Can someone identify what this is on my rear axle?

The only dumb question is the one that is not asked so I am asking because I can not figure this out and it is bothering me.

What is this little thing to the right of the diff case that sticks up off the axle?

 

That is the lower mount for the arm of the load sensing proportioning valve. The LSPV adjusts rear breaking power for the amount of weight in the bed. So you aren't locking up the rear tires when you break hard with nothing in the bed and you don't have wussy breaks when you are carrying a load. Look where the arm goes, you'll see a little valve body with break lines going to it.

You can see I have mine adjusted for my lift with a little bracket.


Hope this helps!

 

Makes sense. I saw it tied back in to the brake line but didnt make a connection that movement of the lever would adjust breaking. So if a standard AAL lift is put on will that make it think the load is lighter due to height difference and require an adjustment.

 

Exactly, the LSPV needs to be raised equal to the lift on the truck to maintain normal breaking.

 

Somehow this is the first I have heard of that in all the reading on lifting. Where do you get the bracket?

 

It's called a Brake Proportioning Valve, you can make an extension piece very easily with a single piece of steel plate, or you can buy one from BAMF here for 20 bucks. His comes with the necessary hardware as well, which is nice.

 

I got my bracket from BAMF, it is super easy to install, as in done after 10mins.

Sorta depends on who you are reading to find this one out, the 2nd gen guys don't have a LSPV so their literature on lifting won't include it. Just about every lifted first gen figures it out after having squishy brakes.