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Old 02-03-2017, 12:44 PM   #5
DocP
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Brand: Still Looking
Model: Georgetown 31L5
State: Ohio
Posts: 269
THOR #6277
Quote:
Originally Posted by KC8RXQ View Post
GMC and Doc P,


Thank you for the replies. I'll look into the Hopkins charging system and may very well get it installed before our next long trip with the Honda. On the Patriot internal battery, the manufacturer's literature doesn't go into specifics about its purpose but I've seen on other forums where it is only used for the emergency break-away feature to engage the vehicle brakes but I need to call Blue Ox to get the full details. I still don't know if there is a way to turn off the navigation system but once the Hopkins system is installed I would think that the navigation system being on won't be an issue.

Again, thank you for the help and hope you enjoy the journey!
In order to tow my 2015 Ford Explorer the key has to be in the "accessory" position, and the Sync/dash display is always on (I do try to turn off every other accessory). That's why I installed the Hopkins charging device to make sure that my car's battery is constantly being charged while traveling.

When I first bought the Blue Ox Patriot, I was concerned after reading from the owner's manual the following:

FLASHING “4” WITH INTERMITTENT BEEP - UNIT IN CAR BATTERY LOW

What does this mean? The car battery low error comes on when the car voltage drops below 10V (unfiltered reading) or the unit battery is low. This means that the brake has detected that the towed car’s battery is verylow.It may not be completely dead yet; however, it is probably close. The brake will go into an idle state and not work for normal braking. It will work in the event of a breakaway!

It is highly recommend, but not mandatory, that you pull over and charge the towed vehicles car battery or charge the unit’s battery. Make sure to go through the set-up procedure again prior to resuming driving.


Based on this, I figured that I never wanted to be in that situation, so that's why I went with the Hopkins charging system.

Also, on Blue Ox's web site, I found the following information about the Patriot's internal battery:

Built in battery ensures power is always available to the brake.

I'm not sure whether this means that the Patriot battery uses this power first, and then the car battery, or vice versa.
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