Any help in identifying what this is

Turn it,and see what happens.Then you'll know.

 

A valve that helps you fart?
You might get a real answer here. Or not...

 

Hi Zvar, there are no silly questions regarding operation, the dump valve let's air out of the suspension air bags, great for dropping or hooking low trailers. I'm not sure why a truck would have that, and it's not operational.

 

I don't know that particular valve.

But I recall my first 5th wheel release valve. Threw it and waited to see what would happen. Nothing. Applied some power and pulled. THUMP! went the trailer and entire 5th wheel. Oh. Now Im out of my weights on axles and gotta put it back with no grease for love and money. A little beer on it took care of that sliding problem enough to get it roughly back.

 

Ha!

The world became a better place when @x1Heavy joined this board. Over 10,000 posts in a year-and-a-half. Bravo, sir!

 

@Gunner75 - does your company have any spread axle trailers?

 

Smoke dump valve so that you can get away from DOT chasing you?

 

Especially if you happen to have a holding tank in the truck, that dump valve would come in mighty handy,,,

 

In my reefer days, I drove a W9 with a 48ft stainless steel spread axle reefer. There was a switch on the dash to dump the air on the front axle of the trailer to make tight turns easier. Spread axle trailers will slide the front axle sideways. This causes premature wear. In some instances, you can even pop the tire bead on really tight turns. The manual dump allowed for the driver to save the front trailer tires.

In heavyhaul, most 4 axle tractors will have a lift axle next to the drive axles. It's about the same setup as the 4 axle dump trucks. That lift axle allows you to carry more weight, BUT it makes steering the truck more difficult as it takes weight off the steering (the next time you see a 4 axle heavyhaul truck, notice how long the 5th wheel slide is...it's to help them to get weight on the steers to make steering easier). We used to have the switch on the inside of the truck. But goofy states like California says this is illegal and unsaffe and the controls have to be on the outside of the truck. I wonder if the controls have to be on the outside of the dump trucks too...well, I dont really care since I dont have plans of ever going to California in a truck again.

Certain heavyhaul trailers will have lift axle setups and you need a way to control them. Since Gunner is working at a real heavyhaul gig instead of one of the many pretend heavyhaul places, his truck came equipped with a manual dump valve. It's another one of those, "its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" things.