. I think I can give some advice that's real and not read from a book. This is what work for me. First I made sure ALL my brakes were working correctly. I don't buy that saying you go down the same gear you came up. To me that's useless since you might not even come up that way besides the up side might not even be an up side. Like I-15 in CA going from high desert into L.A.. I never run my engine up against the peg. I got slapped in the back of the head for doing that when I was trained. I start out in a low enough gear that will run the engine up to about 200 rpm below redline (peg) and then I use controlled braking. You guys can call it anything you want but I apply 10 to 15 pounds of air pressure ( all trucks are different) to slow the truck down to 5 to 10 mph below speed limit then let it drift back up. If you're applying too much air you need to slow down more. You'll be able to stop because you can catch the problem before things get out of hand. I've used that method without any type of engine brake or Jake brake and have not smoked the brakes once. If you have a Jake then it's much easier.

I would go out on a limb and guess that the OP had brake problems more than anything else. It sounds like the brakes were not even and the ones that started to smoke were the ones doing all the work. Your brakes are the first place you should check and then onto others. Plus after you heated these drums up you need to have them checked for cracks. A good mechanic that's knows the brakes is what you need before you go out again. If you have an accident going down a hill and if the feds are required they will check the brakes first and they must be within specs or they start writing and placing blame. I hope this helps.

Also, I'm sorry but I feel book smart individuals need to stay out of this topic. It's a topic that could get someone killed and I feel you just do not know how it all works unless you've been in the seat. It's great that advice is welcome by anyone but posters must realize the consequences if the book does not apply to the situation. That even goes for the drivers that have been in the seat too. I do not like giving advice to such a precise procedure with so much at stake and will only say what has worked for me. Others have used the same approach and their experiences are valuable. For a subject like this I prefer to hear the advice from a driver that has been in a lot of different trucks and faced many situations.

 

they got me confused and i do know how to go down a steep grade with or without a jacob brake. b safe out there

 

Yes, the FL cdl manual is the best place to learn how to drive a truck.
As long as you never leave florida.
(I waZza coming down mount dora one night and lost my brakes! The fellers in the radidio were telling me to jump for it, but I done got a good grip and rode it out. Iff'n I been loaded, I may not be here today!)

 

It might also be worth pointing out that in the Florida CDL Manual, the procedure of "stab braking" is only mentioned in Emergency Braking events and [FONT= ]2.17.2 [/FONT][FONT= ]– [/FONT][FONT= ]How to Stop Quickly and Safely .
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There is NO mention of "stab braking" while descending a steep mountain grade. Good grief people. Is there actually some who are going to attempt to get their wheels to lock up going down Vail? .... repeatedly, no less?

 

Yep! And then they'll be on here asking about it because "My trainer told me this is how to do it!"