I have the actual Cummins endorsed turbo-mount Jake Brake and I love it! I use it even when I'm not towing. Though, from what I understand it's not the most powerful brake out there, it still has enough guts to hold my truck, plus my 8000+lb 5er at 35 mph in 4th gear down an 8% grade without ever needing to use the service brakes. I have almost 60,000 miles on my truck, been out to the Rockies 3 times now, and my rotors are still true with no hot spots and the pads look to still have 60%-70% left on 'em. I recommend exhaust brakes highly!
What dude said, only with a 17klbs trailer, and steeper grades. some times i have to upshift just to gain some speed down a hill... worth every penny. only drawback of the Jake unit is you can not get any engine accesories that use a serpintine add on, and you dont get an air pump. no biggie to me, as the dealer can fix it and it keeps them happy. Grant
well worth the money if you tow HEAVY or alot of hills. probably not worth it if its flat where you drive and tow less that 10k lbs. the BD brke is sweet and is electric not motor driven.
even if i owned a 3/4 ton and NEVER towed, it makes the truck a lot more fun to drive. its worth every penny in my eyes, for anybody.... no matter the use... but thats just me. Grant
Exhaust brakes are worth every penny and I feel are required when pulling 10K or more, for safety reasons. Now, as for the Jacobs, I vote against it. The brake works great but the Vacuum pump is very weak, and tends to fail, usually catastrophically. Now you are stranded with a blown up pump and shredded belt. ALways keep an extra stock belt in the truck. Personally, I like the BD brakes. They run on compressed air instead of vacuum, the ompressor mounts super clean, out of the way, and man do they work. And they are about the same price as the jake and Pac.
