E-Brakes(again)

[cpo223]

I went to the search files & founds loads of info ref exhust brakes. I'm looking at Jacobs & Pacbrake. Both seem to be good products, & do what their designed for. Jacobs is Cummins favorite,Pacbrake seems to also be approved by Cummins,but naturally not as wildly. Jacobs looks hard to self install,Pacbrake looks easier?Can you Guy's give me a good reason to get or not get, either of these products. I like the air compressor on the Pacbrake, & the price. I like the warmer warranty feeling with Jacobs,altho I believe it would have to be proved the cause of claimed damage for refusal. Any way please give me your thoughts. Thanks,Pat

 

[Oakwood]

PCoaklley: I just had a PacBrake installed by a competent mechanic, while I held the shop light and his coffee cup. He did it in less than two hours including my interruptions. Factory says three hours install. Very simple install.



I chose PacBrake over Jake because I liked the idea of the onboard air compressor. A vacuum pump gets you nothing extra, ie accessories. The air compressor is not tied to the serpentine belt like the vacuum pump is. I would think that adds to the engine load and adds yet another pulley to that main system.



The PacBrake firm makes nothing but exhaust brakes. . talk abut specialization! And their owner/managers have a bunch of patents in the area according to their web page.



If you get the PacBrake, also get the shift lever "thumb switch" rather than the dash switch... well worth the extra money.

 

[SRadke]

I went with the Pacbrake simply for the air compressor. With a little plumbing I'm now able to charge an auxilary tank for use with air horns, air bags, or whatever else you desire. The plumbing was a little tricky because of the way the Pacbrake system bleeds off the air pressure when deactivated but if your interested PM me and I'll fill you in. I also wired it through a small pedal switch on the floor. This was a 15 dollar switch and it's just like driving a truck. I love it! Oo.

Best of luck with your decision and happy bombing.

 

[Casey Balvert]

I chose the Jacobs brake because of the warrantee and the fact that it was developed in conjuction with Cummins. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. I did the install myself in five hours. The instructions were excellent.



I don't know if an exhaust brake has ever cause engine damage by floating the exhaust valves but I just felt better knowing that with the Jacobs there would never be a question when it came to warrantee.



Casey

 

[Dean Upson]

I have had the Jacobs on my past two vehicles and they have performed flawlessly. I carry a little 12v compressor in my toolbox for emergencies. From what I gather both the Pac and the Jacobs are fine units. I chose the Jacobs for the same reasons that Casey did.



Dean

 

[SilverFox]

I choose the Jacobs because of the warranty and the fact that so many on this forum use it with great success. I have made one trip to the West Coast from Texas with the J-brake. As an example of the J-brakes effectiveness, I descended one grade marked "6% slope for the next 7 miles". I started down this grade in 6th gear at 60 MPH and never had to touch the wheel brakes. I was pulling a travel trailer and my combined gross weight was 21,000 lbs. Since the hill wasn't a perfect 6% grade all the way, sometimes more and sometimes less, I had to add power several times during the decent to maintain a constant 60 MPH. RPM was 1925 (4:10 rear) so engine noise was normal, quiet.

I'm sure the Pacbrake brake works just as well and I like the idea of the air compressor a whole lot better than the belt driven vacuum pump. I like to keep my tires at the exact recommended pressure and this requires checking your tires cold every time you pull your trailer. Sooo. . now I'm looking at an expensive ($400. 00) "off road type" 12 volt air compressor that will allow me to maintain my trailer and truck tires and not spend but 10 minutes doing it. An on board air compressor sure would be a nice feature. Just because I'm looking doesn't mean I'll spend that much on a 12 volt air compressor. Right now, I'm using a 55 lb. 115 volt air compressor and would like to get rid or some of that weight and still have a powerful air compressor.

In the end it boils down to a no hassle warranty question. I have over 9000 miles on my truck and am less concerned about warranty than I was at 4 or 500 miles when I installed my Jacobs.

Either way, you'll be happy you have and e-brake.

 

[cpo223]

E-Brakes

Thanks for the replies. I'm waiting for the Pacbrake book to arrive so I can kinda see the level of difficulty to install. I get tired of getting "hammered "every time you want something done on a toy type item. One mechanic told me"you rv,ers can afford it". I also like not putting another pulley,pump on the engine,but I'm not enough of a mechanic to know for sure why. Pat