To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
If you like keeping your vehicle’s front end clean when you’re not towing, this setup makes that easy. The hidden design means no bulky brackets or crossbars stick out. When you’re done towing, just twist off the removable arms and plug in the included receiver covers to keep dirt and debris out while keeping a finished look.
Getting set up doesn’t need to be a chore. The removable arms slide into the receivers and twist to lock in place—no fighting pins or awkward angles. When it’s time to disconnect, pull the pin, rotate, and slide them out. It’s a simple, quick process that works great whether you’re hitching up at home or at a campsite.
This base plate bolts directly to the chassis with included mounting hardware—no welding required. The sturdy design spreads towing force evenly to help prevent stress on your vehicle’s suspension. Durable steel construction with a rust-resistant powder coat keeps it solid through many miles of use.
The integrated mounting points let you attach an electrical connector plug with a bracket (sold separately) so your wiring stays organized and accessible. It pairs directly with Blue Ox tow bars for a secure connection and can adapt for use with Roadmaster (RM-031 or RM-031-5) or Demco (DM9523041) tow bars when using the proper adapter, each sold separately.
With brackets spaced 24" apart and a bracket height of 13-1/2", you can plan your tow bar height for the right alignment. Every detail is designed for straightforward installation and confident towing once everything is bolted up.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today, on our 2014 Chevrolet Malibu, we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install the Blue Ox base plate kit with removable arms. So, here's what our base plate looks like once we have it fully installed. Our base plate is gonna be the attachment point where our tow bar is gonna hook up to, so we can safely and securely flat tow our Malibu down the road. What you're really gonna like about the base plate is the fact that when we're not towing, we can pull on this tab, right here, the arm will rotate, and then we can pull it out and we'll have a very inconspicuous look. Like most base plates, we're gonna have our safety cable connection points, right here, next to the arms. And as you can see, we'll have plenty of room to get those hooks on or off and not have to worry about fighting the grill or any part of the car.
Our base plate is gonna come with a bracket to mount a breakaway switch, as well as these two prongs here that are gonna come out in the center, so we can mount any kind of electrical socket that we want. Our base plate is designed to work with most Blue Ox tow bars, as well as some Roadmaster tow bars with an adapter that is sold separately. Our base plate is custom-designed for our Malibu, so we're not gonna have to weld at all. But there is gonna be some minor drilling and we are gonna have to remove the front fascia in order to get it installed. We're not gonna have to cut the fascia itself.
However, you can see, we did have to trim out the lower grill area, but not anywhere that had any paint. So, now that we've seen what our base plate looks like and go over some of the features, we'll show you how to get it installed. To begin our installation, we're gonna open up the hood on our Malibu. And on each side of the latch mechanism, we're gonna have several fasteners that we're gonna have to remove. You're gonna wanna grab a T20 Torx bit and remove all the fasteners along the front edge.
Next, we'll move to the wheel well. And we're gonna have three fasteners that are holding the liner in place. So, we're gonna grab a T15 Torx bit and pull those three screws out. We'll have one towards the bottom. One that's gonna be a little bit further up towards the center, and then one towards the top, but before we get to the fender.
So, once you have those three screws removed, you're gonna peel back on the wheel well liner. And right where the fender meets the fascia here, we're gonna have a seven-millimeter-head bolt that we need to pull out. So, we can grab a seven-millimeter socket and pull that out. So, once you have those three screws removed, you're gonna peel back on the wheel well liner. And right where the fender meets the fascia here, we're gonna have a seven-millimeter-head bolt that we'll need to pull out. So, we can grab a seven-millimeter socket and pull that out. Once you have that one removed, we're gonna repeat that process on the other side. On the under side, we're gonna have two seven-millimeter bolts on each side, right next to this square hole. And if we come back on that panel over this air deflector, we're gonna have three more on the backside that are holding it in place. Let's take a seven-millimeter socket, we're gonna pull all those out. If we follow that panel, we can see that it's gonna meet the fascia at the bottom here. So, we'll take a Phillips-head bit or screwdriver, we're gonna pull the screw out at the front. And we're gonna have one more screw where it's attaching it to the wheel well liner, so we're gonna remove that one as well, so we can have the fascia free from anything else. Finally, we'll remove the four push pins towards the back of our fascia on the bottom. There's gonna be a little recessed area on the push pin itself. We'll take a flathead screwdriver, we're gonna pop out the center section. That's gonna relieve the tension off of the clip. And once you have the center section pulled out, we can come underneath the outer section and pull out the rest of the push pin. We'll do that for all four of these at the bottom. Now, we're gonna grab an extra set of hands, so we can safely pull the facial off. We're gonna start at the corner where the fender meets the fascia, and we're gonna pull out, releasing those clips, and start working our way towards the center. Once it comes loose by the headlight, we can slowly pull it away and check for any kind of electronics that may be back here, like our fog lights or anything else. I'm kinda squeezing on that tab, and we can pull the connector off. So, make sure to disconnect any electronics before you pull your fascia too far away, and we'll set it aside where it won't get damaged. We're gonna need to remove our passenger's side headlight. We're gonna have a few screws holding it in place. We'll have one that's gonna be towards the engine, towards the back. If we follow the headlight down, we'll have one that's gonna be towards the center of the grill. Then on the bottom side, we'll have the one that's gonna be underneath the headlight. And then finally, right where the fender would meet the fascia, we'll have another one. I'm gonna grab a seven-millimeter socket and we can pull all those screws out. So, we're gonna grab our headlight and we'll pull it loose. And you wanna come to the backside and disconnect the wiring harness, there's gonna be a small tab. We'll slide that back, push in. We'll slide that small red tab back, push in on the tab and release the connector. Right underneath the headlight, we're gonna have a push pin that's holding this baffle in place. So, we can have flathead screwdriver or a trim panel tool and we're gonna pull that push pin out. It's gonna work the same way. We'll pull the center section out and we'll pull the rest of the push pin out. And if we move to the center, we're gonna have two push pins. One at the opening of the baffle, and then one at the support that we'll have to remove as well. And these push pins are not gonna have that center pin. You're just gonna wanna get underneath and pry them out. We'll grab the end of the baffle and pull downward, until we can get the whole thing and pull it out, so we can set it aside. Where the bumper beam meets the frame, on each side, we'll have two bolts that are holding it in place. So, we can grab a 13-millimeter socket and wrench, and we'll loosen it up. There are gonna be nuts on the bottom here, so we're gonna use the wrench to hold the nut and we'll pull the bolts and nuts out on each side. With all those bolts removed, you wanna make sure you pull the push pins that are attaching this plastic shroud to the bumper beam itself. And once everything is detached, we can pull the bumper beam off. Just be aware that it is gonna be a really tight fit. So, if it feels like it doesn't wanna come off, double-check that there's no other fasteners, even if they are just plastic fasteners, but you may wanna get a pry bar and kinda push it away to get it started. On the driver's side, where our horn is gonna be located, we're gonna have the bracket that's holding it in place of the frame by this nut. So, we'll grab a 13-millimeter socket and an extension and we're gonna pull that nut out. And we're gonna remove the horn. We're just gonna push it aside, so it's kinda out of the way for now. Now, on the frame here, you see how it sticks out from the side. We're gonna be making a few notches in the frame where I mark these lines at. And basically, what we wanna do is we wanna cut a straight line until it gets to where it's gonna be pretty close or not flush with the side of the frame here. And then we're gonna bend the flap, so that it sits nice and flush. Once you have those three relief cuts made into the side flange here, we can grab a pair of channel locks, and we lock it on to that metal tab. And we're gonna be bending it to where it's gonna sit nice and flush against here. Now, you're probably gonna have to work at it a little bit, remove the pliers, work it out a little bit more, and just keep going until you can get into a spot to where maybe you can get a hammer in there and hit it, so it'd bend flush. So, this should be the final product when you're done bending and cutting everything. You have those two bolts that are on the side of the frame, right here. There should be that small tab coming out. You're gonna wanna cut that tab off, and then bend the lower section to where it's gonna be nice and even with the frame. You wanna make sure you do that on both sides of the vehicle. Now, it's never a good idea to leave exposed metal on your vehicle, so I'm gonna come back with some spray paint. I'm just gonna spray everywhere that has a cuts or anywhere that the paint has been damaged. We're gonna grab an 18-millimeter socket, and we're gonna pull both of those bolts out. So, we're gonna grab our support plate. The way you're gonna know you have the correct one for the side, from the passenger's side now, and that long tab is gonna be facing down. And if we look on the inside, it'll be thicker and have a section sticking out, you want that to be against the frame. So, these top two holes towards the back, we're gonna line up with the weld nuts where we just took those two bolts out of. And to secure our plate in place, we're gonna take an M12 bolt. And for all of our hardware, you wanna make sure you put a little bit of Loctite on there. And we'll follow it up with a lock washer, and then a flat washer. It'll go through the hole on our plate. We're gonna get this loosely started and we'll put the other one in right below it. Once you have all the bolts in place, you're gonna wanna make sure you snug them up, so we'll come back with a 19-millimeter socket and tighten up our bolts. With the plates snugged down, we should have a total of four holes left over. We're gonna be working with the top one that's closest to the front. We're gonna wanna grab a 3/8 drill, and we're gonna drill through the frame using that plate as a template. And with it drilled out, you wanna grab one of your 3/8 bolts, and make sure that it can fit all the way through the bracket and the frame, and then we'll drill out the other side. Now, with an extra set of hands, we're gonna lift our base plate into position. You want it to go on the inside between the frame and that side bracket. And we're gonna wanna line up the holes at the hole we drilled in our bracket and the hole in the base plate. You're gonna wanna get 3/8 bolt and a lock washer to go through the outer bracket, the base plate, and the hole we drilled earlier on each side. Then we'll take our handle nut, and we're gonna feed it inside the frame until we can meet up with the bolt going through. And there may be some tension on the bolt, so you may have to use a socket and a ratchet to get that bolt started. With both bolts tight on each side, we'll drill out the remaining three holes on each side of our base plate. Then I'm gonna take another one of our 3/8 bolts and lock washers, you wanna go through the whole we drilled then secure one of those nut plates. So, make sure you get it at least started. I always like to leave where it's a little bit loose. That way, I can move the handle out of the way to get the other ones in place. For the lower hole, you're gonna wanna grab the longer of the 3/8 bolts. It's gonna go into the frame, right here. And we're gonna use this large hole as an access hole, so we can feed a handle nut into the frame. You may have to bend it a few different directions to get it the way you want it to land, but it just takes a little bit of patience. Go ahead, so we can line everything up. You wanna make sure that at least it catches on there, hand tight. We'll come back with a 9/16 socket and snug up all of our 3/8 hardware. And we'll gonna repeat that for the other side, but you wanna leave the tails on the end of your handle nuts for now. We can grab our permanent safety cables, each ends is gonna have a loop on it. We wanna make sure we go around the frame and the base plate. So, I'm gonna go around the frame here and have it come back around that mount. And then I'm gonna attach both ends to the attachment point that's on our base plate. Let's get our quick link onto the tab, and we can move our safety cable out of the way and start threading it in. And make sure you get the other end on there. Now, you just wanna make sure that your safety cable isn't gonna rub against anything. You may wanna take some zip ties and we can tie up the excess, so it won't be in the way and we don't have to worry about it rubbing. But with this side on, we'll gonna repeat that for the other side as well. We're gonna come back with a 19-millimeter socket and torque the bolts. You wanna make sure to double-check the instructions for the torque value 'cause these bolts are gonna be different than our 3/8. You wanna make sure you repeat that for any remaining hardware you have. For all the tales that are on our handle nuts, we can take a pair of pliers, and the trick to get them to break fairly easy is if we take them, you're gonna wanna grab them pretty hard with the pliers, and where just gonna bend it back and forth, and it should snap right off. So, with our base plate torqued down and everything tight, we can put the horn back in place. So, we can put our bumper beam back in place. And just remember, it is gonna be a pretty tight fit, so you may have to give it a good push to really get it to go in. And with the bumper beam back in place, we'll put the plastic shroud and all those pieces back on, and we can start working on reassembling the vehicle. So, we'll plug our headlight back in place. Whenever you're plugging, you just wanna make sure that red tab is out. And whenever you do plug it in, you push it forward to lock it in place. Give it a quick tug to make sure it locked in. Then we can put our headlight assembly back in and resecure it with all the hardware. So, with everything in place, we can get ready to put our fascia back on. Now, we're gonna go ahead and run our wiring 'cause it's gonna be a lot easier with the the fascia off to do it, than try to contend with everything and get our wires up front. Now, keep in mind, before you put the fascia back on, you are probably gonna have to trim out an area to where the arms and everything would come through. The easiest way to do it is just hold the fascia as close as possible. And that way, you can mark out where you need to trim. So, make sure you line everything up, pretty close. We can then put all the fasteners back in the same way we removed them. We did, however, have to trim this lower grill section for all of the components and accessories to come out. That'll finish up your look at the Blue Ox base plate kit with removable arms on our 2014 Chevrolet Malibu..
Ratings & Reviews
It was a straight forward installation for me. I am a 75yr old mechanic so I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. There were no videos but the instructions were good. what I did find very helpful was a video of different brand base plate installed on a 2024 year model that told me where all the fasteners were for the front clip. My truck is a 2025 XL which is slightly easier than XLT or Lariat because it doesn't have adaptive cruise control.
2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Good fit. Requires some cutting. Baseplate is heavy, so I paid an installer to do the job.
solid and simple kit for the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. It really appears that the only reason the entire front trim has to come off is to drill two additional 1/2" holes in the truck frame to allow solid attachment of the base plate. If GM provided these, this kit would be sooo fast to install. :)
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
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.
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.
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.
package arrived as scheduled and was packaged very well for its weight. Great service.
Erika I can't thank you enough for all your help in getting this problem taken care of your fast service and your great customer service get a AAAAA++++ from me. I will be buying again. Thanks for all your help Tom Drake
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