Less Jake and More Brake?

buy better brakes, and drop more gears? im permitted for 104,000 pounds and I only use my jake between 9 am and 6ish pm, off the highway and allmost never in residental areas. however the 4 houses that are on the 18% grade in the hills of CT did have to listen to it yesterday.

I dont know, maybe im just a stupid kid thats beating on a truck an trying not to make myself look like an @$$hole

 

This is one thing that I strongly disagree with. Engine Compression Brakes, are just that, a means of being able to slow (brake) without adding additional wear to the service brakes.

My interpretation of the ordinances prohibiting them are, you're not allowed to use a system to help you safely slow your truck. Are you kidding me? Just because they can be loud, you can't use them.

Ok, first off, I do not violate that stupid ordinance. I turn off the jakes right at the sign. I'll let the jakes bark until then. However if I have some granny or grandpa, that decides to pull out in front of me (yes I know doesn't happen very often. At least not more than a couple of dozen times a day. ), I'll use everything at my disposal to avoid them and/or get slowed or stopped. That includes jakes.

Who's ran through Strong City, KS? It's on US-50 hwy, about 20 miles west of Emporia. They reduce the speed from 65 to 45 mph, right at the bottom of a hill. I've tried slowing, no jakes, while loaded 85.5k, and finally about half way through the zone, I was down to 45. Just using my brakes. I was not going to stand on them, heating them up. Remember the entire time you're going down the grade. Every time I let up on the brakes, the weight would just push my speed back up. Technically they could write tickets all day long because you were not at 45 mph when you were at the bottom of the hill. However before the sign it's still 65 mph. (I was a LEO for 24 yrs, in this area, and am aware of the "speed trap" this is. ) So anyway I will run my jakes, right up to the stupid sigh. By then I'm slowed down enough.

Again recalling my days as a LEO, city governments make some real stupid laws. They have no expertise, and most of the time do not rely on any. All it takes is a couple of do-gooders to complain, and they make a law against it. Then the poor LEOs are stuck with enforcing it. I'd say it's real simple, you want me to slow down to your speed limit? Or would you prefer I not be able to without heating up my brakes, possibly causing a failure when I would need them to avoid Mr. & Mrs. Do-gooder when they pull out in front of me?

I have and will continue to run the jakes while driving through cities, like Kansas City.

 

If these towns want to put up "NO JAKE BRAKE" signs, fine, but they also need to put up "No Loud Stereos or exhaust on gas powered vehicles either, INCLUDING motorcycles."

I like going down the road and a Harley passes my with drag pipes on, yet they won't get a ticket for that.

 

I agree with you 100% !!!!!

And not trying to be rude to the O/P but you bought a house in WA state at the bottom/middle of hill. Trucks use jake brakes to slow down, it is no different than all the hillbillies who run around with straight pipes on their 4x4 pick-up, except we are using them to be SAFE. Now I do not know the grade where you are at, but anything over 4% and I am gross at 80-120k pounds and I will use my jake. Now if there is a sign up, i will obey it and not use them.

Seeing it is a "shallow grade" and giving it is a straight road with no curves, then i see no need for my jake there. But some guys might....but the one's with straight pipes are just doing it because they love the sound of their pipes. Kind of that "LOOK AT ME" syndrome.

 

Cop hears a truck coming down the hill with jakes barking through an unmuffled exhaust. Cop pulls the truck over and issues a citation. Not very difficult to enforce at all.

You know the speed limit drops at the bottom of the hill. KNowing you are running heavy, why are you waiting until you are on the way down to start reducing your speed? If your service brakes are not sufficient to slow your vehicle on a downgrade, they won't be sufficient to stop you on that same downgrade...in other words, you have no business being on that downgrade weighing as much as you do with insufficient brakes.

Most states have laws prohibiting operating a motor vehicle without properly functioning mufflers, as well as laws prohibiting the modification of the exhaust system so that it is louder than it was when the vehicle came from the manufacturer. Manufacturers have noise levels which the exhaust must not exceed.

In other words, there doesn't need to be any signs prohibiting loud exhausts on cars and motorcycles....because the law already prohibits modifying the exhaust to make them loud. They can choose to enforce the law any time they choose.

I've seen the DOT out here locally pulling trucks over that appeared to have straight pipes in order to look for the presence of a muffler....and if you didn't have one, you got a ticket. That's one thing I like about having my mufflers right there on the side of the cab where they are easily seen....I just get waived by these checkpoints.

If you've got an adequate sound muffling system on your truck, you can ignore the signs in Illinois....they don't apply to you. Only "excessive" noise is illegal here.

 

Let's see, if I can clarify the area a little better. Since this is a downgrade, going westbound, there's an upgrade just before it. It's one of them you climb up, then right back down. So I guess I could crawl up the hill, and be at about 30 mph before I start down.... Not so much. You see all other traffic is running at least 65 mph. What I do though is, back off the throttle a little while going up. Once I hit the top, and start down, I'm on the brakes. It's not a long grade, but has enough drop that you need to be on your brakes all the way down to get your speed down to 45. Actually the grade continues down through the 45mph zone. It doesn't just flatten out there.

Next I'm sure that you're an expert, with degrees, so you can tell people when and where they have or don't have business being. There's nothing wrong with the brakes on my rig, it can slow and stop it properly. I don't feel like I should have to stand on them, heating them up, because of some B.S. ordinance. Yes I meant BullS**t ordinance. Having 24 yrs experience as a LEO, and I still think that the Jakebrake ordinances are just that.

People that are so worried about loud noises, should maybe wear earplugs anytime they're outside. I'm fully aware of what loud noises do to your hearing. I wear hearing-aids, thanks to guns, sirens, radios, and rock-n-roll when I was younger. I don't like loud noises, so why would I like the Jakes? Simple, because it is a safety device, that allows a driver to brake in situations, such as downgrades, and also provides a little faster response on braking. Just raise your foot off the throttle and it starts braking.

If it was a total useless system, they would not have, and would not continue to put them on trucks. If you don't like or appreciate what they can do, then by all means don't use them. But don't go around telling others that they shouldn't, or can not!! That's a left-wing-nut liberal stance, and I have absolutely no use for them!!!

 

i have muffled jakes. and i WON'T turn them off.

#1. that cost me money to replace my brakes more then need be.

#2. i'd rather have my brakes working properly when i get to the bottom and not end up in prison becuase the brakes failed and i just killed someone.

if i have to violate the law on the grounds of safety. then so be it.

NOW, if i was one them truckers who loved the noise of a straight pipe. then i can defenitly feel for the community. them truckers are idiots.

i like my noisy motorcycle exhaust. but i can't stand a noisy semi.

and yeah. gotta love those idiots driving around in a parking lot with the jakes on. not good on the drive train.

 

The only thing I said about you having no business being on the hill was if your service brakes were not sufficient to stop your truck at the weights you are running. If you are unable to stop, you are out of control....and out of control = VERY dangerous. If your service brakes cannot keep your speed in check, you are either exceeding the weight the brakes are designed for, or there is a malfunction in your braking system. Either way, your brakes are not up to the task you are asking them to do, and if that is the case, your truck shouldn't be on the road. PERIOD.

Hell, jake brakes didn't even exist until the mid-1960's....70 years after the diesel engine was developed. Even today, there are many trucks that still don't have jakes on their trucks, and they drive the same roads you do...and maintain control over their vehicles. If you know how to drive, and your service brakes are functional and properly adjusted, jakes are not necessary for the safe operation of a truck.

I never claimed compression brakes were useless. When used properly, they do a marvelous job in extending the life of the service brakes. However, you also need to be considerate of those around you. Running your jake brakes through town with straight pipes on your truck is not only illegal, but also flat out ignorant. If you've got properly functioning mufflers on your truck, it isn't as disturbing to the community, and typically is still legal....so if you insist upon using the jakes through town, put the #### mufflers back on your truck.

So you can try all you want to pin the "left-wing-nut liberal" label on members of a community who have no use for your childish, immature behavior disturbing their peace as you roll through their town with an illegal exhaust barking in an unnecessarily loud manner as you try to compensate for your lack of driving skills which are only exacerbated by the overloaded truck and defective service brakes which you are finding yourself incapable of controlling on the downgrade....but those of us who know how to drive see right through it. You know you're wrong, and you resort to name calling and projecting your own political leanings onto others in order to try to shut down those who disagree with you rather than state your facts and debate the issue at hand.

 

I only use the engine brake when I need it going down hills. All other times I just take my time and drive to the road conditions. I'm a relaxed driver and take very good care of the truck no matter who owns it. I'm sure there's a few other drivers on here that only use the engine brake for going down the grades. If you race the truck and jack rabbit to the next stop you'll need more than an engine brake to save wear and tear on the truck.

 

1. Again nothing wrong with my brakes, or with my ability to control the truck. It can, and I can stop it if need be.

2. My truck is not overloaded. It's permitted above the state's legal weight of 85.5k, to 90k. Most of the time running that route I gross close to 85.5k.

3. Not resorting to name calling. Just pointing out that people that feel they have the need to determine who can be or can't be somewhere based on limited information, generally follow those like minded folks. You are the one that quickly pointed out I had no business on that road.

4. That grade is about 3/4 mile long. Yes not that long, but long enough that it requires constant solid pressure on the service brakes to maintain or slow down at all. Riding your brakes down a grade can cause them to overheat, and subsequently fail. I'm not saying that mine does going down that hill. Jakes are designed specifically for the purpose of braking/slowing so you don't run the risk of overheating your brakes.

5. My truck is equipped with mufflers. You apparently came to that conclusion so that it better fit your agenda. Sorry... but you're wrong.