Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
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2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser
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2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser
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If you like a clean, factory look when you’re not towing, this setup gets it right. The hidden design keeps the brackets tucked away so nothing sticks out past the front end. Once you’re done towing, just twist to remove the arms and plug in the receiver covers to keep dirt and debris out. The removable design also means no more bumping into protruding arms when you walk by your vehicle.
Connecting your tow bar doesn’t have to be a hassle. Each arm slides into the receiver and locks in place with a simple twist, then releases just as easily when you’re ready to unhook. The twist-lock setup makes it straightforward to handle on your own and gives a reliable connection every time you hook up.
This base plate bolts directly to the chassis using included hardware for a sturdy, no-weld installation. Its durable steel build is powder coated to resist rust and corrosion, while the design spreads towing forces evenly to help prevent stress on your vehicle’s suspension. It’s made to hold steady through many miles of towing without flexing or loosening up.
The base plate pairs directly with Blue Ox tow bars for a secure fit. If you’re using a Roadmaster or Demco tow bar, adapters are available separately—RM-031 or RM-031-5 for Roadmaster and DM9523041 for Demco. Integrated mounting points let you add an electrical connector plug bracket (sold separately) so your wiring stays neat and easy to reach up front.
You don’t need welding or fabrication to get this installed. The base plate bolts securely to your chassis with the included mounting hardware for a solid fit. With bracket spacing at 24" and a bracket height of 15", it gives you reliable attachment points that line up smoothly with your tow bar setup.
Ratings & Reviews
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.
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).
I looked into every brand/model available and this was the beefiest. There is cutting and trimming required on all brands, so why not get the strongest? If you're slightly handy with a toolbox, you can easily do the install yourself and save thousands.
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.
Came very quickly, well packed.
worked well with a few modifications.
5 stars for etrailer fast shipping! 1 star for Blue Ox. The attachment points for airbag sensors were all out of spec and took fiddling with and both welded nut plates had to be re-drilled so that the bolts could go through them. I am surprised that a " premium " company like Blue Ox sends out shoddy workmanship.
Again my experience with etrailer was top notch, its a shame Blue Ox didn’t live up to its standards.
Product was as advertised. Great service. Always go to Etrailer first. Mounting bracket weldment was a little off and would not thread. Blue Ox issue not Etrailer. Customer service was helpful in fixing problem.
If I had to purchase a base plate again, it would be this one, but there are some quality control and instructional issues that need to be addressed.
1: The nut plates are poorly built. The nut is welded offset from the plate so the bolt couldn't go through on three out of four. Make sure you have a 1/2" end mill handy before beginning installation. See picture.
2: The electrical connector mounting posts were not tapped on mine. I found an M6x1.00 tap to be perfect for the job. See picture.
3: Instructions: You can ignore the step that tells you to remove the headlight. Just remove its support.
4: Instructions: When chiseling the SRS sensor mount nuts, you only need to remove the lower ones. The uppers won't be in the way unless your nut plates are misaligned worse than mine were.
5: Instructions: A 17/32" drill bit is called for, but 1/2" is much more common, works well, and puts a smaller hole in your frame.
6: Instructions: No torque value is given for the fasteners. I used 100ft-lb on the 4 upper bolts, and 50ft-lb on the lower and nothing broke.
Great base plate, real solid construction, thick powder coat, and all aligned well. Biggest pain to expect at install is all the plastic pop-rivets on the Subaru front bumper. The alignment and hardware was all perfect otherwise. And best of all, you can barely see the connections inside the bumper with the attachment pins removed. Great product.
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Keith C.
9/14/2016
Thanks for reaching out. We ended up selling the car, but the base plate worked perfect for us. I really like how the car towed, just did like how it drove !We are considering our next options, so we will definitely be back with etrailer to get our next plates and tow wiring.Thanks.