[TR] Jake Brake: was 'free wheeling'

[Michael Porter]

John Herrera wrote:
>> However, "Jake Brake" is a brand name, and that company offers many newer
>> designs that aren't as noisy, so there has been a certain amount of
>> controversy on the subject.
>>
>> -- Randall
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> I heard that "Jake" is short for Jacobs, the same outfit that made radial
> engines for aircraft use.  Used in the Cessna "Bamboo Bomber" and 195, that I
> can think of offhand.
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>   

Umm, there have been several Jacobs in various manufacturing enterprises 
(Marcellus Jacobs making early large capacity wind turbines, for 
example), but, I don't think there was a business relationship between 
Jacobs Aircraft Engine Co. (started in 1929 by, I think, Al Jacobs), and 
Jacobs Manufacturing (started in 1902 by A.I. Jacobs), a division of 
which eventually built the original Jake Brake (the Jake Brake was sort 
of a misnomer--while Jacobs built it, the first compression release 
brake was originally designed by Clessie Cummins of Cummins Engine).  
Jacobs Vehicle Systems was spun off by Jacobs Manufacturing around the 
late `50s and began to market the brake in 1961 (and is now a subsidiary 
of Danaher Corp.), while Jacobs Manufacturing continued with its core 
business, a bit more mundane, but very familiar, item--the Jacobs 
three-jaw drill chuck (Jacobs Mfg. is now a subsidiary of Goliath, with 
its main manufacturing facility in Alabama).


Jacobs Aircraft Engine Co., meanwhile, had a pretty short life span--its 
heyday was WWII--and by the end of the war had been bought out by 
Republic Industries.  The engine tooling was transferred to Republic and 
all of its other equipment auctioned off and its Pottstown, PA, plant 
closed and sold. "Shaky Jake" didn't last too long. There's almost no 
corporate history around on the Jacobs Aircraft Engine Co.  It's 
possible that A.I. (Arthur Irving) Jacobs and Al Jacobs were related, 
but, I'm fairly sure that the companies were not.  The last evolution of 
the Jacobs radial, the R-755, was adapted for use in helicopters and 
Page Industries in Oklahoma eventually obtained the rights to that 
series as a helicopter powerplant.


Cheers.

-- 


Michael Porter
Roswell, NM


Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....