jake brakes; when to use them, when not to

6% . . . I'd take it in 7th or 8th (on a 10 speed), depending on the weight in the box.

 

Whats the grapevine? 12-15 miles long? I know its 6%. 7th gear easy...I've done it loaded and empty.

 

as long as the jakes work well 6% grade in no less than 7th ( would have to pretty heavy).......

 

Maybe for you pros, loaded I'm taking that in 5th. Steeper side that is, 6th for the side going towards LA, southbound I guess.

 

Umm...no offense..but.That makes no sense.
What would the length of the hill have to do with gear selection /speed control downhill..wouldnt matter if it were a 10 hr shift on my logbook(ALL downhill

We are talking about correct gear selection and use of the jake brake..not riding foot brake downhill.

 

Lol maybe 4th gear in a Swift truck otherwise the jake won't hold the #### truck. I used to run donner in 9th gear on a 10 speed up and down and never had any problems but then again I had a really strong jake on my KW.

 

No offense taken lol, I don't even know what you're talking about, logbook what?

EDIT - oh I get it now, you're not really clear. I am talking about correct gear selection also, jake doesn't always hold me back.

 

OK i here alot of driver's talking about the almighty grapevine!!! BLAH BLAH BLAH! take I 40 in arizona to exit 195 go south on I 17. that is 6% grade from exit 333 to exit about 242!. to the grapvine's about 12 miles!

 

jakes are a tool not an entertainment device. the only time you really need them is going down signifigant grades. say you are going down a long 5 or any greater grade you want the transmission in a gear that will provide some slowing without jake,if you went up in 6th come down in no greater than 7th the engine should be tached close to the top to provide resistance going down then with the jake you have braking effect, if engine tachs to high gently brake till tach drops to acceptable level on short grades you can releases brake and let jake do it all til you need to brake again provided it is done in short intervals that allow brakes to cool before reapplying brakes,on long grades the best bet it to hold continual pressure to brakes all the way down without release, mind you this is light pressure along with jakes tached up good.if engine is not tached high enough the jakes will not slow truck down and you have to use more brakes increasing the chances of brake fade, the main thing is take your time go slow to hell with the guys ######## about how slow you are the idea is to get down alive

 

I'm sorry but I disagree with you about the jake brake. I know enough about my equipment and drive defensively enough that all I need is patients and good driving habits to keep my load in control.

Before Chevron bought out Texaco, Texaco tried for a year to save money on brakes by turning the engine brake on all the time. The driver in most areas had no control over the engine brake. The drivers hated it and after a year Texaco stopped the program with no evidence of any savings or longer brake service. Now these trucks were all driven in the city with extra heavy loads past 100,000lbs when loaded and all the drivers had many years driving.

If you need to run up and stand on your brakes or you can not drive relaxed then maybe it's the driver that's using the brakes up before their time. I want my engine brake to work when I need it and not until then.