Were most of the later Regencys built without a Jake brake or Transmission retarder? This would ban
them from many places in the mountain west (for your own good)

Steve

Our 93 Regency does not have a Jake Brake or retarder.
Nick

Our Stagecoach has a Pac Brake.

I can't speak to the Regencies and reterders, but I looked into an exhaust brake for my AMG 6.5L TD with the GM 4L80E tranny. Basically, there wasn't room between the turbo exhaust and the muffler for a brake, amnd it was $1200 for the brake and $750 for the tranny lockuop controller.

I did discover, however, that by dropping the tranny into 2nd, I could ease down a 7% grade at 50 mph. Tranny temps stayed below 160°F (actually, there was no rise at all).

I have been and continue to go all over the Western Mountain States and have never had any issue NOT having a pac brake.It is all in the planing and reducing the speed BEFORE going downhill. It is called speed management.

I use recommended truck speeds and sequence braking action. I have over 35K miles on this set of pads and still have well over 50% left.

There is NO law requiring pac brakes on RVs.

I do have a williams exhaust brake. sky

Ours has a Jacobs Extarder with the Allison MT643 4 speed transmission. The book says it is a vehicle slowing device not a stopping device.It has an on/off switch on the dash to actvate it.
The MT series 643 tranny has lock up on the top 2 gears and so the Extarder does not work to slow the vehicle at low speeds, below 25 mph.
Air brakes are powerful too and don't seem to fade on long downhills either. Though I suppose that would depend on how hard and long you stood on them!
I have had no trouble controlling speeds on long, steep grades in the west even towing our 4 door Chev Tracker, but it only weighs abot 2900 lbs. There have been tmes when I've forgotten to throw the swich to activate the Extarder and haven't realized that 'til after stopping!
Don't think that a engine or transmission brake are a necessity if you are paying attention, and we should always be paying attention when we have control of 25,000 plus lbs moving at 65 or 70 mph!
Don

I do not have a Jake Brake, but do have an Allison 647 four speed tranny with lock up in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears. Fourth gear is free wheeling.

I have down shifted in the Allegheny mountains and Blue Ridge mountains in the east with good speed control, however, I manage the speed before decending as well as use periodic braking.

I have never traveled with the Barth in the west (yet).

Bill G