Community Forums

deputydog · 07-17-2020, 08:37 PM

I contacted Blue Ox to get some additional information that is not in the manual so I would know better how the system works. Here is the reply that I received. It makes it a lot clearer what Force, Max Force and sensitivity mean in the setup. Below is what they said.

The Patriot 3 mirrors how much force you are putting on the motorhome brake pedal. If you barely step on the pedal, the brake will barely push on the towed vehicles brake pedal. If you step on the brake pedal hard, the Patriot will push hard on the towed vehicles brake pedal. Just because you have the MAX FORCE or Force set at a high limit, doesn't mean the brake will always push that hard. It can push with any amount up to that maximum. You can still barely push on the motorhome brake pedal, and have the patriot barely push the towed vehicles brake pedal.
The MAX FORCE is the maximum amount of force the brake will ever use. A brake with a MAX FORCE of 4 will NEVER push the pedal with more than 40 lbs. of force. A brake with a MAX FORCE of 7 will NEVER push the pedal with more than 70 lbs. of force. MAX FORCE is a setting that should be adjusted and kept for the specific car. It should be set to a level that does not allow the tires to lock up. The Factory setting of 7 will work for most vehicles. If your tires are locking up, lower the MAX FORCE. If the brake does not press the pedal hard enough in a panic stop, raise the MAX FORCE.
FORCE controls how aggressive the brake will respond to a braking event. If you have two brakes in the exact same braking event, the one with the higher FORCE setting will press harder on the pedal. (If you are stepping on the pedal hard enough during this braking event, the two brakes may reach their MAX FORCE setting. If this is set to the same number for both brakes, then they will be limited by the MAX FORCE and push with the same amount of force).
In the event of a break away the unit will apply the brakes fully.
Please let me know if you have any further questions
Thank you
Leslie Mauseth
Customer Care Specialist
Office: 402-922-5006
One Mill Road, PO Box 430,
Pender NE 68047
blueox.com

I thought I'd share this for others that might be wondering how to set it up and what the numbers really mean.

ageishecker · 07-17-2020, 10:14 PM

Thanks for sharing that. I could never figure out the difference but through trial and error found the combination that worked for me.

Bogie71 · 09-17-2020, 09:31 AM

Since you seem to have some experience in this, I am looking at buying one of these, and was wondering how quickly does it get off the brakes once the RV starts accelerating again? Will I be dragging my car around if I get stuck in stop and go traffic and burning the brakes out?

This is the unit the RV dealer that is installing the baseplate sells and installs, but searching other braking system it seems there are just as many stories posted online about those failing as well.

KenZ71 · 09-22-2020, 02:09 PM

Also curious about the Patriot 3.

How does it work with Engine / Exhaust Brakes? If the Patriot is also sensing the slowdown by the coach then I would think should be OK.