Yeah the only feeling that's worse than noticing a smoke bomb coming up fast behind you is your own smoky rig going lickity split down the hill.

Well--there is a worse feeling...going off the hill...let's not talk about that! :shock:

 

I used to roll down Sandstone every night without a jake and with doubles. Sometimes I was even overgross. Yup, better know what you are doing. That hill is a monster.

 

I will tell you one thing. i have gone down mt eagle 3 times loaded. i have a 11.1 det & no jake. after udjusting my brakes, i started down the hill. a sign read trucks use lower gear. ive always made it to the bottom, but what confuses me is i start in a low gear but my brakes cannot hold it there & the engines rev's to 1800-2100 rps & i have to up shift to keep from over reving. then after in the higher gear, brake will only hold at that speed for a min or less & the rpm's start to go way over unless i grab another gear & so on. but i have made it all 3 times & my brakes were smelling & hot but not smoking. dont know if i performed everything as i should have, but i made it.

 

The whole point of using a lower gear is to stay there and not upshift. :roll: If your upshifting while going down a steep grade, might as well not even went to a lower gear when you started down.

I have no jake and yes my lil ol Cummins gets to screamin pretty mean but I just let her eat. If she pops, she pops, I'm just ready for it if it does ever happen to get all I can out of brakes to stop her right then and there.

 

how can you stay in a certain gear if the truck weight is pushing you down the hill & your reving like crazy & the brakes wont keep you from gaing speed ? wont that blow the motor ? if it revs too much it would be hard to get shifter out of gear. of course ive never let my truck rev over 2100 rpm's ever. so your saying 24-3000 rps wont hurt my engine in a low gear ??? it sure sounds like it would. yes i'm not informed on this particulair issue on what is the best thing to do. however driving over 8 years & have a perfect driving record. no ticket's, rollovers, or fender benders. not even a ticket. ever.

 

 

I do the same thing, I start out very slow. Let the brakes do some work, let the motor do some work. Shift a gear, let the brakes do some work, let the motor do some work. It usually does the trick but sometimes I get some good smoke rolling. But if I hold the brakes with steady brake pressure I have them smoking way to soon, I do use the brake stab but not with a great amount of pressure.

But going down steep grades with doubles is a whole different beast, The brake lag causes you to hold the brakes longer than you would with a 53'. When you apply the brake you can almost count to 3 before you actually feel the brakes catch to the rear causing more pressure on the lead trailers axle (and thats the axle where the brakes are always smoking). Then you have the problem or the rear trailer's brakes locking and smoking the tires(less weight on the rear trailer), and more serious problem will happen when you going down a grade on a 35mph curve, brakes are glazing and smoking and your rear axle is locking up. You are actually relieved when you reach the bottom in one piece.

 

I guess from what ben says. he does the same. but yeah maybe were both wrong. maybe ive should of been taught this already. driving 8 years. but i dont know everything i should know when i should know it. i'm glad this forum exist to get info. but i have seen plenty of well experienced know it all drivers tear some sh-t up. :lol:

 

 

each truck is different though. We have small engines so lower gears don't help, brakes usually not adjusted so they heat up faster and equipment age has alot to do with it (or equipment is older so you have to take it easy on it)