Patriot BRK2010 internal battery
I had a Blue Ox base plate installed in January on my 2014 CR-V and bought the Patriot BRK2010 braking system and tow bar too. On my 3-1/2 hour trip home, towing the CR-V, the Patriot monitor gave a "CAR BATTERY LOW" error message/alarm. I pulled over and found that the car battery had discharged to the point that it wouldn't start the engine. I jump-started the CR-V and made it back home without incident; but that got me thinking why the Patriot's battery didn't do what the literature said it would - ensure power is always available to the brake. So, after several email attempts to get a response from Blue Ox I finally got an answer. The internal - battery is rated 12 VDC @ 1.2 amp-hours; not "12 amphours", not "2 amphours", but "1.2 amphours". So, I tried using my Battery Tender to recharge that 1.2 amphour battery (probably Ni-Cad) but the battery had discharged to where the Tender would not allow charging. I had a Ni-Cad charger from my ham radio days which worked to get that Patriot battery recharged. I don't have a trip planned to include towing the CR-V but at least I know what needs to be done before going on the road with the Patriot.
Ed L
2016 Thor Synergy TT24 3.0L
WV
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Ed & Robin Lively
with Nina, Kitt, and Mickey
2016 Thor Synergy TT24 (a.k.a "Ming")
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