Towing without a Exhaust Brake

[RustyJC]

... the difference in retarding horsepower of a gas engine vs. an unbraked cummins is relatively negligible in my opinion from actual use in the hills, as long as you can keep the converter locked... .

My previous truck was a V-10 3500 dually. I've done it both ways. I don't consider the difference "negligible" - that's why the current truck has the exhaust brake.



Rusty

 

[FDrake]

Mine is okay towing........

I have the 2004 Ram3500 SRW Quadcab CTD long bed and I am at 19,640# when towing. I have had no problems and I use the "Tow/Haul" feature when going downhills. I have driven some pretty long, steep grades from Las Vegas into California and going north. Just take it slowly and don't let the speed build up and get away from you. The trouble with the auto trannies is NOT the lockup but the thrust bearing. When the exhaust brake puts pressure on it, it wears out quicker and DC wont honor the warranty if the truck has the EB installed. So I tow without one. I am happy with how it has done.

Frank

 

[Andersonville]

A good rule of thumb is to go down the hill in the next lowest gear from the gear you climbed the hill. PLEASE PLEASE If you are going up or down the hill significantly slower than everyone else PUT ON YOUR 4WAY FLASHERS

 

[J&LRam]

My last 454 gasser 3500 had much more of engine braking that my first '01 auto Cummins or my current '03 Cummins 6 speed. If you wanta' take a rearend pucker ride come with me down Wolf Creek pass in CO when towing my 11200 lb 5er without the EB. Using the EB only had to touch the truck brakes once on the west side for the 25 mph hairpin close to the top. Try the rig without and do what hundreds of other Cummins with auto have done and get one installed if you feel you need one.



JIM

 

[Bart]

One thing you didn't mention was "what transmission do you have"? I have an automatic, and stock autos have torque converters (t. c. ) that unlock on deceleration. With this setup an exhaust brake is almost useless. I have an ATS automatic with a t. c. that doesn't unlock until 18 mph. This helps emencely when slowing down or going down hill. Most Dodges don't have very good brakes, mine is no acception (even with EGR front brakes, SS brake lines and a constant manual rear brake adjustment program). So this exhaust brake is worth it's weight in gold during my everyday driving and towing (my complete tow setup weighs in at 19,000 pounds).

Last year coming out of Big Bear mountain in California I smoked the brakes trying to keep it down to around 10 mph. The t. c. doesn't lock up until 18 mph. This next weekend I'll be doing it again, but this time I'll be able to keep the t. c. locked up until it stalls the engine "IF I WANT TO". With the aid of a momentary switch I can keep it locked up and use the exhaust brake at 10 or even less

 

[StricklandJ]

I have the 06 3500 MegaCab with the automatic transmission with tow mode. I was able to come down Monteagle pass on I24 (a 6% grade) in Tennesee and never even touch my brakes and still stay in the speed limit. To be fair I was not towing either. I have a 30 ft. 5th wheel camper and I am thinking I would want the exhaust break for towing my rig in the mountains. I haven't towed in the mountains yet. Also I realize their are alot of mountains out west that make the eastern mountains look like hills.

 

[FDrake]

how to use the momentary switch...

Quote:" With the aid of a momentary switch I can keep it locked up and use the exhaust brake at 10 or even less "



Okay, I have asked before. Where do you install the momentary switch to hold the transmission locked? I asked about using a switch you HAVE to hold rather than a manual switch you may forget. No one answered that one. So if you use a momentary, where do youi nstall it and will the transmission stay locked after engaging under 18MPH or do you NEED to hold it on?

Frank

 

[Bart]

Quote:" With the aid of a momentary switch I can keep it locked up and use the exhaust brake at 10 or even less "



Okay, I have asked before. Where do you install the momentary switch to hold the transmission locked? I asked about using a switch you HAVE to hold rather than a manual switch you may forget. No one answered that one. So if you use a momentary, where do youi nstall it and will the transmission stay locked after engaging under 18MPH or do you NEED to hold it on?

Frank

I have one of the original ATS controllers. It is identified by the rheostat knob. I guess the newer ones have something else. I called ATS and one of their Techs told me to attach one side of the switch on the blue wire (don't cut it in two, just splice into it) and the other to ground. Nothing is changed in the normal operation, except when the button is pushed. Then the torque converter (tc) locks up no matter what. That's why I'm using a momentary, so that I don't forget it.

I made my switch using a piece of white 1/2" PVC plastic pipe, a slip/slip coupler, a 1/2" PVC cap, some speaker wire (the clear plastic kind with one copper lead and one non copper lead). The last part, the switch is a Standard Brands switch I got from a parts house. The # is SSB1 I used a pipe tape to put some threads inside the coupler and drilled a hole in the cap. I could then run the two leads through the cap hole, tie a knot in the wire to act as a strain relief. Leave an extra amount of wire and just tuck the extra into the tube. Connect the two wires to the two leads on the switch and put it all together. I glued mine with clear pvc glue, just a small amount of glue is needed. You're not trying for a water dite seal. When I was done it looked like a hand held plunger about the width of your hand.

I want to get a double male/female connector that I can mount in the dash somewhere and just plug in and unplug without any hassle.

Another opinion is to simply buy a remote starter for working under the hood. It's bigger, more like a pistol grip but it works.

If you have one of the newer tc controllers I'd suggest that you call ATS and ask them where to stick it the wires that is.

To answer your last question. Once the button is released tc control will go back to it's normal operation. In my case it'll lock up at 18 mph and unlock at the same time UNLESS I have my thumb on "THE BUTTON". One guy said it looked like a pipe bomb so be careful and don't try to make someone think it IS "THE SWITCH" :--)

 

[FDrake]

momentary mystery switch

Yup, that is the answer I needed. Thanks for the info. Now I know how to go about it. Maybe I can wire timer into the switch to release after a certain time just in case I forget it is on.

Frank

 

[Bart]

FDranke, why would you want to wire in a timer??????? If you let your thumb off the button end of exhaust brake override. I'd think a sore finger would be more of a warning that a timer.

 

[FDrake]

one way or the other...........

One way or the other, I don't want the transmission lockup to stay engaged. So if I don't want to hold a momentary switch, the obvious answer is to have a regular switch with a timer in the circuit that would open and let the transmission drop out of lockup.



Or I could use a momentary switch to pull a relay to hold the transmission in lockup and a timer to drop the relay and let the transmission unlock.



Or use a sensor to sense the lower speed and release the relay and drop the lockup. It is just a thought.

Frank