All went well until the descent of the Cajon Pass leading into San Bernardino a long and steep gravel road which almost led to the demise of the truck and its driver, Clessie Cummins.
The first retarder housings of the prototype design were installed on a Cummins diesel engine in a truck owned and operated by the Sheldon Oil Company.
[5] The firm split in 1986 and chuck manufacturing now takes place in Clemson, South Carolina and engine brake production in Bloomfield.
The increased backpressure in the engine creates resistance against the pistons, slowing the crankshafts rotation and helping to control the vehicle speed.
When the bleeder brake is turned on, a piston extends to its full stroke and stays there, holding the exhaust valve open a small, fixed distance throughout the entire four-stroke engine cycle.
Since the bleeder brake only holds the exhaust valve open a fixed distance, it can be designed so that it does not put any load on the camshaft and most of the overhead components.
[11] C&C Trucks, CNHTC, Cummins, DAF, Daimler, Detroit Diesel, Deutz, DFM, Doosan, FAW, FOTON, Fuso, Hino, Hyundai, Navistar, Paccar, SDEC[12]