IH8MYCAT

I would like to tell my experience with Mountains and a fully loaded 2 car trailer @ 25,xxx + pounds going down a 13 mile mountain grade of 7%.

The Packbrake doesn't keep the speed down very much under those conditions. I know that I was having it in 3rd gear, trying to keep about 35 - 40 mph with the hazards on, and it was constantly getting away, and reving over 3200 rpm. I felt like putting it in 2nd, but then as stated in the other post, I would've been more of a road hazard, and potentaily been in someones way that couldn't get around me in time with traffic all over. I wish there was a way to increase the pacbrakes efficency, and if there is, please let me know. I was jamming the brakes once in a while, and a couple times I could feel that they were on the edge of warping, but at least keeping me under control. Does this rear brake cylinder help with anything I need ?? What exactly is that mod ?? Any other suggestions for going down hill with that kind of weight in this kind of truck ?? Sometimes I feel that this truck isn't made for decending down hills like that with the small stock brakes that these trucks come with, even being a 1 ton dually. I know of a few 8% grades that are in the US, and I would almost fear those with this truck.

I hope that a few experienced people can post some great ideas here that will help out all the people in my shoes that are hauling very heavy loads. It could potentially save a life.

Thanks.......

Haulin_in_Dixie

YOu are trying to kill yourself. The oldsaying is you drive yours and I drive mine. You come down the hill safely even if that is 5 mph. Let the traffic behind you handle the situation. Lose the truck on the hill and you kill yourself and possibly someone else. You never come down a hill too fast for the truck to handle it. Your brakes are fine, you don't need to be using them that much on a hill. Not only that, look at the life you took out of the truck.

The proper way is to put it in a gear that controlls the truck, put the flashers on, keep it to the right as far as possible and that does not mean on the shoulder. If that is 15 mph, so be it. 40 miles per hour on a grade like that is too fast.

You are worried about the car behind you and he does not give a crap about you. Older truck drivers, before jake brakes and big engines were used to coming down bad grades at only a few miles per hour with a trail of cars behind them. You only have to worry about the first one behind you, once he is slowed, you are ok. And one hundred percent legal also.

If that was a concern in another post, they were dead wrong.....

Rrloren

"Haulin" is absolutely right. You have as much a right to the road as anyone else, but , above all you must drive safely. Good luck.

Pike

The old rule of thumb was to go down the hill in 1 gear lower that it would take to climb it. You will get there a lot faster if you don't get in an accident, and that is a lot of freight for a 1 ton truck. 2nd gear sounds safer to me.

2500CTD

Check this thread, https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ighlight=brake Its my old thread.

wv smoker

Too much weight, not enough truck...........or brakes.........

IH8MYCAT

That is advice that I will take............ Thanks.

But can someone please elaborate on the wheel cyl mod ?

DJ

I would recomend getting one of the infrared temp guages and check all the wheels for temp after a long downhill to see if all the trailer and truck brakes are doing their job too. I think the one tons come with the larger wheel cylinders.
http://dodgeram.info/tsb/group_05.htm Check this site it has the tsb about the brake mods.

mkubacak

I believe he is referring to the upgrade to the 30mm rear wheel cylinders that were originally for GM 1 ton PU's.

Do a search, or infidel will chime in with the NAPA part number. I have done it, but do not remember the part number. I can feel a big difference in braking after this mod. Plus it is just about the cheapest mod I have done to date.

Barry Smith

Your trailer brakes ought to be taking alot of the load off the truck. I like to feel the trailer brakes catch alittle before the truck brakes. I traveled a mountain like that with an 8% grade with a Pacbrake grossing 30k + I used 3rd gear about 32-35 MPH and just had to use my brakes for corrections not for holding the truck back. Pull the lines off the Pac and check for full range of motion on the flap.

2500CTD

When i had the brakes start a camp fire, I had the 1 ton wheel cylinders done at that time. Long story short, I believe they really helped, come to find out, I onlt had 2 axles with brakes. The trailer problem has since been fixed, pulled another big load and with the rebuilt front brakes 1 ton rears and all the trailer brakes, truck was much more controllable. But like stated, since I'm an auto, I went about 10-15 down the hill also. Only a 7% for 3 miles or so. Had semi's passing me but oh well, they can go around.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Don't worry about those 18's, you don't know what they have for a load or an engine. Empty, used to run 75 down the hill to Salt Lake, but loaded was a different story. A light load, a big engine, they can do some speed down hill. One thing that has not been mentioned either is that experience with "your" truck and the hill you are going down. Best example I can give is going down I-91 in California from I-10 and Route 60. It is not that bad of a decline but it is enough that wnen not experienced with it, you take forever keeping the speed down. A hundred runs down it and you double the speed just knowing when it has a hump ahead to slow you back down. Go down these hills enough and you get to know when you can cut it loose and let it roll.

Sometimes that will even get you in trouble, a little heavier today, a little more tail wind, temperature a little hotter and drier, you look in the mirror and whats that smoke coming off the brakes.... oops. How do you think these truckers can tell you how to come down a hill, cause they screwed up at different times. So when an 18 flies past you with the brakes stinking he is not necessarily new and trying to learn to drive, he may very well be having a bad day and screwed up. Wish I had a buck in my pocket for every close call...

infidel

Replace the rear cylinders with Napa #4637337, about $12 each and an hour per side. The number will cross over at other auto parts or you can order online by clicking here

I guarantee you will love the increase in braking power, plus it will extend the life of your front pads. These will work on all 2500 and 3500 trucks from 1st gen till rear discs came out.
These are the same sized cylinders used on early '90s GMC one tons and are bigger than any Dodge used. The increase in braking force over Dodge one tons is 23%. I've been using these cylinders for several years with no ill effects as have many others.

tool

Or as you know Haulin' there are the times when you have run a hill 1,000 times and know your speed is o.k because there is that hump coming up on the other side, but oh wait something happens up ahead and know you HAVE to stop on the downhill, that's when the new seat covers come out.

and of course there are the hills you know you have to run down a littlw white knuckled to make it up the other side.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Thats why most commercial trucks have brown upolstry...