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Features:
Specs:
A braking system is a must when towing a vehicle behind your motorhome. Without it, the weight of the towed car can create a safety hazard, strain your RV's brakes, and affect the warranty of both your car and motorhome. Most states legally require a supplemental braking system, so if you don't use one and you end up in an accident (which is more likely since your RV takes longer to come to a full stop), your insurance and liability headache just doubled. You also won't have any breakaway system; if there's an accidental disconnect, there's nothing to bring your car to a stop.
First, this system is great for DIYers, because there's basically no installation. You'll run a cable from the breakaway switch on the front of the car into the cab so you can plug it into the unit, which might require a little bit of drilling into the firewall to either widen an existing hole or make a new one. But the unit itself will simply plug into your car's 12V outlet. That's it.
Second, it offers you a lot of flexibility. It's easy to move from one toad (towed vehicle) to another. As long as you have a second vehicle breakaway kit (BRK2505 - sold separately) installed, the Patriot can be easily set up in another car, giving you the freedom to switch up which vehicle comes with you on your next camping trip. Or, if you think you'll get a new toad down the road, it will be a piece of cake to get that car set up to use this unit.
"If you're going with a portable system, the Blue Ox Patriot is your best option. It's compact and lightweight, and offers smooth and precise braking most portable systems can't match."
The Patriot uses a built-in inertia sensor to detect when your flat tow setup begins to slow down as you apply the brakes in your motorhome. The moment the system recognizes the change in momentum, the actuator will press down the brake pedal of your toad proportionally: at the same time, with the same intensity.
If you're towing a hybrid or any car with continuous-power-assist brakes, all you have to do to be able to use the Patriot is turn on Hybrid mode.
You'll be setting up this portable unit in your toad every time you flat tow, so it's designed to be easy to do. And with it's compact size, it fits in almost any vehicle on the market.
Slide the driver's seat all the way back and set the Patriot on the floor. If your car's floorboard is uneven, you can add the included feet to the bottom of the unit to make sure it sits as level as possible.
Push down on the tab at the top of the clamp to widen the jaws. Get them around the brake pedal, then release.
Plug the Patriot into your car's 12-volt outlet and push the power button. The indicator lights will blink blue and green as the unit calibrates and the actuator will briefly adjust itself.
Note: If the lights turn solid red and blue, the Patriot is putting too much pressure on the brake pedal. Pull the unit away from the pedal until the lights switch back to blinking blue and green again.
Now move the driver's seat forward until it is just touching the back of the unit, called the push pad. You can move the push pad up or down to get it in just the right place to brace against the seat. If there's too much pressure on the push pad, the lights will turn solid red and blue. Edge the seat back until the lights return to a blinking blue and green.
Your final step is to push the setup button. The Patriot will test the brake once and check for any errors. When the power light turns a solid green, the Patriot is ready to go.
It's important to monitor your toad's braking to make sure that everything's working the way it should. With the included remote, you can also control the Patriot from the cab of your RV! It's just like having a brake controller in your motorhome.
From the monitor, you can adjust both the braking force and sensitivity, which will determine how aggressively the Patriot brakes your toad. A larger vehicle will need a higher setting for smooth braking, while a smaller car can do with a lower one. Either way, you can set it to your preference; as long as the toad is not pushing the motorhome forward when you're braking, you know your setting is high enough.
The controller also has a manual override button that will activate the towed car's brakes when you press it. This is great for applying the brakes in an emergency situation and for correcting sway.
The controller will also let you know whether your braking system is working, or if something is going wrong. As with any portable braking system, if the unit shifts position while you're on the road, it could stop working properly or even apply too much pressure to the pedal. The monitor will let you know right away, before any damage is done. Likewise, if your vehicle ever breaks away from the motorhome, the display will immediately turn red.
The Patriot's LCD display plugs right into your motorhome's 12V outlet. You can mount it on the RV dashboard with the included stand or the hook-and-loop strip. This keeps it right in sight and in easy reach.
The Patriot also comes with a breakaway switch, an absolute must for safe flat towing. If there's ever an emergency situation where your toad becomes detached from the motorhome, the breakaway switch will immediately activate the brakes and bring your vehicle to a stop.
This switch mounts to the front of your toad and plugs directly into the unit. It includes a pin that connects to your RV's hitch receiver with a breakaway cable. If the toad and RV become disconnected, the cable will pull the pin out of the switch and trigger the braking system. A reserve air supply in the operating unit will then apply the brakes in the car. Even if, for any reason, the car's battery is dead and no longer sending power to the Patriot, it will trigger and bring the car to a stop.
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My old brake controller died while we were on a long trip. I ordered the Blue ox and had it sent to our next campground. It arrived in time to install it and be on our way. Worked beautifully on the 600 mile trip home. etrailer never disappoints when I need something quick and has always had what I need.
Nice system. Easy install,Calibrated easily, but I have not "toad" with it yet. I did run a dedicated power outlet for it.
Brooke M.
3/27/2025
I'm glad the experience has been smooth thus far! WE'd love to know what your feedback is once you get a chance to use it, too. Thanks, John!
John P.
3/28/2026
We used the brake with our F150 and it performed well in the Tennessee Smokeys. On a second trip had problems with system erroring out, did research and called Blu Ox, they gave me number to call. Customer support was excellent, listened to my issue and had me return the brake system for repair. They found a fault, repaired, calibrated and updated the firmware. Brake was returned to me in about a week, I put it in truck and it worked perfectly. Leaving on a long trip this week. Great product.
Quick and easy to install and remove
At first it was a little cranky but go used to it’s needed placement
Still learning a bit !
This unit will come in play if there is a hitch failure
Not used for additional braking
Car is only 2200 lbs and don’t want the brakes locking
Emergency cable to emergency switch originate at a new installed frame mount in case of total hitch failure
DOT was impressed
Like the unit made fulfillment of required braking very simple
Thank you etrailer for your guidance
Greg
9/5/2025
Perfect Found its happy place position and works great ! Easy install Remote controller - perfect
I was super impressed with the online support in helping me pick all the items that I needed to purchase for flat-tow my Jeep behind my Ram. The box was busted open upon delivery of the Roadmaster Falcon hitch - but I think I got all/most of the parts.
You shipped out everything super fast, and they the many items arrived swiftly. Thank you for being there!
Relatively easy to install the break-away. Also had to install constant 12v outlet. Have not towed with it yet. But, seems to work as designed and am looking forward to using it.
Very easy install and set up. Very light weight. Etrailer always provides excellent customer service and useful videos. I'm ready to tow the Jeep behind the Motorhome.
We've used this system on our Jeep Cherokee with a Blue Ox base plate and tow bar for nearly 10K miles, and we're very happy with it. We did have a remote display/control failure at ~6 months, but it was quickly replaced under Blue Ox's generous warranty. etrailer's prices were competitive, if not the best, and their install videos and phone/email support are unmatched. We've no complaints and highly recommend this device as a portable brake solution for towed vehicles.
Andy was a great help to get my flat tow started on my Ford Ranger. I will go to my local auto electric buddy for the lights installation. Thanks Andy for your help.
Victoria H.
3/19/2025
That looks amazing Gary and I'm so happy to hear Andy was such so helpful to you! I will let him know you gave him a shout out. Enjoy the warm weather, we were just hit with another cold front in Missouri. I can almost feel the sunshine in this photo!
Used it on multiple trips behind my class c pulling a jeep. Do need to recharge the jeep battery each night after a day long pull. Over 10,000 miles lost signal 2 or 3 times. Im very happy with this product
Terrible product. Does not stay in place. Goes into alarm n needs reset. Not always a place to stop n brakes on vehicle are being pushed because brake lights are on. Sorry I prucheased this brake system.
It works great when you can get it to setup. I am using it in 2021 Jeep and it struggles to setup. I don't know if the front of the Jeep seats are too soft or if there is too much flex in the system arm that presses against the seat. On a trip a month ago, it started giving errors when descending a large hill. 2 weeks ago I struggled to get it working before a trip and on the return trip I gave up trying to set it. I just drove home with no brakes on the toad. My plan for the next trip (week after next) is to create a box for it to sit in that offers more support for the unit and hopefully allows it to work as designed. If not, I will be looking for something different.
Extremely easy to use and install
Chris
4/3/2026
Still working perfectly and as advertised.
Last trip we did we had issues with it connecting with RF remote. We got a bigger rig, and my tow vehicle is further away from the drivers cab. Is range an issue?
Victoria H.
1/28/2025
Hi Wesley, I reached out to Blue Ox to get to the bottom of this for you. Our contact there said that range shouldn’t be an issue as the RF controller has 350ft range in open air. Have you tried moving the RF controller closer to the driver side window to see if that would help the connection? Please let me know if this resolves the issue for you.
Wesley
1/26/2026
Doesnt work well with Ford Edge ST. In order to tow the car I have to disconnect the car battery, and supply a different power source. Any suggestions?
Nice and easy to use. Works great with my jeep wrangler.
Great product. I had a small learning curve with my initial setup, but after that, no problems. I have used it in two different tow vehicles, a Ford Fiesta and now a Chevy Equinox. I am very happy with the Blue Ox brake.
Install is simple compared to the permanent devices. Weight is light and nothing like I was expecting as people talked about storing it and installing it as being a chore. If I was installing it daily like someone on the road all the time perhaps it would be worth installing the Stay-In-Play or Invisibrake but for me the Patriot 3 is a good choice. I like the wireless monitor with ability to manally push the button on the controller to turn on the brakes if needed. I don't think any of the permanent install options have that capability and are just monitors only.
Brooke M.
5/14/2025
There is definitely a time and place for all the different kinds of brake systems and glad to hear this was the right fit for you! Have you been on any trips recently?
Very easy to follow instructions and set up.
Fast Shipping and Perfect Product!
I'm excited to try the new smaller brake controller. Patriot has a the best claw in the industry
James
7/18/2025
ive been using the controller for a year. Nothing but problems. It continually fails during operation. I called Blue Ox, they were no help.The brake failure may have been the contributor to an accident I had. NO more Blue Ox for me. I bought an RVi Brake. Im not sure I could resell this Patriot POS with a clear conscience. DO NOT BUY.
Great brake, occasionally need to reset it do to user error. Remember to reset everything if you start the toad prior to setting up the brakesystem.
Was very easy to install very easy to use traveled over 9000 miles with it as far as I’m concerned it’s a great product for me for what I needed
Brake works good, but sometimes hard to get in position so it does error on the drive. Jeep floor has curve that move brake out of position over time.
The product works well, but Blue Ox needs to provide more information on how to set this up. I used this braking system with the default settings because there was no information saying it needed to be adjusted. The system locked up the brakes on my 2025 3000lb. Chevy Trax and ruined a set of tires. When I called Blue Ox to ask why, they said their default setting were way to high for my car. Why couldn't that information be published?
The Blue Ox Patriot is easy to setup and works as intended. Good product.
I purchased everything I needed to flat tow my Ford C Max.
All of it is Blue Ox. The shipping was fast, the parts went in without an issue.
I highly recommend E Trailer. Great job.
Condition: Like New
Notes: May have damaged packaging or minor cosmetic blemishes.
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Brooke M.
7/9/2025
Wow, I am so happy everything worked out well for you, Donald! Where did you travel to on that trip?