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Exhaust Brake - getting the most of it.

5K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Painted Horse 
#1 ·
My old 6.0L trucks had the B&D Exhaust brake on them. It had some quirks, but it did slow the rig down on downhill grades.

So Yesterday I finally hook up the Horse trailer. Load 4 horses into and head over the mountain to go for a ride. My Gooseneck trailer with 4 horses is around 12k. There is a 7-9 mile down grade that is 8%. It's a 50 mph road. My old truck would hold 40-45 mph down that grade with out me touching the foot brake. The EB did all the work.

I noticed I was having to touch the brake pedal several times yesterday to control my speed. I had pressed the minus button several times and downshifted. It was running around 3000-3100 rpm.

I'm going to have to play with this some to figure out to get the most out of the engine braking
 
#2 ·
Not being a smart @ss but you were in tow haul correct? As I read, the exhaust brakes on the fords only work when tow haul mode is selected.

I've also noticed on quite a few reviews that they wonder how effective the exhaust brake on the Ford is, many have stated it's hard to tell it's even there. Maybe the new flash will help improve the exhaust brake feel and performance.
 
#3 ·
I too question the braking power of the exhaust brake. My 3 horse gooseneck and my boat (5K#) will each push me, and that is in tow/haul mode. I like the automatic downshift feature of the tow/haul, but I can't say that I feel the exhaust brake.
 
#5 ·
It uses engine braking, it's not an exhaust brake. Big difference!!

That is one thing I wish Ford would do is to put a factory E-Brake on the SD. Hopefully, someone will make an aftermarket exhaust brake for these trucks.

Mark
 
#8 ·
I have been using it without any problems. When I go down a hill I apply the brake enough to get to the speed I want, let off the brake and the truck holds that speed. I have seen it shift down as far as 2nd gear and the speed stays within a few MPH.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yes I have it in Tow/Haul.

So you keep pressing the brakes until it downshifts into a gear low enough to hold the speed you want. As opposed to pressing the minus button to force downshifts.

On my older 6.0L using the B&D Exhaust brake it was a butterfly valve located in the exhaust just about below the front seat passengers feet. When ever you took your foot off the accelerator, the valve would close. Push on the go pedal and the valve opens. It was operated by a small air compressor located in the engine bay.

I would hope the turbo vanes shutting down would create as much back pressure and as much back pressure. Haven't seen it or felt it yet.
 
#11 ·
My old 6.0L trucks had the B&D Exhaust brake on them. It had some quirks, but it did slow the rig down on downhill grades.

So Yesterday I finally hook up the Horse trailer. Load 4 horses into and head over the mountain to go for a ride. My Gooseneck trailer with 4 horses is around 12k. There is a 7-9 mile down grade that is 8%. It's a 50 mph road. My old truck would hold 40-45 mph down that grade with out me touching the foot brake. The EB did all the work.

I noticed I was having to touch the brake pedal several times yesterday to control my speed. I had pressed the minus button several times and downshifted. It was running around 3000-3100 rpm.

I'm going to have to play with this some to figure out to get the most out of the engine braking
I have a 12500 lb 5th and the EB (Tow/Haul in) is not near as effective as my former 2008 6.7 Cummins. I miss that effectiveness AND the ability to turn it on and have it really slowing without riding the brakes. You could anticipate a hill, stop light, etc, shift down and set up the EB in any gear but with this new Ford you only get exhaust braking by pressing the brake pedal and the harder you press the more EB. Unfortunately never to the extend of the Cummins. The Ford approach is not very good compared and I wish for a fix also. Riding brakes to get and set the level of exhaust braking is a poor implementation. With the Cummins it braked in any gear when off the throttle, way better.
 
#16 ·
I have a 12500 lb 5th and the EB (Tow/Haul in) is not near as effective as my former 2008 6.7 Cummins. I miss that effectiveness AND the ability to turn it on and have it really slowing without riding the brakes.
That is impossible. There is NOTHING that a CTD can do better then the 6.7 PSD. The 6.7 PSD is the BEST thing since sliced bread.... :icon_rolleyes:


On a side note, I tried the EB on a F-350 service truck we had and I really couldn't tell it was on, just felt like the converter stayed locked. Do you have to have a trailer connected too? Truck was in tow haul mode.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I don't need to ride the brake or wait for a down shift. As I start down the hill, just when I feel the load start to push, I step on the brake pedal just enough to get to the speed I want to hold. Then I let off the brake and the truck does the rest.
If I have to complain about it I would say that it is a little slow to disengage at the bottom of the hill, I like to start picking up speed a little before the next incline. I think the truck knows the % grade and uses that to help the computer figure out what to do.

In my opinion, some of the issues with Ford's EB come from being used to other systems and having developed certain expectations and habits based on those. I have never used another EB system so I don't have any basis to know how it "should" feel. I just played with it to see how to get the most out of it and it works for me.
 
#15 ·
On my last 7.3 I had the Banks E Brake.------- My new 6.7 E Brake works well. Remember the higher the RPM, the better it works. The key is to be in a gear that allows RPM's at least around 2800. ----- Now unlike others here, I hand drive mine more. While in Tow Haul I just lock out the high gears and stay in a gear that keep my RPM in the higher range I want. When I hit the flat I start adding back gears.
 
#17 ·
I took the truck and trailer over the mountain again today. Only had two horses in it. So I was a couple thousand pounds lighter. I was much more agressive about using the EB. I down shifted and kept the RPMS up over 3000. And the braking worked much better. I think I just needed to get one gear lower than I had been on past drives. I dropped it into 2nd gear and was going about 40 mph. It held that speed down the hill just fine.

It's just going to be a matter of playing with it and learning how to maximize it's effectiveness. As said above. "its all a matter of what you are used to" and it is different than the EB's I've had in the past.
 
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