Safe to use engine brake on slippery wet roads?

Because i dont know . Do the brakes have a bias ? As in can i apply more trailer brake than truck brake ? Like on a gooseneck

 

I’ve never had an issue using Jakes on a wet road. I’ll even use it on snow covered roads, but you’ve got to be prepared to cut it off fast if you feel the drives start to slide. Using Jakes on slick surfaces can be done effectively, but not for the inexperienced driver. If you don’t know what you are doing it’s best to leave them off when it’s slick.

 

Yes you can apply more trailer brake by way of the Johnson bar.

 

Never had an issue. The ABS will kick the jakes out if they lock up anyway.

 

Not about jakes specifically but its a fairly decent explaination as to what's going on back there.

 

What's a Johnson bar? , Do trucks even have Johnny rods anymore? That's an old timers trick, if getting out of line, pull the Johnny bar a little. I heard, once past a 17 degree angle, you're going in.

 

You're probably alright on wet roads.

Not recommended on ice.

 

I honestly don’t know if new trucks still have the Johnson bar. My oldest truck is a ‘83 and the newest is a ‘98, they all still have it.

As far as the angle where you can’t recover, I don’t know what it is and I doubt I’ll have time to measure if it happens, but once it gets to the point you can’t “get back under it” you are gone.

 

I don't know how one could even compensate in the newer trucks.

 

All the “computer/abs will cut it off” is scary…seems as though we’ve learned to count on it to save our bacon instead of using common sense and judgment as a first defense and hope the computer does its job if we’re wrong. to answer the question I don’t hesitate when loaded unless it’s ice…can’t think of but a few times it even tried to cause trouble and I don’t have a truck with one of those computer thingys to save my ### empty I typically won’t if there’s fronzen stuff on the road but just rain no problem
I also don’t use the pdl or axle lock (I have full locks) unless speeds are slow or can’t move without it because I figure it’s better to loose traction on two and have the other two turning to keep the truck going straight. Just some thoughts use at your own risk