Help me get down this mountain please

What do you do now that its winter. Do you park at the brake check and wait til spring? Jake brakes are not the answer to slowing your vehicle down. I will remind you that seeing the runaway ramp occupied is only entertainment for me. I once saw a skateboard in the ramp on the grapevine and since I was doing 35 all the way down, I had the ability to stop and take a picture of him waiting for recovery. That was priceless. Serves him right

 

i have a headache after reading this...THIS IS SCARY STUFF....the OP not knowing and some of the bad advice WOW..SCARY....thank you GASHAULER for your post...!!!!!

 

The school I attended had several instructors who said "NEVER use the jake brake in snow." Although I have done that numerous times on long hills out west, this is still one driving technique that seems to get debated every year. Is it wise/safe, or not, to use a jake brake on snow covered hills? If not, what's the best way to maintain a safe speed on a long 8% grade with two inches of fresh snow on it?

 

I concur that Gashauler's post #66 should be the one that anyone with questions regarding getting down a hill should read.

Stab braking as taught by DMV books in Florida and just about every other state is something I've NEVER used. Any rookie to hills that uses the method described "in the book" are putting themselves and everyone around them at risk. Read Gashauler's post regarding how to properly apply the brakes on a downgrade, it is a gradual application up to about 20 lbs pressure (in my current truck). Everything you do in the truck (braking, steering, or accelerating) should be gradual. Anyone that has a habit of yanking the steering wheel, romping on the accelerator, or jumping on the brakes is a danger when conditions get slick. Make a habit of doing everything gradually.

The other piece of dangerous advise in all the books is that you should never downshift on a downgrade. I'd never graduate a trainee until I knew they were able to upshift or downshift going uphill or downhill. EVERY time down a given grade is going to be a different story, depending on the weight of the load, road conditions, or traffic. Being able to shift on a grade is an absolutely essential tool.

While several TTR members have noted that their jakes don't work below a given speed or gear, that's a new one on me. In my experience there are four reasons for jakes not to work:

1. Loose or defective fuse
2. RPM's get below 800-900
3. You are "riding the accelerator" *
4. You are "riding the brakes" *

* Both of these are common rookie mistakes and it seems that every trainee I've worked with has a tendency to keep their foot on the clutch and/or on the accelerator. It might only be a slight pressure, resting their foot there in case they want to apply the clutch or give some throttle, but either will cancel the jake completely. With some trainees it gets frustrating because it seems riding the clutch or throttle are hard habits to break, and I end up having to remind them over and over and over and over (did I say "over"?) again to "GET OFF THE CLUTCH!" or "GET OFF THE ACCELERATOR! as we descend a grade with the jake set to be on but not working.

The OP is based out of Dallas, TX with one year's experience. I'm making a wild guess that his experience with the hill in Oklahoma might be one of his first on a steep hill. It may be that he's one of those drivers that "ride the clutch" in situations that require a lot of shifting. It's unfortunate, but a lot of drivers have that habit. The proper place for your left foot if you aren't actively using the clutch is flat on the floor.

One last thing to mention about use of the jake. Putting it on maximum setting and then applying throttle to the 1400-1800 rpm range and then releasing the throttle to engage the jake on full setting right away is a recipe for ruining the jake over time and a huge bad habit if you are in slick conditions. If I'm in high rpm's, with maximum horsepower where the jake will grab the most, then I will set jake to LOW and engage it by getting off the throttle. After the jake engages I will then increase the setting to medium or high as needed and apply brakes as needed.

Everything I do is done gradually. For this reason I feel safe engaging and using the jake on snow and ice. Several times coming down from Eisenhower tunnel this last winter, both eastbound and westbound, when chains were not required (but should have been) I've used jakes to safely descend the grades. If you have a habit of ramping up the rpm's with the jake set on high, then applying throttle and releasing throttle, then yes, that is a recipe to dispatch the meat wagon. The jakes will grab hard and start a jackknife in a hurry. It's possible to get into high rpm's with maximum jake on and interlock axle engaged on a slick, snowy descent... just don't do it all at once.

Everything is gradual.

 

I doubt he hated, or wanted him to die. Back in the day, constant pressure was actually the method that was recommended in the same State CDL handbooks that are now recommending the 5 mph yo-yo trick. -- Even the warning about oxygen causing more heat.

Techniques advance over time. But the constant pressure technique wasn't a death sentence 20+ years ago when most drivers actually crawled under the truck to check and adjust their own brakes.

 

Like I said, it worked for me during my time on the road. I drove from '87 to '99 and never once smoked my brakes.

 

if you are in the correct here gear 5-10psi of application pressure will not overheat the brakes. If you need more than that, you need a lower gear.

 

... from a state that has no hills. Consider the source, I say.

 

Don't let it rev that high. With a load pushing it I wouldn't let it go over 2000. You were ok on speed but should of been a gear or 2 higher. Make a habit of that and you will be on the side at the bottom waiting on a wrecker with a nice hole in the block. That's a good way to see what your engine looks like on the inside but an expensive sight to see.
I wouldn't take any driving advice from any book. The rookies need to refrain from giving advice on something they have no experience on. It could cost lives because the book says to do it that way. Take it slow and take notes from the experienced hands. We've all made mistakes and can tell you how not to do it.

 

so just fer fun....where is Fl ONLY on road Steep Downgrade sign????