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If you like keeping your front end looking stock when you’re not towing, this base plate makes it easy. The hidden design keeps the brackets tucked out of sight, and the removable arms come off with a simple twist. When the arms are out, receiver covers plug into the sockets to keep dirt out and give everything a finished look. Nothing sticks past the front of your vehicle, so there’s no risk of bumping into any protruding parts.
Connecting for a trip doesn’t have to be a hassle. Each arm slides into the receiver, rotates to lock, and secures with a pin—no tools or wrestling required. When it’s time to unhook, pull the pin, twist, and slide the arm out. It’s quick and repeatable whether you’re at home or on the road. The bracket spacing is 34-1/2" center-to-center with an 18" bracket height, giving you reliable alignment points for your tow bar setup.
This kit bolts directly to the chassis using included hardware—no welding needed. The heavy-duty steel frame spreads towing stress evenly across mounting points to help protect your suspension during long hauls. The powder-coat finish fights rust and corrosion, so it stays looking clean even after miles of travel.
Already using a tow bar you like? This base plate pairs directly with Blue Ox tow bars for a secure connection. It can also adapt for use with Roadmaster tow bars (with adapter RM-031 or RM-031-5, sold separately) or Demco tow bars (adapter DM9523041, sold separately). Integrated mounting points let you attach an electrical connector plug bracket (sold separately), keeping your wiring neat and easy to access when setting up your flat tow system.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
91% were satisfied with this product
9% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
great product
Fit perfect
excellent product everything looks great
Works perfect
Service was great. Rec item quickly after ordered
Great product! I installed it myself, but it took a few days, since I only had a couple of hours a day after work.
fast ship great to deal
Blue ox base plate for 03 Ram 1500
Very good instructions. Took me a little longer than it would have in my younger days. The drilling was where I took my time. I have towed the Dodge just about 10,000 miles with no problems. Great product.
Great price, SUPER fast shipping!
Box arrived pretty broken apart. Bug hole in the end side panel. The glued areas did not hold at all.
Now all the parts were there and are in good condition.
Thank you for the wonderful service.
The product and instructions were spot on. I would recommend it.
Product looks great. Can't wait to start the installation...will keep you posted.
Product arrived in three days and box looks good. This BX1986 system is going on a 2016 1500 Crewcab ecodiesel. Installed same one on 2010 Ram and was very pleased. Will install next week.
I was really impressed with the design and fact that the product was designed for my vehicle. It installed in 2 hours and looks awesome. I also like the fact that it came with safety brackets as well.
I won't be installing the Blue-Ox base Plat kit-Removable Arms until the Spring, Warmer weather. When is all said and done I will send Photos of the install
I have looked at the product and is very well MADE
Have just finished install and everything went very smooth. It does help to have a lot of tools. I needed a big hammer two times during install to help get things in place. This one was my fourth plate system and it was nice not to have to remove the nose of the vehicle but a lot more drilling on this 2010 1500 pickup. This one took more time.
Great product, installation installation instructions were thorough. Installation video which was for our vehicle was helpful, but had to drill some additional holes, guess it was due to model differences. But Blue Ox is a great product!
I already had the tow bar from previous truck, I just needed the base plates. It’s a work truck, and tow bar is down at least once a week. Great product, very robust, and would highly recommend.
This is the 4th baseplate I have installed and definitely the hardest one to install because of drilling the 2 holes in the frame, One of the bolt wires was not welded properly but I have a welder so was able to fix it.
With the 5 bolts on each side fastening the baseplate to the frame I think the safety cables are a bit of excessive safety wise.
High Quality Product. E-Trailer indicated a 2 hour installation. My repair shop indicated it took 7 hours to install (included the wiring harness). They had to drill 14 holes. Happy with the product but installation cost a lot more than I expected. Could not have done it myself.
Easy installation and great quality.
Richard Z.
8/22/2025
Works great. Easy install.
Order came very quickly. Nice product. This is my second blue Ox base plate to install. This one was much more difficult to install because of all the extra bolts this unit requires with such a small hole to put the nuts through. It is a good fit, but more design thought should have gone into it to make it easier to install. My first install was on a Jeep Wrangler and was able to do it in about 2 hours. This one took over 5 hours and I had all the right tools .needed. I chose blue Ox because of past experience with this product and do recommend it to anyone. Would have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t so hard to install.
I did not rec the tow bar yet and I need it to leave on my trip order June 6
Mike L.
6/18/2026
Your tow bar is reshipping today with an estimated delivery date of 6/23/26.
Top of the line base plate. Does require a good amount of Mechanical knowledge to install, and able to use large drill-bits for installation in small areas.
Do you have a question about this Tow Bar Base Plate?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Victoria B.
10/30/2020
There are a number of holes that need to be drilled in order to install the base plates. I have linked the installation instructions for you.
Helpful Links
instructions.aspx?pn=BX1986