Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
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2001 Ford Explorer
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2001 Ford Explorer
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If you want the front of your vehicle to look clean when parked, this setup keeps it that way. The hidden design leaves no protruding brackets once the arms are removed, giving a seamless appearance. The twist-lock arms pull out easily when you’re done towing, and the included receiver covers keep dirt and debris out of the sockets so they stay smooth for the next hookup.
Hooking up the tow bar is a simple twist-and-lock motion. Each arm slides into the base plate receiver, rotates to lock, and secures with a pin. When it’s time to disconnect, you just pull the pin, twist back, and remove. It’s a straightforward connection that saves time whether you’re in your driveway or at a campsite.
This base plate bolts directly to your chassis—no welding required. Its sturdy steel build spreads towing forces evenly across mounting points to help prevent stress on the suspension. The powder-coated finish resists rust and corrosion, so it stays dependable over long miles of towing. Bracket spacing is 33-1/2" with a bracket height of 13-1/4", giving you solid reference points for your tow bar setup.
Already have towing equipment you trust? This base plate pairs directly with Blue Ox tow bars for a secure connection. It can also be used with Roadmaster tow bars using adapter RM-031 or RM-031-5 (sold separately), or with Demco tow bars using adapter DM9523041 (sold separately). Integrated mounting points make it easy to attach an electrical connector bracket so your wiring setup stays tidy and accessible.
You can handle this install at home with basic tools. The base plate bolts securely to your chassis using the included mounting hardware—no welding needed. Once installed, you’ll have a reliable setup that’s ready for thousands of miles of smooth, confident flat towing.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
97% were satisfied with this product
3% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
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.
Great, Fast delivery
Ordered Sunday, received Thursday, awes ome!
Great service and fast delivery
Really looks great have to install it n ow
It's been great so far, this is the second one I've owned. When I upgrade to my next vehicle, Blue Ox will be what I use for it. Thanks
Excellent service and a pleasure doing business with, order came as promised and Shawn did a fantastic job. Any more tlr or towing needs e-tlr will get my business, thanks.
Works great
Base plate for 2016 Nissan Frontier very quick courertous all parts there would highly recommend you thanks again
They delivered on their promise. Well satisfied and will use in future. I highly recommend Etrailer.
The devices were delivered in a sturdy box and were delivered right on time. etrailer also supplies a video on how to install this item. Harbor Freight doesn't do that!
We have used our Blue OX tow baseplate for over 2000 miles with no problem. We would use etrailer again!
Build quality is excellent. No issues what-so-ever regarding the integrity and the strength of the design.
Installation was not without issues. Some self-inflicted wounds like when I lost lock on all the fasteners for the bumper and frontend. I bet there were over 50 screws and clips each of which had their own location. I wish I would have put them in separate baggies and labeled everything. Also, suggest you use masking or painters’ tape to line everything up before you take the front bumper and cowling off. That would have saved time.
BlueOx recommends using a 1.25in hole saw. NOT for me. No way you can get the hole saw to bite. Much better is a tapered drill. Available for about the same price as a hole saw, far more versatile, and a LOT EASIER to control.
I’ll admit to not being the sharpest spoon in the drawer and I am a bit retentive, but I spent probably 20 hours on the install. The issue I had was not with the baseplate perse, but rather with taking everything apart and then figuring out how to put it back together again with no leftover parts.
There are two criticisms I would levy at BlueOx. ONE: They provide a helper to install an otherwise inaccessible nut. Well that’s fine, but the threads were fouled and need to be cleaned. That should have been prior to shipment. And TWO: They were explicit in their measurements, which I followed, and messed-up. By the time I found the issue, I would have had to take the bumper off – so I improvised a work-around.
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