Exactly. You drive your truck, and let them drive theirs. The guy going down Fancy Gap at 65 mph might not be an idiot either. I went off that mountain at 65 mph twice a week for years. Tapped the brakes twice every time, for two different curves. I was always in control, and I could slow down and drop two or three gears if I needed to. The only time I ever smoked the brakes was when there was a sudden brake check right toward the bottom of the hill.

It scares me a little now that I'm pulling a real load of freight. I no longer go off that hill, but if I ever have occasion to do so again, now with 80,000 pounds on, I'm going to start reallllly slow, and figure out what I can get away with. I'm not going to figure out what I can get away with by going too fast and losing control.

 

My first few months of driving, I didn't even REALIZE there was such a thing as a NON fully loaded trailer. I.e: we always pull close to 80k. My first night out, I had to drive through the mountains of TN. I KNOW what you mean by "white knuckles!" :lol: I was SURE the weight would "push" me off the road on a curve.

I watched BBR (Billy Big Rigger) go flying past me down the hill and around the curves and wondered HOW he did it!? Later, I also saw my trainer do it. It didn't take long to figure it out.

1) The 'lighter' cab wil lean more than the heavy loaded trailer. IT (the trailer) will stay glued to the road at reasonable speeds (keeping YOU on the road even though you tend to question it.)

2) The highway dept will NOT post a speed higher than a loaded truck can take the curves, unless they also post a caution sign for truckers.

3) There is about a ONE gear difference between grade percentages. A fully loaded trailer can do a 5% grade in top gear (10th for me) with full jakes and limited braking at 70mph. 6% grade = 9th gear at 60 mph. 7% grade = 8th gear at 45 mph. and an 8% grade = 7th gear at 35 mph. Notice that all the speeds are at the top end for the gear. This puts the rpm's at max and is the point at which the jakes are the most effective.

4) For HIGH percentage grades, the highway department will specify lower speed limits. LISTEN TO THEM!

5) Holding too tightly to the wheel will "allow" you to make jerky moves that can shift your load, or sway your trailer. Use a light grip (whether you want to or not,) and you will have BETTER control.

6) Going TOO slow, in a higher gear, will REDUCE the effects of your jake, and require MORE service brake application... leading to smoking.

7) If you "guess" wrong, and feel out of control, and you HAVEN'T been riding your brakes.... you will have adequate braking left to snub several times down to a MUCH reduced speed where, contrary to teaching, you CAN then downshift as much as two gears to get under control and start all over.

8.) Also.... look at the road. If it is "banked" properly, the weight in your trailer will GLUE you to the road. If it is NOT.... slow down.

I know it's hard to maintain that outside line in an "outward" leaning cab, but try to remember that the trailer behind you is fully loaded and leaning INTO the curve. (remember to watch your "offtracking.")

I'm not advocating "barrelling" down a mountain at higher than posted speeds. There is no reason for that. But, if you are geared properly, using jakes, there is no reason why the truck will not stay on the road if you just do the job of "steering." If you continue to "crawl" down a mountain because you are scared of it, you will never gain the confidence needed to become a good and safe driver.... IMHO.

Be careful out there driver! But be a "professional" or be a 4wheeler. :lol:

 

Me and my trainer have been going through the mountains the last 2 weeks, I was letting my jakes and engine work doing the slowing and the RPM's went to about 2000 and he says don't blow the engine and use the brakes lol.

I was going to let it ride at 2000 rpms.

 

Another advice, whatever speed you climbed the hill do the same speed or lower down the hill. But that said not all hills are equal, what might have been a 5% climb could be a 6-7% desent meaniing different gearing and slower speed.

 

Just take it easy as others have said. About being tensed, in time you will come more relaxed and enjoy them more.

When I started driving I was living in Mountain City, Ga. Between Clayton, and the 4 lane At the Gorge was slow going with oither traffic, but I learn what I could do safely and did what I had to do to make it up the next hill. I knew what Curves I had to slow and when I needed to accelrate for the next hill.

 

Most of you will never get to experience "Old-school" mountain driving..because the trucks of today are far and away better equipped for mountain driving than they were in the late 60's through early 80's.

Jake Brakes on a truck were a luzury, not standard equipment, and you dang sure needed to decend slower than you went up, because the brakes weren't as well made then as they are now.

Hills in KY and TN might be steep to most drivers...but dang sure Lizardhead Pass in SW Colorado is bitchin. Start out at 4700 feet of elevation on the Cortez/Dolores side of the pass, top out at 12,300 at the pass summit, then decend to the valley floor outside of Telluride, where the elevation is 4300 feet. Do it in an International Paystar 5000, pulling an 1100 cubic foot P-can full of cement powder, with a 15 speed tranny and a Binder 549 gas engine. :shock: :shock: longest 25 miles you will ever travel for sure.

Running the Rockies back then, for certain, taught you how to drive a truck. Saw many BBR's on Wolf Creek Pass that learned the hard way why you only did 20 mph down the south side. Same thing goes for Flaming Gorge in Utah...was pretty standard to smell the truck that passed you, miles after it passed you...because it's brakes were on fire half way down the hill.

Now..in 2004 I dropped off Eisenhower in a 99 Century at 40 mph with a full load of coils, and didn't smoke a single brake pad...because of the Jake, the proper gear ratio (8th gear and a .373 diff) and not being tensed up.

Dropped down off Wolf Creek Pass the same trip, with a load of cell tower stanchions at 35 mph, and probably could have gone faster..but was enjoying the ride and the views.

I don't eva wanna go back to them old days :!: :!: :!: :!:

 

What does the engine manual say? OEM's will not allow you to hurt the engine. If the jake is still working, the engine is fine. With volvos and detroits, they work best around 1900-2100 rpms. At 2100 rpms the jake will cut out, that's too high.

Mercedes engines have the most jake power at 2500 rpms. They're designed to do this. They also have one of the most powerful jakes out there.

 

A lot of good advice on here, all saying same thing; slow down. Take hills and mountains at a speed where you and not gravity and the weight of the truck are in control :wink: Low gears, low speed...use the engine

 

Orangetx, I have a truck that has no Jake, kinda interesting going down molehills around VA. I can only imagine going down a real hill without one.

 

LOL Yes I drove an ex Swift truck with no jake. Coming down Mount Eagle was a chore but never smoked my brakes, but coming down the mountain on US 441 in NC before Franklin, NC, 2 different trips, lost them completely. Luckly there a small hill before hitting the City limits to slowe me down, then I played the lights, for I did not want to stop in fear of them start to burn. Keep them rolling to cool. But at a much slower speed, 35 or slower. By the time I got to the ramp where 441 turned I had brakes back.

I would start down the hill at 35. but after the brakes go, I had to work to keep it down for all I do was picking up speed. Next time I go down that hill in a truck, it will have a jake.