Jake Brake Opinion Wanted

[scanzel]

I have noticed on Ebay under Jake Brake that there are 3 or 4 advertising Jakes etc for 8v71/8v92. I have the 8v92 with the 6 speed spicer. What is the general opinion of adding this to my 8v92. Is it worth the time and expense ? In a few years I hope to get out to the north west and I now there are many mountain roads with steep grades where a jake may be usefull.

[opus]

Descend one mountain pass out here without one and you will never ask that question again.   

[Mike in GA]

As I mentioned here before, I bought used jakes on e-bay and found out the hard way that getting them rebuilt and correctly installed was anything but a bargain.
     Having said that, I will tell you that I love having them, and I don't live in the mountains. They help in most braking situations, and we all know these buses, for the most part, do not stop as quickly as our cars. Jakes help. They also save wear on your brake shoes, etc.
     And occasionally when I am descending a mountain pass or serious grade thay bring a huge smile of contentment and feeling of safety.
YMMV.
Mike in GA

[belfert]

I love my Jake brakes because I go through the Rockies every year on I-80.  Mine came factory installed on a Series 60.

We use the Jake brakes coming into Salt Lake City on I-80 even though it is prohibited.  I remember one year I was driving and the guys in back started yelling about me overheating the brakes because we could smell burning brakes.  I told them it wasn't us since I hadn't touched the brakes in more than a minute.  We were smelling the brakes from one of the trucks.

[TomC]

Just to give you an idea how important Jake brakes are to truckers, Detroit Diesels DD13, DD15, DD16 all have Jake brakes built into the engine. The Mercedes-Benz versions, OM471, OM472, OM473 have Jakes-as a matter of fact, the first Mercedes-Benz engines to have Jake brakes. Mercedes has had compression brakes before, but mostly use hydraulic retarders or Telma electric drive line retarders. The Cummins ISX15 has Jake brakes built into the engine-ISX12 is an option. The Cummins ISL has Jake Brakes as an option with turbo brakes optional on both the ISL and ISB.

Even if you have all wheel disc brakes that will work when glowing cheery red hot, you'll never want to do that since all that heat will be transmitted to the wheel and most likely will blow out your tire. Hence, coming down a big grade, Jake brake is the way to go. Install them, you'll not be sorry. Good Luck, TomC

[luvrbus]

Any one know when Greyhound 1st starting using Jakes on their buses,Trailways never had Jake's on their Eagle's Scanzel be careful buying Jake's off E bay 

Your bus is a 6 speed you are going to need to down shift for Jakes to be affective anyway just weigh your options if you don't know how to install and rebuild the Jakes by the time you are finished you will be looking at 2 to 3 grand

good luck

[lostagain]

This will show how old I am, (getting there), but we never had Jakes in the '70s when I drove for Brewster's. You just downshift to a low enough gear that will hold you back so you don't need to brake much. It is slow down the hills. So, in strictly practical terms, they are not necessary. But they sure are nice to have. You have to decide if the cost is OK for what you get.

JC

[Lin]

I will pretty much echo what has already been said.  Jakes are great.  I consider them an essential although others will say they get along fine without them.  But then again, I consider air conditioning an essential also when people had gotten along without it for thousands upon thousands of years.  However, there is a difference between Jakes and air conditioning or even an automatic transmission.  Jakes drastically increase breaking power and safety, while those other things merely make like more pleasant (that's not such a bad thing either).  How can anyone claim that they would rather have less breaking?

In short, if you get Jakes it will be on your list of the best purchases you have ever made.  I would not completely eliminate the possibility of buying them on Ebay as long as the are rebuilt and from a verifiably reputable company. If not that, look to get a set from a trusted source.  Mine were rebuilt and installed by Don in Bakersfield.  I don't know if he has any more.  Luvrbus may also know where to point you to get a set. There may even be some local diesel shop that can help you.

[TomC]

Yes for years and years, both trucks and buses did not have Jake brakes. The old rule of thumb was to go down the grade in the same gear you went up in. But-in this day and age of 80,000lb trucks pulling the Grapevine at 35mph and buses going full tilt at 55mph up the hill, going 20-25mph is just not practical anymore. Hence most new engines put out as much Jake braking as they do power.

I can tell you from experience-on my 8V-71, after Don Fairchild adjusts my Jakes, pulling my car behind, I weigh almost 35,000lbs. Coming down the 6% grade of the Grapevine, I have to switch back and forth between 1 head and both heads on the Jake to keep from slowing down to much. When properly adjusted, Jake Brakes are VERY effective on both 71 and 92 series engines. Good Luck, TomC

[luvrbus]

Jakes are affective on a 2 stroke with gearing and oil pressure sure you have good Jakes with your bus TomC it probably has 4:00 or lower rear gears it is a huge difference than buses with the 3:33 rear gears

Unless you program a World Transmission to due other the Jakes will not engage in 5th or 6th OD   

[HB of CJ]

I for one would not consider a Bus Conversion that did NOT have a Jake.  Would also reject out of hand a Bus Conversion that COULD NOT have a Jake Brake installed and used.  I feel that they are now just another SAFETY device.  Plus the fun factor is still a great positive issue.

Way back before the dawn of time in 1970, I drove a school bus part time for the Kern High School District out of Bakersfield CA.  My daily run was up and down the Ridge Route.  The ride was a 1963 Crown Supercoach 10 wheeler school bus with a 220 Cummins, the infamous Fuller RTO910 10 speed Roadranger, (installed years later) and....the single stage Jake Brake.

Never had to touch the service brakes coming down the Ridge Route.  Get the Fuller in the correct gear and the School Bus would just float down the grade.  Very much a safety device and the kids in the back of the bus loved it when it engaged.....seemed the noise was multiplied by the second muffler.  Very fun.  Long ago and far away.  HB of CJ (old coot)

[luvrbus]

Jake's were never available for the 71 series till 1963 six years after the introduction of the 8v71 in fact nothing had Jake's till 1961   

It make one wonder how the poor drivers ever ran the west coast and Canada without Jakes, they are ok but not a necessity you cannot live without. For the GM gurus did GM ever offer Jakes I have installed several sets on GM's and the 4104 with 6L71 is the only GM I never had to alter the back deck I even had to do it on a 4905

I have plenty of Jakes around here  If Jakes make one fell more safe then I don't have a problem with it myself. I do think you guys over rate Jakes on a 2 stroke because they will not give the same breaking hp as the engine produces like a 4 stroke will

good luck     

[harleyman_1000]

 I have jakes on my 6v92, but they don't work for some reason? They click but don't work? Anyways I came down some mountains coming back from phoenix on hiway 50 coming thru Colorado or New Mexico and just used the engine without any problems other than the angry people behind me   

[technomadia]

Love love love our Jakes.

They had begun to work intermittently for us - tracked the problem down to the spring that pulls the throttle cable back to idle. Added a bit more return pressure, and they are back to making even the biggest grades a piece of cake.

  - Chris

[bevans6]

I think jake brake is nice, but over-rated the way some tell the story.  I have jake brakes but they didn't work for the first two years I drove the bus.  I never missed them, I merrily flipped the switch on, went down the hill and carried on with life - because I knew they were there and I had no idea they didn't work...  I thought I was using them the whole time.  So I swapped engines, found out they were so screwed up they had no chance of working , fixed them up and installed them on the new engine and hey presto, I had jake brakes.  Just the thing for those 8% and 9% grades in Quebec and New Brunswick on my way to Nova Scotia.  So I test them out on the drive here, and at the end of the day I left them off for 90% of the highway hills.  I just coasted down the hills in top gear, let the bus roll out the speed, tapped the brakes once or twice maybe, or toggled the jakes on for a minute or two.  Where I did use them a lot was in stop and go traffic - on the gas, off the gas, speed up, slow down.  There they worked a treat - but that's hardly life or death.

Brian