are jake brakes worth it?

[ttomas]

Hi yall. Are jake brakes worth the money? I have a mci9 6V92ta. my coach already stops really nice. Thanks  tomas

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi TT,

I'm in the middle of a Jake Brake project as we speak. Yes very worth it!

I am now convinced that the are invaluable. I recently had all my service brakes replaced with new drums too. While on a trip

through PA over some average grades off the interstates, I really felt my heart in my mouth. Not to mention smelling my new

expensive brakes burning. The moment I got home I started looking for Jakes. A bus nut helped me out with a used set and I

sent them out to be checked over. Now, next week I'm having Keith Crawford [Crawford Custom Coach] from Mifflin PA, install

them along with a hi/low switch. I'll keep you informed of how the install went.

Nick-

[Jerry32]

Jake brakes are not about stopping but about being able to go down long grades as we have in the west . You can decend without them but at a much slower pace . They help reduce brake wear too. Jerry

[edvanland]

Yes they are WORH IT.  In the west on long down grades it is nice to go down the hill slow without your brakes, then when you need the brakes they are not hot.
Why do you think all the big trucks have them?
ED
MCI 7

[DrivingMissLazy]

There are many grades in the east where they are very helpful also. Maybe not as long as some in the west, but some are steeper.  One of the best investments you can make, in my opinion.
Richard

Jake brakes are not about stopping but about being able to go down long grades as we have in the west . You can decend without them but at a much slower pace . They help reduce brake wear too. Jerry

[johnjem]

I think they would be worth it?they work, they do there job ,saves alittle on your brakes,and will help a runaway bus slow down!!

[johnjem]

Speaking of jake brakes.   Just when are jakes activated ? <release of gas pedel,brake switch,the toggle switch?i have a toggle  on/off and at idle i turn them on and they activate meaning they make the valveS work! and then the engine soon after (5 seconds)stall is this normall??    maybe bad rings??

[plyonsMC9]

Yes. Yes.  A thousand times yes!  Avoid 'white knuckle syndrome'.   Some of the best money you will spend on the bus.  I have them and am very happy about it. 

Phil (MC-9)

[DrivingMissLazy]

No, this is not normal. They should not activate when the engine is at idle. The buffer switch needs adjusting. Details are in the Jake manual.
Richard

Speaking of jake brakes.   Just when are jakes activated ? <release of gas pedel,brake switch,the toggle switch?i have a toggle  on/off and at idle i turn them on and they activate meaning they make the valveS work! and then the engine soon after (5 seconds)stall is this normall??    maybe bad rings??

[RJ]

TThomas -

Let me answer your question with a simple one:  Is the Pope Catholic?

[Barn Owl]

It is possible to live without jakes; one has to adjust their driving habits to those of yesteryears. Keep in mind that they didn't have them for many years and the busses did fine. Now, thanks to newer technology like jakes, one can drive what would have been considered back then, "more on the edge". Bottom line, they allow for a little less brake management than before. I have them, I like them, but would I drop a grand on them? Probably not. But, I am a DIY guy, so eventually I would find some somewhere and put them on, because I like having all of the boxes checked on my punch list.


I have been around the county and have seen some intense roads on both sides. But, by far the craziest and most insane roads I have traveled have been in West Virginia. They will run an interstate posted 70mph straight down a hill into a sharp 90 degree bend at the bottom, or if that didn't scare you, how about a steep, incorrectly banked, serpentine squiggle down the side of a cliff/mountain? It was my experience that a lot of western roads were cut and planned with speed in mind, I don't care how long, how steep. In West Virginia, they laid pavement down on some old horse road and expect people to learn to deal with it. I'm not bashing WV, it is a beautiful state, but it's just the way I have experienced it. I know someone will post about some 40 degree, 60 mile long road in the middle of Kansas, but I think West Virginians have the bragging rights on the scariest roads. Just an opinion, nothing more.


Johnjem......no that is not normal, your jakes should not function at idle. I would think that you need some sort of adjustment in your buffer switch. It might also be possible that your buffer switch is stuck. That should get you started.

[coolbus]

Having cool brakes just after having come down a long grade, or in the middle of a long grade, will make an emergency stop much more possible. I LOVE having Jakes. I live in Oregon, so much more opportynity to use them on a long grade.

I just came west down Cabbage Hill in eastern Oregon, only had to 'stab' the brakes twice - and very briefly at that. It's great to know the brakes are not getting heated up and excessively warn.

If you live somewhere that is more flat, and don't plan on driving in the hills, maybe not that important. My bus had Jakes when I bought it.

PS the sound they make makes it even more worth it!!

Mark

[TomC]

I have been in the trucking industry for over 30 years.  When I first bought my bus from a gentleman in Kelso, Wa, even before I brought it home, I had the mechanic who was also changing my gearing and grease bearings to oil, install my Jake.  Most mechanics don't know how to adjust the Jakes properly, so many think they don't work well.  My bus weighs 31,000lbs and my car weighs 3,450 for a total of 34,450lb.  After Don Fairchild adjusted them, coming down the north bound side of the I-5 Grapevine (5 miles of 6% grade), I only had to switch my Jake from low to high, and never touched the brakes-now that's control!  That leaves the brakes cool for any sudden slow down that might occur.  I think you'd be crazy NOT to have them.  Good Luck, TomC

[chris4905]

Yes, they are worth it !!!!

I have had them on my bus for years and very happy with their service.

I have just taken the 8V71 out, which has the jakes on it, and I'll take them off before I get rid of the engine.  I am putting a 6V92 in, I'll have to see how the new engine acts with the V730.

I may sell the jakes cause I can't use them on the 92, but will probably get a set of jakes for the 92 in the future.

I think my wife likes the jakes better than me, she says it gives her a felling of security hearing the sound on the downside of a hill.

[TomC]

92 and 71 series Jakes are the same.  Maybe trade for the 6V version?  Good Luck, TomC