Craig - I have 168 flawless runs on my trans. All but about 4 of them have been using the trans brake. My trans was first built without a brake, then I had it re-done to add the brake. That is a story of its own. I am not aware of anything done to it just because it has the brake. The only downside is how reverse works. On mine it only works with the trans brake button energized. That makes it a little hard to back up.
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