Can someone please explain this term? Thx
Brake pedal or zero throttle position with the retarder on in either use and the setting wand off the rest position for the second.
Bob
As Bob said, the retarder works via the joy stick or the brake pedal.
1. If you have the retarder rocker switch on and the joy stick in the zero position, when you push on the brake pedal the retarder engages. On ours it had three stages. A light push on the brake pedal was one third retarder; harder, two thirds; and hard, full retarder.
2. Without pushing on the brake pedal, just click the joystick through its range from partial to full retarder operation.
If you have your retarder rocker on and you have to really lay on the brake, the coach will stop like a car.
jor
Hard after a demo ride of a retarded unihome with the air disks to have a customer not buy.
Come off the front seats. Impressive to say the least.
Bob
Great descriptions above.
When I leave the freeway for a rest area, I just pull the retarder lever all the way back and never touch the brakes.
Head down a 6% grade and start to go faster than you like, pull the retarder joystick back to position 3 or so, and then you hold the speed you want.
The only trouble I have is remembering when heading downhill, that my left hand needs to move the lever forward and backward to speed up or slow down instead of my right foot. Touching the fuel pedal at all completely disengages the retarder and the coach's reaction isn't nearly as smooth as just moving the lever forward a notch to speed up. I usually make that error a time or two after not driving it for a while.
With the joystick, seldom do I touch the brake pedal except for full stops at lights or parking.
So if a coach is said to have a dual actuated retarder, it has the joy stick, aka hand control. I am still shopping and learning what I like, and having driven one with the joy stick, I love it. Do all FTs have it?
You asked if all Foretravels have retarders?
Most did, starting in the mid 90's from what I have read. It was an expensive option if added in the early build years. Originally some models had only the side switch, but there is a way to upgrade to the joy stick, for maybe $300 dollars.
No, not all coaches with retarder have a joystick. However, if the coach has a retarder, the joystick can be added for about $300-$500. We added the joystick to ours.
If you add the joystick, you may want to make the choice to have the brakes lights illuminate with activation of the retarder via the joystick. Application of the retarder without applying the brakes on our coach does not illuminate the brake lights. The issue has been discussed in other threads on this forum.
Based on your dream coach, you will be in a retarder coach. Mid nineties they became standard. Would never own a coach without one now.
With this component being used so much, what maintenance other than the usual fluid and filter changes is required? Is there any wear and tear caused by this use? Extensive use of a system or component doesn't usually come free.
Change Transmission oil at recommended interval (annually if not using Synthetic) and that is about it. Watch transmission temps on long downhills, retarder will increase trans temps if used continuously, proper downshifting makes this a non issue as well. Early installs had some bracket failures, fixed by welding bracket back on coach and adding a gusset.
Coach air brakes last forever (in fact, too little use is not good for brakes as they can become "sticky" and not release evenly), so I guess that is a negative, and it adds $12,000 or more to the cost of the coach, so you don't see them in other coaches......