Gear Vendor/Gear splitter

Blanco, for being a professional truck driver, you're looking at this about 100% wrong, IMO.
First, you keep saying how much power your truck has. Either you're full of ..it or it has enough power to pull what you're pulling.
You'll gain the most out of the GV in upper gears for powerband but the splits, depending on axle ratio arent the greatest for a NV4500 in 4+ and 5+.
Exhaust brake will provide the "control" you're looking for downhill throughout most of the rpm range.

IMO, GV is not warranted or needed unless you want a double OD for empty cruising or need a split between 4th and 5th if you don't have the power to muscle through that gear split.

Again, neat gadget, but really not for what you're wanting to do.
It's not perceptibly going to add more control using engine braking like you're wanting it to because you have a diesel.

JMO

1320Fastback wrote:
I know every vehicle is different and we all tow different trailers but my personal set up will go down the Grapevine and the grade going into the desert east of Alpine,Ca in overdrive and not gain speed. I tow around 7,000lbs @ 62mph or under and just let off the diesel pedal and coast. No engine brake, no exhaust brake.

Maybe some day I'll get a big trailer and see what happens ;)

Manual or Automatic?

& are you running a gear vendor?

Or what is your point?

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Big rigs have engine brakes.

Like mentioned gearing is not going to help much on a pickup diesel truck. But hey give it a try!

Once again I will correct you!

WRONG!

Engine Brakes & exhaust brake on big rigs are options!
They do NOT all have them!

I know every vehicle is different and we all tow different trailers but my personal set up will go down the Grapevine and the grade going into the desert east of Alpine,Ca in overdrive and not gain speed. I tow around 7,000lbs @ 62mph or under and just let off the diesel pedal and coast. No engine brake, no exhaust brake.

Maybe some day I'll get a big trailer and see what happens ;)

Big rigs have engine brakes.

Like mentioned gearing is not going to help much on a pickup diesel truck. But hey give it a try!

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Blanco1 wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
More gears would not necessarily help with slowing the rig down in place of an exhaust brake. It would in a gas rig but not in a diesel.
Going up it would probably help but not coming back down.
Barney

Really?!?!?!

& on what do you base that comment from?
How many years have you been driving Diesels?

Big Rigs?

You ever notice on mountains grades going down hills there are always signs reminding the Big Rigs to use lower gears.

I wonder why that is?

They both have their place I'm sure..

But my main experience is from big rigs with everything from 9 speeds to 13 speeds & with both Engine Brakes & exhaust brakes as well as big rigs with no aux brakes at all.

& in those cases, you basically slow it down & let the trans do most of the work.

That being said, I've never driven a pick up truck with a EB.

Everyone of those trucks have an EB!

Dude no offense!
But you obviously have no idea what your talking about when when it comes to driving big rigs!
You say "EVERYONE OF THOSE TRUCKS HAVE AN EB" WRONG!!!!

I've been driving big for about 1/2 my life & MANY don't have any sort of EB at all!
The ones that do, normally have an Engine Brake ( Jake Brake ) & only one I have driven had an Exhaust Brake & MANY have nothing but that foot pedal to slow you down.

I drove a rig about 9 years that had no EB of any sort!
Trust me not fun on steep mountain roads.

But you just drive much slower using the transmission gears to keep you slowed down & in control.

Blanco,
I drove truck (big rigs)for quite a few years, and drove my 2002 Ford 7.3 PSD
for about 250,000 miles, and my 2016 CTD for 20,000 miles before trading it a few weeks ago.

My experience has been that a diesel does not produce much engine braking because it does not have a way to close off the air intake as a gas engine does. There is a small bit of engine retardation but not enough to hold back a trailer on a long downhill run.
It was also my experience that all the otr trucks I drove had a jake brake or other means of holding the rig back. I added an exhaust brake to my Ford and my Ram had one from the factory.

If you have never driven a diesel pickup then you would be very suprised the first time you tried a downhill run towing a heavy trailer without an exhaust brake. A pickup is not a big rig!

Hope that helps explain my statement.
Barney

Blanco1 wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
More gears would not necessarily help with slowing the rig down in place of an exhaust brake. It would in a gas rig but not in a diesel.
Going up it would probably help but not coming back down.
Barney

Really?!?!?!

& on what do you base that comment from?
How many years have you been driving Diesels?

Big Rigs?

You ever notice on mountains grades going down hills there are always signs reminding the Big Rigs to use lower gears.

I wonder why that is?

They both have their place I'm sure..

But my main experience is from big rigs with everything from 9 speeds to 13 speeds & with both Engine Brakes & exhaust brakes as well as big rigs with no aux brakes at all.

& in those cases, you basically slow it down & let the trans do most of the work.

That being said, I've never driven a pick up truck with a EB.

Everyone of those trucks have an EB!

Blanco1 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
You will NEVER make up the cost in fuel savings.

For me it would be more about control than MPG's.
Going up & down grades would allow you to stay better in your power band.

Put an exhaust brake on your truck. That's the control you need with a diesel.

I got my aux trans because I wanted it, nothing to do with MPG. For my truck the 2-3 and 3-4 shift are pretty steep and it would be nice to split them as well as 18% over in Direct to save on towing in OD.