Blue Ox Patriot Supplemental Braking System Power Draw

Question

Question:

How many amps does this unit use? It keeps draining my Jeep battery dry. Plan using a portable power station while towing. Need to buy the best match, Thanks!

asked by: Dean J

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

The Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR has a 2 amp max draw on your 12v power. It keeps the internal battery charged so you have function if the main battery fails.

For your vehicle battery to fail, there must be another draw on your battery. My recommendation for you is to use a 7-way to 6-way connection like the Hopkins Nite-Glow Tow Bar Extension Cord w/ Socket - Coiled - 7-Way RV to 6-Way Round # HM47054 if you don't already have it, and then using the Roadmaster Battery Charge Line Kit for Towed Vehicles # RM-156-25. This will keep the vehicle battery charged while towing so not only will you have braking, but you will be able to start your Jeep without concern and reduce the pre-mature wear on that battery.

expert reply by: Jason S

1

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Bob

9/4/2025

Jason, I do not have wiring for the battery charger. I need to use a power station. Will a 300 watt run my patriot 2 for a 6 hr trip? I do have a dedicated 12 V eight amp to my battery. Will that be enough? I would still get the power station for a back up.

Jesse M.

9/4/2025

@Bob So technically a power station could work for this, but I really can't recommend it. I would be worried about the power station dying and you losing your braking. If you keep the trips short it might be fine, but I would strongly encourage you to just go ahead and install the wiring for a battery charger and power the brake system with a 12v outlet wired directly to the battery. What kind of tail light wiring kit are you using currently?

Bob

9/4/2025

@JesseM I have a magnetic wireless light kit (agreyes) seems to work good. To run any wiring I need to take the front of the jeep off ( lot of work ) trying to avoid that.

Jesse M.

9/5/2025

@Bob I gotcha. Yes I suppose using a power station would make sense for that. Just be careful and keep the trips short if possible.

Answer 1

Hi Jim, good question, and you’re on the right track with your thinking. Electrical issues like that aren’t at all common with the Roadmaster Nighthawk #RM-676, but what you’re describing does line up with a backfeed or short, not a failure of the…

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Answer 2

For a 2013 Honda CR-V we have the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms #BX2258 that will work well with your Blue Ox Tow Bar. I recommend using Loctite Threadlocker #LT37420 for this installation. For your vehicle wiring, I recommend the Hopkins…

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Answer 3

Hey Ed! It looks like you put together a great list of parts. I'm going to list everything out here with links so it is all in one place, including my suggestions. For a complete setup you will need the following: -etrailer Invisible Base Plate…

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Answer 4

You are correct. If the Blue Ox Patriot part #BLU37TR is not moving the accelerometer would not sense braking and start applying the brakes.

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Answer 5

The term, wet, in this case means that the head of the bolt has a grease Zerk in it and there is a channel that leads to center of the bolt. This makes it easy to grease the bolt while installed, as you can put a grease gun right up to the Zerk and…

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Answer 6

Yes we have flat towing components that will fit and work great on your 2012 Jeep Liberty from Blue Ox. The first thing you need is a base plate kit part #BX1131 which I attached an install video for on a 2012 Liberty. Next you'll need a tow bar…

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Answer 7

Flat towing a vehicle such as a Jeep Wrangler behind a Class C motorhome such as the Dynamax Force 37BH HD will require a few items including the tow bar and braking system. The Blue Ox Patriot braking system #BLU37TR that you referenced is a very…

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Answer 8

Hey John! Is this for a specific setup? Tow bars are either base plate specific or require adapters if you're mixing brands. If you aren't sure then I recommend the Roadmaster Falcon 3HD Tow Bar #RM27NQ. This works with Roadmaster…

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Answer 9

We do offer a replacement power cord for the remote/monitor on the Blue Ox Patriot Portable Braking System part #BLU37TR, it's the USB Remote Power Cable for Blue Ox Patriot 2 and 3 Supplemental Braking Systems part #BLU99XR. Please note, this…

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Answer 10

Yes, the Blue Ox Patriot BRK2012 does have a built in battery backup. So if the vehicles battery starts to go low, you have a bit of reserve backup in the brake unit itself. Now the BRK2012 is no longer available, the new version is BRK2022. Our part…

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Answer 11

There is one key difference between the Blue Ox Patriot 2 Portable Braking System part BRK2016 and the Blue Ox Patriot 3 Portable Braking System part #BLU37TR. The difference is an extra safety measure built into the Patriot. The Patriot #BLU37TR has…

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Answer 12

Hey Larry, you are on the right track picking out the correct components to flat tow your 2022 Jeep Gladiator but since your motorhome has air brakes that vehicle will need to have the Air Force One part #SM99243 installed on it which will not work…

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Blue Ox Patriot Supplemental Braking System Power Draw

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