Jacobs brake on an ETC

[RangerRick]

Thinking of getting a Jacobs brake. Any advice? I'm leaning towards theirs due to the Cummins approval and to the best of my understanding all the warranty stays intact.



Will the Jake cut down on my engine or transmission life?



Is Jacobs the best producer or what about BD or US Gear or Banks???



Who has one and some serious mileage (over 100,000)? Do they really make the brakes last 2 or 3 times as long.



Thanks again for the advice.



-Rick

 

[JEMOORE]

Ex. Brake

After researching the brands, I decided on the BD. More money but you get what you pay for. I did my on install, fairly easy. Toughest thing I remember is getting the vacuum line off the vacuum pump. Only have around 21,000 on my truck so I can't answer the second part. I really like and use my brake a lot. Find myself reaching for the red knob on the gear shift, even when driving my Miata

 

[RustyTRanch]

I just put a Jacobs on my eth/dee

I did a lot of searches and many questions before I installed

I determined for my loads that I pull the Jacob fit my needs

I wanted to plug into ECM and you can drill into the elbow for pyro

I have already pulled with it and it is the best device I put on.

I use it 100% of the time You will have to determine your own requirements

Best of luck



mike

 

[Mundgyver]

Which ever one you buy, you will be pleased with. I have the Cummins/Jake that is sold through Dodge. Love it I've been at 9,000 on the truck with 10,000 out back and the benifit on the long down hill is worth every dime. I use mine in conjunction with the Cruise Control. The 2 second delay allows the cruise to do it's thing with out being interfered with from the E-brake. When the E-brake does come on, the cruise has completley disengaged. Between the too, if I set at 65, it stays right on the money no mater what road does going up or down. It is the best investment I've made. Well then again the EZ was right there too . I went with the Cummins/Jake because it was approved by Cummins and Dodge and that just eliminates any questions about warranty issues. Have fun with wich ever one you buy. You will enjoy it. Besides it great to be comming down a steep hill and watch the faces of people in cars when it engages as you are passing.

 

[Archive]

Originally posted by Mundgyver

Which ever one you buy, you will be pleased with. I have the Cummins/Jake that is sold through Dodge. Love it

Me, too. They are all great... pick one and enjoy!

 

[MikeR]

I have a Jacobs on my ETC 6spd truck and love it. I have 50,000 miles on the rig and right now I have 10mm of pad thickness left. At this rate I'll get way over 120,000 miles out of my original pads.



I really think the Jacobs provides all the braking power I need. Sometimes I find it slows the truck a bit too much, especially when you can skid the rear wheels on wet pavement.



However I do think the BD is a superior built unit, simply because you can rebuild it, which you can't do with the Jake. But I have never seen anyone on this board have a single operating problem with the Jacobs... no sticking closed, nothing.



-Mike

 

[Great White]

I just put the BD on mine and it's great! We go for drives in the mountains and taking two gears down to get engine braking was a pain in the . Now just stay in forth or fifth up and down the hills, so sweet!

The hard part is deciding how to wire and switch the brake. The BD does come with a nice throttle activated switch(which will assure that the brake is not used even at partial throttle). I thought about the shifter option but after much consideration I think I will get a small foot switch and mount it above the brake pedal on the bar so it can be depressed much in the same way as airplane brakes are applied. Just rock down with your toes to get the jake. That way you can still light your brake lights and modulate the standard brakes. Just my opinion.

Rich

 

[JEMOORE]

Good idea Rich, I've often thought about needing the brake lights when I use my BD. I just went ahead and bought the $32 extra switch that mounts on the gear shift lever. It works real well also, easy to install. Most people think I have a two speed rear end when they see the red knob. Another thing that comes to mind about the BD install is the hole that must be drilled for the micro switch at the accelorator pedal. You will need a close quarter drill or at least a right-angle attachment for your drill. The hole has to be drilled in a pretty tight spot.

 

[Great White]

I hit the jake during a downshift while braking and missed fourth and went into second, Rears locked up and skidded the tires. oops took a second before re-configured braking could get the truck stopped, Bummer which could have resulted in me rear ending car in front of me.

Rich