Country Coach Owners Forum Country Coach Motorcoach Forum

Operation of the 3 stage Jake

October 01, 2020, 12:43:40 am

I just recently bought an 04 Magna, 42 ft.  C-15 Cat and would like to find out how to correctly engage and operate the 3 stage Jake.
My other coach is a 2000 Dutch Star but only has an exhaust brake.  Big difference I hope. 
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #1 – October 07, 2020, 01:00:28 pm

I have a 2008 C-13.  It's pretty easy, turn the switch on for the jake brake and the 3 position switch is low, med, and high.  I haven't towed anything with my rig yet but I generally leave it in low and adjust as needed for more braking.  The manual says to use it all the time to reduce wear on the air brakes.  One note, if you have the cruise control on it will only engage when you actually press the brake pedal but if the cruise is off it will engage when you let off the throttle.

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #2 – October 07, 2020, 01:55:59 pm

Hey thank you!  I’ll try that when I take her out again.
My problem is probably because I had the cruise control on. 
I read somewhere that there are actually two modes for the jake.  One for city driving that activates when you press the brake peddle called cruise, and one for when traveling  through the mountains.
Does anyone know how to adjust the setting  or is the correct way is as simple as turning off the cruise control?

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #3 – October 07, 2020, 09:14:43 pm

Hi Dennis, congratulations, sounds like a nice coach.  Colin is right, turn it on and choose the level of braking.  At the low level 2 cylinders are engaged, mid uses 4 and high uses all six cylinders.  I don’t think all coaches are the same as far as engagement after that. 
When I first started, the Jake wouldn’t work with the cruise on, and I had to hit the brakes to engage it, then the tranny would shift from 6th to 4th.  I hated the way it worked, I found it very unnatural to drive, but it is all programmable.  I had Alison reprogram the transmission and had CAT reprogram the engine.  Now it works in all gears, even 6th, and with the cruise control on or off, and I don’t have to hit the brakes to engage it.  It’s more like driving my car, much nicer in heavy traffic.  The only time I turn mine off is if I don’t care about my downhill speed.  Coming down mountain passes I have to shift down, you know push a button, sometimes 5th, 4th or even 3rd.  The higher the engine rpm is the more braking power is generated.
Ed 2000 Magna

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #4 – October 08, 2020, 11:03:46 am

Your saying that I have to take it to the Cat dealer then? I was hoping that I could change the programming in the SilverLeaf control.  I’ll make that call today then to the Cat  dealer.  It would have been nice to have both modes if it were simple to change on demand. 
This is a really nice coach but the electronics sure are a little complicated to get a handle on so far.  My Older Dutch Star 38 footer is so much more simple to operate. And the paint on this CC sucks. 

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #5 – October 08, 2020, 10:30:27 pm

I know nothing about SilverLeaf, don’t have one, so I had to go to CAT, but it was just plugging in and checking different boxes on their computer screen, no charge.  I can’t imagine wanting a different mode than I have now. 
Speaking of mode, You have a Mode button.  I’ll bet that could be re-programmed to do something different than it does now.  As it is, on mine, when I push the mode button, it is for economy.  It holds the transmission in high gear longer and stops it from shifting down for every small hill.
I’ve had my coach for 7 years and I’m still learning about the systems.  Ed

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #6 – October 09, 2020, 01:21:13 am

Thanks Ed
I do have a mode button on the shift panel and it actually works the same as yours.  I am used to that feature as my Dutch Star has the same option even though it has an Allison 3000 trans and my Magna has an Allison 4000 trans.  The mode button performs the same on both coaches.  In my Dutch Star and because I tow a Honda CRV which has a speed limit of 65 mph, I have become accustomed to putting the coach on cruise at 63 mph and climb all the encountered mountain passes in the economy mode and let the trans do its thing.  Haven’t found a mountain pass yet that that little 300 Cat gets below 32 mph.  Now I do have an exhaust brake on the Dutch Star and so the downside of said mountain road I simply start downhill the same speed as I went up and I’ve been quite comfy traveling that way about 10 thousand miles a year now for the last 7 years.
I recently bought the Country Coach Magna so to have more comfort and capacity as we expect to stay out longer in the near future.  The 3 speed Jake is a necessity as the CC is a much heaver coach and I don’t think the exhaust brake would be able to hold this Magna back on a steep grade.  I am now looking forward to being able to test these new bits of info about operating the Jake as intended.  I feel safer already.  🙂
Thank you and others who are coaching me, (pun intended, lol :-). On these new amenities, It’s an experience to say the least. 

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #7 – October 10, 2020, 11:41:34 am

The Jake will hold it back even towing...a 6700 lbs JK.

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Re: Operation of the 3 stage Jake

Reply #8 – October 19, 2020, 12:36:19 am

Thank you all for for your input on the operation of the Jake Brake.  You all got me going  LOL
I have found that the Jake will operate in two different modes and this is how it worked for me.
First Mode, Coasting:
Turn the Cruise Control Button On:  Turn the Jake Button On: 
The Jake will initiate when the brake peddle is pressed.  It will release when the brake peddle is released.
Very handy when in city driving and stop and go traffic.

Second Mode, Down grade speed control:
Turn the Cruise control Button Off:  Turn the Jake Button On:
The Jake will engage when the foot lifts off the throttle peddle, and disengage when the throttle peddle is pressed to accelerate again.

Both of these modes work respectively with which ever stage you select to allow different levels of control.  It should be noted that never exceed the manufacture listed higher RPM limitations thus engine damage can occur. 
I'm just passing on my own findings on my own coach and not suggesting that I am any kind of expert in this matter.
Hope this helps someone that is as new to a Country Coach as I am.
Sincerely,
Dennis Perry
CC 6318M 

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