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Custom designed to fit your Chevrolet Silverado so it can be safely towed behind your RV, this base plate has easily removable arms that offer a seamless look when you're not flat towing. Base plate bolts directly to your chassis, so no welding is required.
Features:
Specs:
This base plate's hidden design creates a clean and seamless look. The bracket arms are easily removable, creating a slick appearance when you're not flat towing. Because the arms can be removed, you also won't have to worry about banging your leg into any protruding arms when you walk by.
Attaching and removing the bracket arms is a breeze. To attach the arms to the base plate, simply insert them into the receivers and rotate them until they lock into place. Once you're finished towing and want to remove the arms, pull the pin to disengage the lock, rotate the arms, and remove them from the receivers. Finally, plug up the now empty receivers with the included receiver covers to help keep dirt and debris out of the base plate and provide a finished look.
Flat towing your vehicle is much more convenient than using a trailer or a tow dolly. These other options take up much more storage space, leaving you less room both at home and at the campsite. In addition, securing your vehicle to a trailer or tow dolly can be a hassle and more time consuming than hooking up with a tow bar.
There are 5 basic components needed when flat towing a vehicle: a tow bar, a base plate kit, a safety cable set, tow bar wiring, and a supplemental braking system.
The tow bar links your towed car to your motorhome. It attaches to the custom-fit base plates that install on the frame of your towed car. Safety cables ensure that your towed car does not separate from your motorhome in the event that your tow bar becomes detached. Tow bar wiring allows your towed vehicle's signal lights to sync up with your motorhome's tail lights, which is required by law in most states. Finally, the supplemental braking system - also required in most states - brakes your towed car when the brakes in your motorhome are activated, preventing wear on the motorhome and decreasing braking distance for your entire setup.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today in our 2010 Chevy Silverado, we'll be installing the Blue Ox base plate kit with removable arms, part number BX1681. To begin our install, we'll first needto remove the manufacturer's towhooks. To remove the tow hooks, there are two fasteners on each side. We'll first go ahead and remove these bolts and nuts and set them aside, as they will not be re-installed. Then once the hardware is out of the way, we can pull the tow hook out of the frame. We'll go ahead and set itaside, asthe tow hooks will not be re-installed and the base plates will sit in this position.
Next well need to markout and cut out the front fasciato allow for the base plate.Using a paint marker, we'll go ahead and mark out the area and then use a rotary tool to cut out this section. Now, with our fascia cut out, we are ready to go ahead and install the base plate. Quick tech tip: it can be a tight fit between the base plate and the inner frame wall, so we'll go ahead and lubricate it with some penetrating oil. Now we'll go ahead and install the base plate. We'll need to work it into position and pull down on the fascia as necessary to get the base plate into place.
Once we have the base plate in the frame, we can then go ahead and secure it with the hardware provided. We'll be using the half inch bolt and split lockwashers. Note each fastener will get red lock tie as recommended by Blue Ox. Once we line up the holes in the frame, with the weld nuts in the base plate, we'llgo ahead and install each one of the fasteners and then tighten 'em down. Once we have 'emtightened down, we can torque to specifications as indicated in instructions.
Now with our driver's side done, we'll go ahead and repeat the same process on the passenger's side. With both base plates installed and secured, we're now ready to install the safety cables. For this application, it will be necessary to have four quick links. Two will come with the install kit and we'll add an additional two to this install, part number 49135. To secure the safety cable to the vehicle, we'll wrap it around the frame and use the quick link to secure it.
We'll run the other end over the cross two and up to the eyelet built in to our base plate. Then we'll use a quick link to secure the cable to the eyelet. Now with one side done, we'll repeat the same process on the other side. Now with our base plate installed and secured, we'll go ahead and go over operation of the removable arms.To install the arms into the base plate, simply pull back on the locking ring, slide the removable arm into the base plate and twist until it locks into place. Then, once we want to take out the removable arm, we'll simply pull back on the locking tab ring, turn and pull out to remove the arm. That does it for the install of our Blue Ox base plate kit with removable arms, part number BX1681 on our 2010 Chevy Silverado. .
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (2980 Customer Reviews)
Custom designed to fit your vehicle so it can be safely towed behind your RV, this base plate has easily removable arms that offer a seamless look when you're not flat towing. Base plate bolts directly to your chassis, so no welding is required.
The size of the box terrified me but I had to do this one myself.
This project is not for the faint of heart. When you think about what could go wrong you could wet yourself. I went with my gut and just opened the box. Hmmm, packaged very well with everything you need for the install. No going to the hardware store for this or that. Sat there with a cold sarsaparilla and read the very detailed instructions, went back to the etrailer web site and checked out some vids and pics. Hmm, it didn’t seem that daunting of a job. On my 04 Lexus GX470 most of the holes were drilled. Before I knew it 5 hours had past and I owned a toad! I took it to my local Rv service center for an inspection and it was deemed safe to use.
This thing is awesome, tracs straight as an arrow.
Now, I have to figure out this diode lighting kit. Camping is fun! Yah!!! :) Noah and etrailer made this a tolerable project. I urge everyone to take advantage of the resources that are on this sight. I always learn something when I’m there. See y’all on the trail….Rod
This kit fit well, had decent instructions, and performed perfectly every time once installed. If doing the install yourself, you'll need some metal fabrication tools to notch the D-ring plates behind the bumper but it's not complicated, just a little time consuming depending on the tools you're using. The look is also a little weird on the front of a new Bronco since you're losing the burly bumper D-rings, but it's a well engineered setup overall. I only used the tow bar setup a couple times before the vehicle was lost in a wildfire so I can't comment on the longevity, but I have no doubt it would still be working fine today.
I am really happy, not only with the product but the customer care I received. Very quick and helpful!!
I would make one suggestion. Take the headlights out when doing this on a Chevy Cobalt. It will make it much easier to get to the 3 bolt holding the fender to the fascia.
I will start with the people that work here at etrailer are great to deal with and very helpful! These baseplates for my 2023 bronco have been great. i bought and installed myself. install pretty straight forward. and these work great for flat towing my bronco behind my motorhome.
everything bolted up easy, i simply drilled hole’s into were needed and supplied my own bolts straight through for easy installation.
eTrailer was very helpful in choosing the correct hitch for our rv and car. They also provided a special brake application in the car that makes it super easy for toad braking.
I am 72, and I hook up this toad and pull it with confidence. The instructions to hook up the toad was presented with ease. They knew exactly what they were doing, and we didn't rush through the demonstration. I would recommend eTrailer to anyone.
Installed successfully on my 2024 Trax LT. However, with respect to the following installation steps, I made some changes:
All - Don't use a reciprocating saw! An oscillating tool and saw attachment works best, allowing more precise cuts.
Step #8 - After consultation with BlueOx Tech Support, I elected to re-install the plastic shroud. Wasn't difficult and I felt better about maintaining the integrity of the original equipment.
Step #28 - I moved the temperature sensor to a forward facing position in the grill section directly above the baseplate.
Etrailer offered competitive pricing for the base plate and the package was shipped promptly and arrived very quickly...much faster than I had anticipated.
The packaging was excellent and included all documentation. Installation was very straightforward and the unit was a perfect fit with minimal modifications to the car itself. Only a few small pieces of plastic had to be trimmed for a perfect fit.
We did have some trouble with 2 of the nuts-with-wires attached in that the bolts did NOT want to thread in to them. For some reason, they just did not want to 'start' easily and this made the blind installation of the nuts on the bolts extremely time-consuming. The nuts/bolts did not cross-thread and there were no other issues once we were able to use a tool to jam the blind nut and stop it from moving so that the bolt could be tightened and torqued. 4 of the 6 went in smoothly and with zero issues, so do I not believe that it was 'installer error' (!).
In the end, a perfect installation and the base plate is nearly invisible. I would definitely purchase from eTrailer again and can easily recommend their products based on this experience.
My only negative comment is that this base plate sets the tow bar connections 23" above the ground making it somewhat of a pain to fine towbar and hitch connections. It mounts relatively easy.
Everything as advertised. Followed the videos and instructions for installing the base plates and tow bar and all were good. Did a test pull today and it towed great, straight as a dye. I only have 2 suggestions. There was no mention in the video of the space plate, which was included. Figured it out. Second suggestion, Install a 2" ball on your work bench and adjust the receiver to it. The instructions tell you what socket to adjust it with but that could have been done on the bench before shipping. Great product, so excited. We are off on a few hundred mile trip with the Fit behind the motorhome Wednesday. So excited. No more tow dolly.
Pretty easy to do my self but the instructions could have been a bit larger with more pictures. I think the hardest part was drilling the holes to attach the two brackets as there was only one hole on each frame. Getting the square nuts with wire attached were difficult to get both aligned because the wire on the first one got in the way each time
Bought it at etrailer as I have with other trailer hitch related parts. Installed it myself, and it was a real job. I figure about 10 hours to get it right so I didn't have to worry if my 'toad' would pass my motorhome as I tooled down the road. Fit was perfect for my 2008 Honda CRV, but make sure you keep that oil cooler line up as high as possible or you will be redoing the fit to get the front cowling back on the car. Bought an angle grinder with cutoff wheels and that made the frame notching a lot easier. Note that if the removeable attachment pins are a tight fit into the base plate, they will loosen up with a good silicone lubricant and the wear of towing. I have towed with confidence for a year without a hitch (pun intended).
It turned out fine but my opinion is that you should have some average or above mechanical skills to install this yourself. As you can see, the base plate protrusions are hardly noticeable at a distance with the tow pins removed. One thing worth mentioning is I had to mount it more rearward on the frame because the front valance would not mount back on correctly. Overall, good base plate.
The item I received must have been a returned item. The box label was proof it was shipped to someone else before. Reason I'm not happy is because the bag of screws was open and most of it slipped out of the holes of the damaged box that was opened before and re-taped. The end of the crossbar was bent and not much packing inside. I needed this for our trip, so I didn't return it and had to fix and find screws to make it all work.
The Bx2692 is the better tow bar solution because it is higher up to hopefully keep your tow bar flat. I modified a Base bumper to install this because it is only available for the "Modular" and "Capable" bumpers. The base bumper option from bluox is for lower tow hook delete option. Took about 3hrs with the help of a grinder jigsaw and multi tool.
This Base plate was fairly simple to install in about 1/2 a day. I also installed brake kit and wiring so actually spent most of the day. This baseplate combined with the etrailer tow bar have been great. already pulled over 5000 miles with no issues at all. I love this setup and will never go back to tow dolly
This baseplate fit perfectly and was a pretty easy instal after removing the bumper wrap on my wrx. Car pulls steady and straight!!
The images in the instructions are not of good quality, but installation is pretty straightforward. Be sure you know which bumper bolts to remove (the images are blurry), and do not forget to unplug AND unclip the wiring harness on the driver's side before removing the bumper so you are not pulling on wires while handling an awkward and heavy bumper.
The baseplate was slightly wider than my frame, so it had to go straight up, and I had to use a floorjack and block of wood to help push it into place. Ten holes are drilled into the frame, which requires some time and a very good drill and bit. Drilling vertically is relatively easy, and you can use, for example, a long-handled tool between the ground and drill to gain leverage (note: you need to reduce pressure when the sound of the drill changes, as that means you are almost through the frame; also, keep your arms locked straight so you do not lose control of the drill!). Drilling horizontally is a bit more challenging in terms of leverage, but again, use a very good drill bit (or have a second bit handy as the first bit gets dull). Keep in mind that there will be a lot of metal shavings coming down, and avoid getting those directly on your skin (they will be hot).
The nuts come with wires welded to them to help fish the nuts into place, but the access to the drilled holes isn't such that you really need wires on the nuts. Once the bolts are torqued to spec (torque setting depends on grade of bolts), you can either fold the wires into the frame, or clip the ends of the wires (which is what I did). I would not install without torquing the bolts to spec (don't really only on your impact, for example).
Reinstalling the bumper includes some effort to line it up in the original position, with even gaps with the body. You should be able to set the bumper on, loosely install one nut on either side to hold it, then get it close by sliding under the bumper and tightening the nuts in their original positions (based on marks from where the nuts had tightened originally. Having a buddy helps is a good idea, but I installed everything on my own.
I had the advantage of being a former auto tech, and long ago, a hitch installer, so there are some tricks to know. However, some basic skills and patience are all that are really necessary in this case.
How I like my Blue Ox Base Plate Kit for a Scion xb after owning it for a year. I have towed the xb from Virginia to Florida and back. Than Virginia to Niagara Falls, throw Canada to Michigan, and beyond to Minnesota and back to Virginia. I have had much success.
My perspective, looking back, I would purchase the Roadmaster base plate because it is much, much easier to install. The Blue Ox brand had me drill 8 or 10 holes in the car frame. The Roadmaster installs without drilling.
I did install the Blue Ox base plate. I like it and will continue to use it to flat tow my Scion xb.
In addition, I also installed a 30mm lift kit in the front of the Scion xb. The car rides way to low as a standard set up.
It is a must to install a RVi towed battery charger to keep the towed car battery charged. I use a Patriot 2 braking system.
Just what I needed to flat tow my Jeep Wrangler. When I first received the base plate I was thinking about having it installed, but after watching the etrailer.com installation video I decided to do it myself. Couldn't have asked for a smoother install. The permanent base plate safety cables concerned me a little. I came up with a figure-8 over the frame that I think will work ok and I did secure it with some cable ties in a couple of spots.
Thanks to Nick at etrailer for the help and to the folks that made the installation video giving me the confidence to do-it-myself.
My only complaint...the box failed during shipping, it arrived wet and open. The saving grace was that the baseplate and all hardware arrived undamaged.
First dealing with etrailer has been the best experience hands down. Great staff, immediate support if I had questions. And the part I ordered was the blue ox tow adapter plates for my 04 hummer h2. It only took about an hour for the install and all parts came with it. All were very well made. I usually pull a 20' closed trailer behind my 41' coach but having the option to take my h2 is awsome and looks good too! Thanks etrailer!!! I would definitely recommend etrailer for all your trailer needs and I will be purchasing more in the future.
I received the Blue Ox base plate today. I worked with Lauren who a very good communicator is, helped me find exactly what I needed. She even knew when I received my part and called me to ensure that there were no issues. This is the 3rd item that I bought from ETrailer. Every time I have had very good service and good products.
I have been using this Blue Ox tow bar kit for a year now and have put over 10,000 miles on it. It has performed flawlessly and in my opinion it is an excellent product that I would highly recommend. etrailer is a great company to work with and their website is easy to use and has great information.
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