Great information. Congratulations on having one of only a handful of Newells with a transmission retarder. Just watch those transmission temperatures closely when the retarder is in use. Retarders frequently work better than a jake brake but letting the temperature get too high can force you to turn it off just as you need it the most. Same procedure as a jake: keep your speed down when approaching a long downgrade, have the transmission in a lower gear to insure that the engine is running at 1700-2000 rpms to gain maximum effect of the retarder (or jake), and if you determine that you can not keep your coach from gaining speed going downhill without the use of the service brake, you are going too fast. Use the service brake to slow to a lower speed, downshift if necessary and try again. The momentum of a 40,000-60,000 pound coach going down a 6%+ grade is terrific. An enormous amount of heat will be generated to keep the speed in check. Use truck speed limit restrictions as your guide since you are in the same weight range that they are.
Have fun, you have a nice feature.
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