After Market Exhaust Brake

Here is an idea for those who want to upgrade their simpler or older engines. Not a bad idea for those heavier old trucks with less than perfect braking systems. Up to 150hp retard!

They reckon they can match a model to any engine old or new. Their big market is selling to the USA large pick-up market who are towing 5th wheelers and heavy trailers. They can supply units for both electronic throttle like most modern vehicles have or the traditional rod or cable operated throttle.

Most need very small volumes of air to operate and the kits come with a mini compressor for those vehicles without air. If you have ARB diff lockers the air unit can serve double duty for the exhaust brake

us.bddiesel.com/products/bd-exhaust-brak...riant=30073622593600



Here is another mob doing the same thing.
pacbrake.com/product-lines/exhaust-brakes/

I thought I would follow up on these and started reading exhaust brake threads on various forums such as The Cummins Forum. Tow-truck Forum and several general heavy truck forums. Dozens of threads on these after market exhaust brakes. I was expecting the usual experts to tell us how they were crap and had damaged their engines or whatever. I have never seen any product so universally praised regardless of whether they had auto transmission or manual. I found no report of engine damage and only a couple complaining about violent down-shifting on auto transmissions which turned out to be incorrect operation or installation.

Jacobs make after-market units as well but many people said they were well behind the other makes as they persisted with old technology less user friendly on modern engines.

Lang

At one time Jap trucks used to come standard with an exhaust brake,generally worked by a little stick on the steering column.......lots of new owners would not know about this,and complain about engine faults when the exhaust brake was accidentally applied........Ive never found them very impressive,certainly not compared to a Jake brake on a GM ..

Williams "Blue Ox" exhaust brakes, been around since the late fifties/early sixties. Often fitted to Cummins 220/250 engines, not as effective as a Jake, as John.K. pointed out. Were great when the engine was coupled to a 4x4 Spicer or similar and you wanted to drop a full gear in the main box. Reckon the birthday boy, Swishy may have had a bit to do with them. Dave

My son-in-law's 4.5 ton Canter workshop van he uses on the Postie Bike Challenge has a small knob like a light switch on the dash. You just turn this to get the exhaust brake. It might just be me but it seems progressive, the more you turn the more effective the brake. I might have a rush of blood to the head and actually read the manual (I have driven this truck Brisbane-Perth-Broome, Adelaide-Brisbane and Darwin-Brisbane and so bloody slack have never read the instructions). It does work OK on hills but more effective around town in traffic as it saves a lot of braking and also does not roar like a Jacobs to upset the natives.

Lang

Many years ago I had a D Series Ford with an SGV Exhaust brake.... Holding My Hat out the Window had the Same Braking effect as that Thing....



EDIT; They're still in Business.. www.sgvaustralia.com/

The Telma retarder was the most effective add on extra brake I ever drove......common on MAN trucks and early Scanias too......But quite costly back in the day.,and fitting wasnt simple ,needed tailshaft mods and chassis brackets made.

JOHN.K. wrote: The Telma retarder was the most effective add on extra brake I ever drove......common on MAN trucks and early Scanias too......But quite costly back in the day.,and fitting wasnt simple ,needed tailshaft mods and chassis brackets made.

And very heavy from memory. A lot of the coal trucks running from The Oakes to Port Kembla when the mines were operational used to have them, mainly for the descent on Mt.Ousley.

And batteries and cableing had to be in A1 condition as well!

Surely the coal trucks working the Bulli pass and Mt Ousley would all be in A1 condition?.......The local papers were usually good for a pic of a coal truck stuck in the front of a house at least once a week.

I've got a US Gear D-celerate model on the bus. Got it out of the US but can't find them now.

It is an interesting design. The butterfly would fully close and there is a secondary flap that operates like a turbo waste gate. As the exhaust pressure builds up, the flap opens and modulates the exhaust back pressure.

So, regardless of the revs, you always have maximum back pressure. Love it. Plus it is electorally operated.