pflaumek

Herman Mullins, I find it funny that you would call this Blue OX bashing. Because you have an good experience with Blue OX, everyone else should as well. Petty naive on your part. OEMs are not perfect, so when an issue arises, as a minimum, I expect them to cover. I have a love hate relationship with my Tiffin Motorhome. I hate the fact that there were a high number of issues after we purchased it. I love it because Tiffin without question, covered everything, and continues to stand behind it, no question. That's the mark of a good OEM.

Actually we do use a rocker switch. That is why we use a separate battery to keep the Patriot alive. As far as using it the way it was designed, when the power switch is turned off, the cigarette lighter will no longer power the Patriot (regardless if we ran a line from the coach), so Had to go to plan B. Many of the after market suppliers don't provide options (or sufficient options) with their equipment. Point in case. Before heading to Alaska we had to purchase a Road Master Rock Defender, Blue Ox didn't offer one.Six to eight months later Blue OX decide to offer one. My guess is Blue OX didn't like a Road Master Rock Shield covering up their equipment. The Blue Ox equipment we have is working well, but with limitations. As we continue to travel more and more in our Class A, I see so many limiting factors from primary and aftermarket suppliers, and it becomes aggravating when a supplier does not offer options to satisfy the needs of the consumer. Especially when they advertise it does.

We purchased a Blue OX Patriot III braking system before heading out to Alaska in May of this year. The receiver that came with the Patriot III never worked properly, and about 1/2 way through the trip stopped working completely. The Patriot III appeared to be working properly without issues, so I wasn't really concerned. We own a 2017 Lincoln MKX and we tow it behind a Tiffin Phaeton 40QBH. The Lincoln has a parasitic draw on the battery when towing, so I decided to use a separate battery to power the Patriot III, but had to modify the power harness. The Patriot III only comes with a hard wired cigarette bulb on the power harness. I cut the bulb from the wire, because Blue OX offers no optional wiring configuration with the Patriot III Power Harness. I used male and female connectors, reversing the hot and ground connectors to ensure they do not get mixed up, making it easy to connect and disconnect from the battery. When we finally returned home, I contacted Blue Ox and they sent the paperwork to return the unit for repairs. We had to return the entire system, so they could make sure there were no issues with the Patriot III as well. I was contacted this week by Blue Ox letting me know they completed the work, and were charging me for the work and cancelled my warranty because I modified the power harness on the Partiot III. I asked if there were any issues with the Patriot III and they responded no. The only issue was with the receiver, and they repaired it. Blue OX offer no real options to use different types of power, or power from different sources. No matter how we tried to hook the Patriot III to the Lincoln, the cigarette lighter would not provide the power needed to operate the Patriot III. While we had a few options, I had already modified the Lincoln more then I really wanted and the separate battery to provide power to the Patriot was a simple fix. Explaining all this to Blue OX, as well as Blue OX acknowledging there was no damage to the Patriot III, really tells me they have no desire to support the customer. When I asked them to pass on to their engineering staff that they may want to offer option to their power harness, they had no interest in this as well. While the tow bar and all other Blue Ox products we own operated without issues, I'm now concerned about their inflexibility to work with their customers and support their products.

We actually visited Nova Scotia in 2003 with our travel trailer. We started the trip in Georgia, and worked our way to Maine, where we spent a week in Acadia National Park, before traveling to Nova Scotia. Once in Nova Scotia, we decided to take the northern route from Truro, and stayed on all the coastal roads. We had a blast visiting all the small towns and villages along the coast, our only regret is we ran out of time, so we couldn't make it to Halifax. However, the small towns and villages more than made up for missing the remainder of the country. From Cape George to Port Hood, to Meat Cover (one of our favorites), and Glace Bay, we had a a great time, just sorry we ran out of time. I know this was 15 years ago, but I'm certain the roads and camp sites are better today. Will likely add another trip to Nova Scotia in the future.

I travel to Star NC from Perry GA, so the route the Garmin is sending you on may be the best route. My last trip was in October this year after the hurricane came through the southeast, many of the back roads and small towns had their bridges washed out. Some of the back roads have overpasses that are very low, so the Garmin may be routing you based on the road conditions. A portion of I-20 in Columbia is under construction, and the road is very rough. Other then that, it should be smooth sailing

We actually went two days after the Hurricane, so we saw the damage first hand. We live in Middle GA, and for almost 200 miles, it felt like we were traveling through a war zone. Many of the back country towns were devastated, so we felt pretty good about making to and from without incident. Luckily, Destin was spared, so overall worth the trip.

We recently went on a trip to Destin FL, driving both interstate and back roads. We own a 2017 Tiffin Phaeton 40 QBH and tow a 2017 Lincoln MKX. The trip to and from presented no issues, but after returning home and going through our normal routine of clean-up and inspection, I found a an piece of steel lodged in the mud flap of the bus. The piece of steel measured 14 inches X 1 inch X .25 inches and weighted at least one pound. The piece was driven through the mud flap and lodged itself halfway through. I can't help but to think of the damage it would have caused to the Lincoln. Yes the tow dolly has a shield to protect it from stones and other debris, but I'm skeptical the Lexan shield would have stopped this projectile. Has anyone else encountered this type debris?

We own a 2017 MKX, and have just installed a Blue Ox Base plate and an Air Force One braking system towed by our 2017 Phaeton 40 QBH. We've been towing it for the past year using a tow dolly, no issues that way as well. Will start towing it all four down in the next few weeks. We don't anticipate any issues. Our MKX is Reserve, FWD, with 2.7L engine.

The Dezl 770 and 780 provide warnings for all types of hazardous materials and route restrictions, including flammables. It provides route warnings and restrictions for for height, width, length, weight, and axle weight etc. You can also add warnings for steep hills, narrow roads, lateral winds, risk of grounding and more. so far it has been the most accurate unit we've purchased, but we always take a laminated truck route map with us for back-up.

I know most FAMCamps are on-base/post, but we like the FAMCamps that are located away from the bases and posts. Most are better campgrounds, and they don't ask any questions on firearms.

I ask the commercial campgrounds for military discounts whenever we travel. Some do and some don't, but I always ask the question.The sites that offer the discount will be remembered on future travel.

We have a 2017 Tiffin Phaeton, 40QBH, 41 feet in length.

We find savings every now and then on AAFES web site. The other issue is the selection of the items the BX/PX carries. AAFES can't compete with the big boys and to your point, I'm OK with Vanity Fair on certain items.

Just finished a stay in the Army's site in Destin FL. Great campsite, tight spaces, but in the middle of Destin FL and right on the Bay/Gulf. Includes a fishing pier, boat rentals, and chartered fishing trips, see link: https://benning.armymwr.com/programs/destin-army-recreation-area

We almost stopped using the commissary entirely. Their pricing is not what it used to be, and we find that Kroger's, Wal Mart and other food stores can usually meet or beat the commissary in price, and offer a better variety of foods. The DoD has been in discussions to turn DECA over to AAFES. Once that happens, I believe that will be the beginning of the end.