Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
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2019 Ram 3500
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2019 Ram 3500
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If you like a clean look when you’re not towing, this design fits the bill. The hidden layout keeps everything tucked away so nothing sticks out past the front of your vehicle. The removable arms pull out with a simple twist and lock back in when needed. Receiver covers plug into the openings to keep dirt and debris out while giving the front end a finished look.
When it’s time to tow, setup is fast and straightforward. Each arm slides into the base plate receivers, twists to lock, and secures with a pull pin. Once you’re done towing, pull the pin, rotate the arm, and remove it—no fuss or tools required. The distance between brackets is 24" and bracket height is 13-1/2", giving you clear reference points when planning your tow bar setup.
This base plate bolts directly to your chassis with no welding required. Its sturdy steel build spreads towing forces evenly across the frame to help reduce stress on your suspension during long hauls. The powder-coated finish resists rust and corrosion, so it stays dependable through all kinds of travel conditions.
Already have a tow bar system you trust? This setup pairs directly with Blue Ox tow bars for a solid connection. It’s also adaptable for use with Roadmaster tow bars using adapter RM-031 or RM-031-5 (sold separately), and with Demco tow bars using adapter DM9523041 (sold separately). Integrated mounting points let you add an electrical connector bracket up front so wiring stays tidy and easy to access.
You don’t need to weld anything or chase down extra parts. The kit bolts securely to your chassis with included mounting hardware for a straightforward installation you can handle in your own garage. With its clean fit and reliable design, it’s an easy upgrade that gets you towing confidently in no time.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey, everyone, Shane here with etrailer.com. Today I have a 2007 Jeep Commander, I'm gonna walk you how to install the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit with removable tabs. This is what our base plate is gonna look like when it's installed. This is gonna connect to, or be adaptable for Blue Ox tow bars, as well as Roadmaster tow bars with separate adapters. Those separate adapters for the Roadmaster Tow Bars you can find here at etrailer. To remove your tab, just simply pull the ring, twist the tab, slide it out, and put it in the storage department.
It is gonna come with caps to install on the front of your base plate when you're not towing the vehicle and that'll keep any dirt, grime or anything like that from getting inside the hole and causing an issue from you reinstalling your tabs. This is what it's gonna look like when you're not towing, you can see a nice clean look. It's not gonna require any fascia trimming, it's gonna come out in the factory hole that's already underneath the bottom of your bumper. We're gonna have our safety chain loops here. You can see very large openings for the large hooks for safety chain cables for flat towing vehicles.
It's gonna be a steel construction, black powder coat finish. As far as the installation, it's pretty straightforward, it is gonna require you to remove your front fascia, but it is not gonna require any trimming. It is gonna require a couple of holes to be drilled inside the frame rail. Other than that, it's gonna come with everything needed except for red loctite, red loctite you can find here at etrailer. Prior installation, we're gonna the six push pin fasteners that run across the top of our grill.
We're gonna pry up on the center and then pull out the base. You use a flathead screwdriver or trim panel tool like I have here. And we're gonna set our grill aside, they actually have a front camera mounted on here, so, I'm gonna just take the grill and set it up here like this to get it out of my way. Then, they're gonna tell you to remove four push pin fasteners that run across the top here, these are actually rivets, I don't know if they we're replaced at one time, or what, but if you have rivets, what you're gonna do is you're gonna take a small drill bit, you're gonna drill out the center, and then pull the rivet out. And we're gonna come to each wheel well to remove the three rivets that same way we did the ones on the front.
And you're gonna repeat that same thing on the other side. And we're gonna take a 10 millimeter socket, remove the two bolts here on the bottom. Next, we're gonna unplug our fog lights, and a couple of different ways you can do it. When you're doing the rivets over here, there's a small flap that you can try getting your hand in to get them. If you're on the ground, this whole backside is open, so you can reach up, back up in there and then unplug each one. Pull out. Then dismantle. We're gonna slowly start to remove our front fascia. We'll set it aside. Now, if you have tow hooks, they'd mount right in this area, you're gonna remove those. We don't have it, so we're gonna go to the next step, which is removing these two cups. 10 millimeter socket will remove this bolt. You're gonna repeat that on the other side. Now we're gonna take our hardware and we're gonna get it prepped so we can install it. You're gonna take red loctite and we're gonna put it on the threads of each one of our bolts that we're gonna be installing the base plate onto the frame of the vehicle. today, is where we get our base plate in place, you're gonna make sure that your safety chain loops are facing down like this, each side tab to adjoin on the inside of the frame rails. We're gonna take one of our bolts, we're gonna put a lock washer on it. We're gonna have a nut plate, we're gonna feed it inside the frame rail, to lock through the bottom of our base plate, and we'll thread one in to each one of the holes. With a 9/16 socket, we're gonna snug our hardware. Now your directions aren't gonna tell you this, we're gonna have to get a drill back in here 'cause we got to drill two holes into the frame rail. However, between here and here, I cannot fit a drill down in there and be able to work it. So what I'm gonna do, is I'm gonna take off this plastic piece. We'll just use a 10 millimeter socket to remove the bolts that are holding it in place. Right on the inside here, on each side of our frame rail, where the base plate comes up we're gonna use it as a template. We're gonna drill these out through a 13/32. I'm gonna start with my 13/32 so it'll center the hole and then I'm gonna go down to a pilot hole and then just kind of work my way up to that. And we're gonna do the same combination of hardware for the holes we just drilled out. Next, we're gonna come back and we're gonna torque all of our hardware to the specifications in the instructions. Once you get all your hardware torqued down, you can come back and you either bend these and stick them inside your frame rail, or you can cut them off, really, really up to you. Once you have all of your rods cut off, re-install your plastic cover here, re-install your fascia in reverse order from the way you took it off and you're ready to go. It's been therefore the look at and installation on the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit, on the 2017 Commander..
Ratings & Reviews
I had to slightly modify mounting holes as they did not line up with the vehicle. This is the 7th base plate I have installed on various cars and trucks and by far the most challenging.
Great products from etrailer. The videos were very helpful as I was determined to do the install myself. I’m 72 years old and thought I could do it and I did with the help of my lovely assistant, my wife. The tip on running the taillight wiring through the frame rail was great. The one problem I had was that I was never able to unplug the taillights no matter how hard I tugged on them so I had my wife hold each light while I spliced in the diodes. Very happy with the Blue Ox products and the finished look on my Jeep. Thanks again etrailer.
This Blue Ox Baseplate was easy to install and fit great. etralier sent me a video of my same make and year car showing the baseplate installation. Armed with the knowledge the video provided really made my installation job easy. Quality parts and quality service by etrailer.
An added bonus was that the baseplate and tow bar I ordered arrived in 2 days.
Instructions could have been better but was straight forward and easy to figure out. Had to widen two holes on vehicle a tiny bit to align up with plate. Was shorted two connectors to attach the safety cables to the vehicle and base plate. None mentioned on inventory but two were included. Picture showed using four.
Installation was fairly straightforward. Only thing I would add the video doesn’t mention. The hole that needs to be drilled on passenger side. I put a piece of 1x4 wood between the radiator hose and the frame when I was drilling as the hose is pretty close to the frame and could be damaged if you drill too deep. I also put the bolt heads inside engine bay with the threads sticking to roadside as I felt again to close to radiator hose. I removed washer bottle completely to give easier access.
I wasn’t real happy about how much bumper I had to trim . The activ model has a different bumper c er than the RS. The studs for mounting wiring connector wound up really gut under the tag bracket so that was a win.
The bracket seems heavy duty and well made . Follow directions in the etrailer video. Very simple install. Drilling the hole was the hardest part.
Well designed and solidly built base plate. Very good product support from Etrailer and Blue Ox.
The four 1/2 inch by 1 3/4 inch bolts are category 5 bolts. I had a bag full of identically sized bolts which were category 8. But I did not have any whizz nuts that were category 8 nuts so I stayed with the standard Blue Ox Hardware. We used POR 15 rust preventing paint at every location where we cut the steel or drilled holes. The distance from the center of the attachment tab assembly holes to the ground is 20 inches on our 2025 Wrangler Rubicon JLU with "Xtreme" 35 inch tire package. Easy five stars for Blue Ox and etrailer.
The 2025 Trax license plate frame sits lower than shown in the instructions provided with this kit, to the point where it obstructs access to the 7-way electrical connector. An alternate scheme for mounting the plate will be required if your state requires the front plate to be displayed.
The Blue Ox base plate kit was installed without a hitch on our 2024 Maverick Hybrid. It was a perfect fit! It was installed by Fantasy Truck, a referred installer of etrailer, in Odessa, MO. Brett was very easy to work with and did an excellent job! I highly recommend the Blue Ox baseplate and Brett @ Fantasy Truck!
Fits my 2013 mini cooper non turbo. Does take a few hours to install this Fit was good. The hardest part is removing the front bumper and reinstalling it. You do have to cut the lower bumper grill in three places take your time locating the exact spots for cuts. I have pulled Mini Cooper about seven thousand miles now with this Blue Ox and has worked great
I was given a Blue Ox Tow Bar and needed Base Plates for my Ford F150. In my online search, E-Trailer had the best price, so I ordered them. Delivery was a few days earlier than expected. I read the installation instructions and it sounded fairly simple to install, so I decided to tackle it myself. I began it about six pm and had the job completed and cleaned up in just over two hours. The job required removal of the bumper and tow hooks and drilling of two holes. Also William at E-trailer was of great help in the correct parts and keeping me informed of the delivery.
The safety Cable installation left a little to be desired. I'm not sure if I installed it as designed. The cables we're really long enough to go aroiund the frame rails on our Jeep, under the Radiator mount, Aluminum Frame, I was only able to go around the Raditor mount on both sides. Didn't really seam like it was the right way, but I suspect it's only for if something comes loose that there isn't a catastrophic breakaway.
After installing over 500 baseplates on various vehicles, this one was probably the toughest one . It had the off road package on it . But it fit great after I had to remove a lot that had been bolted up for 27yrs.
Tried to install this baseplate. It was a challenge to say the least. It did not fit the frame of my Jeep YJ without making modifications to the mounting plates on the driver side. I had to use a cut off wheel and remove 3/16 of an inch from the driver side spacer (which is too long. See pictures) in order to get it to clear the frame. Also, instructions say to drill an additional 1/2 inch hole in the frame for a third mounting bolt. BUT....the internal frame construction doesn't allow the nut on a stick to pass under the existing reinforcements for the bolts that mount the steering gear to the frame. Nut is way too thick to pass under the internal tubing in the frame from manufacturer (AMC).
This was instilled on a 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 truck. I watched your video online with this exact model truck and the words I remember most was “and we did not have to do any trimming”. Well my truck was certainly different than what was on video. Guess it’s because it’s a late build 2024 (end of September 2024) and the grill system was maybe what would appear on the 2025 models? There was lots of trimming involved. I also will tell you the mounting holes both for the frame and the bumper back plate did not line up and required some modifications to fit. I would like to say this job is not for the faint of heart. I luckily have a mechanical/machinist background so was able to get the job done. Have not tested it yet but will be soon. Good luck to those of you who are planning on installing it yourself. Just remember it can be done. Just take your time.
Items arrived in 2 days, free shipping. All appeared in new undamaged condition.
The Blue Ox base plate for my 2015 Kia Soul is well manufactured and, with a little bit of mechanical skill, easy to install. It fit perfectly without issues. Brad from etrailer provides a step-by-step installation video that is outstanding and nicely guides through the process from beginning to end. I highly recommend this Blue Ox base plate from etrailer.
Well the blue ox base plate actually fits my turbo engine. The Curt didn't fit as advertised.
Super high quality baseplate for towing by Blue Ox. Instructions, videos, shipping (one day!) and overall experience was awesome. A bit pricey but their quality and the additional support by E Trailer cannot be beat! BTW (E Trailer) the baseplate fits three different Jeep configurations but did not call out the Recon package. After looking at other brands which showed there's to fit the 3 variations AND the Recon, I figured it would fit and it DID. You should definitely upgrade to include the Recon Edition.
lways great to shop at etrailer, especially the tech experts. Royce did an awesome job with our order. Everything fit perfectly and the help video provided the guidance I needed.
We installed the baseplate on our 2023 Encore GX AWD as well as the light harness and breakaway switch. A couple of items were incorrect but Royce corrected the issues with no problems.
Thanks again etrailer!
2019 Ford Ranger baseplate worked and fitted fine for me. 73 yrs old took me a couple hours but took many breaks. Younger could do it less than hour I'm sure.
Also works fine with my Blue Ox tow bar.
These guys provide great customer service. Will use them for all purchases related to trailers or Rv if possible. Couldn’t be happier. Thank you etrailer for your excellent customer care.
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