doxiemom11 wrote:
Our Class A gasser does not have any type of additional braking system. Just the service brake and automatic transmission. We stay away from steep grades. No tow/haul mode - no exhaust brake and of course, no jake brake.
You should still be able to descend a steep grade safely if you start and go slowly and downshift sufficiently. There are some grades I've descended (in a class C, granted, but otherwise similarly equipped) all the way down in first gear. A gas engine provides a lot more engine braking than a diesel by nature, which is one reason why exhaust brakes etc. are much more common on diesel engines.
In theory, the service brakes alone can be used to safely descend any hill (that they can hold you stopped on) provided you go slowly enough. The key is to go at a speed where the amount of energy being dissipated by the brakes is within the limits of what they can soak up without overheating; and since the total energy generated by going down a hill is fixed (based on weight and height, simple mechanics), there will be some speed where this can be accomplished. I don't recommend actually doing it, though.
