US Gear exhaust brake??

[LeeNH]

Anyone know where I can get a good deal on a US gear 4" exhaust brake? I see one on E-Bay, but its 3. 5", and I just assume get a new one with no worries.

Anyone out there running one, if so, whattya think?

Seems like everyone has a Pac brake style on the turbo, I like the idea of the US gear model better... . Input anyone??





Lee

 

[Forrest Nearing]

I have no personal experience with either, but from my searches on the board, I've never seen any complaints about the Pac, but I've seen complaints about the US Gear.



YMMV,



Forrest

 

[LeeNH]

Seems to me that the Pac type offers a lot more restriction then the 4" US gear model, plus it is wastegated to aid in more even braking power, I had a pac type on a medium duty, and it seemed like it only worked well at higher RPMs.

 

[plongson]

A PAC below 2000 rpm looses braking power very fast, but it works VERY well above 2000

 

[Grey Wolf]

LeeNH,



I don't know the good deals may be but you can check for a dealer here;



http://usgear.com/dcelerator.htm

 

[mputnam]

I have a PAC Brake myself, works good, no problems.



_________



2000 3500, Western Hauler Bed, US Gear Overdrive, Pac Brake, TST Box, 4" Exhaust, Towing a 40' Royals International Homestead.

 

[Loren]

My U. S. Gear exhaust brake was originally installed in my 1995 truck when it was about a year old. I moved it to the 2000 truck when I got that truck.



When it works, it works well.



But...

I have had a lot of problems with the brake over the years and would not buy this brand again. The repairs have been expensive, but I stuck with U. S. Gear because I already had a big investment in the system.



Several years ago I had a relay fail closed, causing the exhaust brake to open and close on its own due to the automatically-resetting circuit breaker. Just troubleshooting that problem required quite a bit of time. It was fixed at the installing dealer under warranty, but that still required a day of my time plus the three-hour drive each way.



I had a control rod on the brake break when I tried to adjust it after it had corroded. The replacement was costly, and U. S. Gear allowed a very generous trade-in value if I bought a new unit, so I did that. The cost was hundreds of dollars.



Most recently, the main controller for the brake failed. After several phone calls to U. S. Gear, and after changing both relays, they finally admitted that I knew something about what I was talking and sent me the master controller. It was over a hundred dollars.



There is a delay after selecting the brake ON or OFF before the brake actually closes or opens. The new master controller delays even longer than the original one before actuating the brake. It’s probably two seconds from the time I switch the brake to ON before the brake actually closes. The same delay occurs when the brake is selected to OFF. This is more than a nuisance, it’s sometimes a hazard. I suspect that the delay is to allow time for the turbo to spin down to prevent a turbocharger stall. Still, two seconds is excessive, especially since the engine is always unloaded by the time I engage the exhaust brake.



I’d consider a different brand, just because of the costs involved with repairs for the U. S. Gear. As Forrest said, I haven't read of problems with most of the other brands.



Loren

 

[LeeNH]

Well, thanks for the input, guess I'll look into a Pac brake type..... any preference in brands there?

Pac Brake

Banks

BD

What others???



SO, now onto the next major investment:



US Gear Overdrive VS. Gear Vendors.....

Who's got opinions on that, for a 2 spd OD unit?

 

[plongson]

Camping World has good prices on PAC

 

[Turbo Thom]

Lee:

I'm a little at a loss to explain the attitude toward the US Gear products. I have the overdrive and e-brake and would buy them again. I've had to replace my 5 speed 4 times, but did I swear off the Dodge? I think not. Both my units have been on the truck 6 years. I don't want any other brand. The e-brake has been flawless till about 3 months ago when the hold solenoid died. I didn't throw the brake away, I got a new solenoid. Believe it or not, the shutoff solenoid quit on the engine too. Guess what. I bought a new one. The overdrive unit is my second one. I burned one up with 87K miles on it. My fault. To much oil. I didn't know. The installer didn't tell me the parameters. Now I know.



I do understand in the northern climates the e-brake does have more abuse from road salt. I don't have that problem here. The de-celerator brakes work almost down to idle. Well at least to around 1200 rpm. Remember we all have likes and dislikes. And seldom do they match. I didn't want a brake hanging on the rear of my turbo. I still don't and I don't have one that does. That just the way I wanted it not everbody feels that way but so what.



Just get the one you feel most comfortable with.



. . Preston. .

 

[Coalsmoke]

I love my PacBrake. On of the things that sold me was their level of customer service. Nice guys.

 

[dewdo]

I had the US Gear brake on a 1994 Ram diesel and had nothing but expensive problems with it. It was replaced once under warranty and failed three times after that. One time the entire thing came off along with part of my exhaust. That was real expenisve problem.



I fought with Camping World and their so called "Life Time Installation Warranty" for several months before coming to a settlement that partially reimburesed me 1/2 of the installation cost. I never plan to have Camping World install anything else nor buy US Gear products again.



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[dvaughan]

Exhaust Brake

I have a BD exhaust brake and it works great all through the RPM range. I looked at Pac brake and BD and went with BD.

 

[mputnam]

After about 15,000 with Gear Vendor, I swapped the Gear Vendor for a US Gear because with the Gear Vendor engaged I couldn't use the PAC Brake. The US Gear does not have that restriction.





-------------------------------------------------------

2000 3500 SLT with Western Hauler Bed, US Gear, Pac Brake, TST Box, gauges, 4" exhaust.

 

[Turbo Thom]

dewdo:

You proved my point. Your complaint is with Camping World, not US Gear. If the exhaust is not locked together in a rigid way it will blow apart. If they did, I would think the brake was working quit well. I bet the tube "popped" apart in front of the brake, where the pressure is. I've just put so many hours of use to understand how you can blame US Gear. I have nothing to do with those folks up there , I have just had such good use of their products.



It is really interesting to read the post of a bitter user.



My wife's truck came with a US Gear brake and Banks kit from Camping World. The brake is a nice install but the Banks kit? They will never work on mine.



. . Preston. .

 

[LeeNH]

If you have ever been a mechanic anywhere, for any period of time..... I don't think any of you would take anything anywhere to be installed/repaired for any reason, unless you know the guy.

Especially the case with a chain like Camping world, VIP, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Sears auto... ... ect. Most of those places don't pay much, and offer little update training, so thats the kind of work you get... . There are good techs at many of them, but having worked at many shops, and having to follow up and fix everyone elses screw ups, I can tell you a lot of shotty work comes out of the chain places, they are a little different than the corner garage, specialty shop and dealer... ... Ultimately I don't know if the blame goes to the store, or the tech who installed it... . Having said that, and having had my own garage for years,,,I can sympathize with the fact that it is very hard to find people to hire to do quality work anymore.



My 2 cents... ... ...

 

[Turbo Thom]

Lee:

Well said and that goes with all trades. I'm an ironworker forman and as you might guess,we get the bottom of the help list. And I mean the bottom. If I make the winter, come spring I will be doing something else.



. . PT. .

 

[rweis]

I have a USG and love it. I did the air actuated version. I also added an e brake off switch in addition to the USG on / off so I could have the USG armed but the accelerator pedal in idle at a stop light and not have the e brake on. I also use the bypass in town when you are going to be at slow speeds and frequent stops.



I put a air compressor (Porter Cable from Home Depot) in the bed, pump it up to 140 psi, regulate that to 60 psi, feed it to the USG. The air compressor has a 4 gallon tank and will feed the USG about 3 days of all day driving. each night I plug in the air compressor and pump it up. Also use the air compressor for checking tires and it will drive air horns some day.



Air driven e brake because I did not want any kind of solenoid down there with dirt and water. Also simplier to install.



I would buy the USG again in a heartbeat. Heavy duty, built like a tank. Also has a back pressure bypass butterfly built in. 4" you get a full 4" bore. Also does a self cleaning on engine start. I like the fact it delays a second or two so the turbine can spool down. I put mine back by the muffler so there is a 2 cubic foot exhaust pipe chamber to buffer pressures as it closes. Also like the fact it is good down to about 1200 rpm. Being remote it also does not get 1000* exhaust on it and then try to deal with that temp hour after day after month after year.



I set the cruise control and exhaust brake and let her go. 5er is 12k and it all works like a breeze. I have NOT tried the Smokey's or Rockies yet.



I installed mine my self.



Bob Weis

 

[mules4me]

I have the BD turbo Mt and I love it. As you can guess we have lots of mountains here in North Idaho and I use it a lot. It really works great for me. My son has the 4' inline US Gear and it hasnt worked for the last year and a half. But thats only part of his problems with his 98. 5 5spd mad: ):

 

[mules4me]

By the way my son gave me the FASS for Xmas while his Ram is broke down with 5 Spd problems (about the 4th time) Is he a great son or what.