To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Custom designed to fit your vehicle so it can be safely towed behind your RV, this base plate has easily removable arms that offer a seamless look when you're not flat towing. Base plate bolts directly to your chassis, so no welding is required.
Features:
Specs:
This base plate's hidden design creates a clean and seamless look. The bracket arms are easily removable, creating a slick appearance when you're not flat towing. Because the arms can be removed, you also won't have to worry about banging your leg into any protruding arms when you walk by.
Attaching and removing the bracket arms is a breeze. To attach the arms to the base plate, simply insert them into the receivers and rotate them until they lock into place. Once you're finished towing and want to remove the arms, pull the pin to disengage the lock, rotate the arms, and remove them from the receivers. Finally, plug up the now empty receivers with the included receiver covers to help keep dirt and debris out of the base plate and provide a finished look.
Flat towing your vehicle is much more convenient than using a trailer or a tow dolly. These other options take up much more storage space, leaving you less room both at home and at the campsite. In addition, securing your vehicle to a trailer or tow dolly can be a hassle and more time consuming than hooking up with a tow bar.
There are 5 basic components needed when flat towing a vehicle: a tow bar, a base plate kit, a safety cable set, tow bar wiring, and a supplemental braking system.
The tow bar links your towed car to your motorhome. It attaches to the custom-fit base plates that install on the frame of your towed car. Safety cables ensure that your towed car does not separate from your motorhome in the event that your tow bar becomes detached. Tow bar wiring allows your towed vehicle's signal lights to sync up with your motorhome's tail lights, which is required by law in most states. Finally, the supplemental braking system - also required in most states - brakes your towed car when the brakes in your motorhome are activated, preventing wear on the motorhome and decreasing braking distance for your entire setup.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (1978 Customer Reviews)
Custom designed to fit your vehicle so it can be safely towed behind your RV, this base plate has easily removable arms that offer a seamless look when you're not flat towing. Base plate bolts directly to your chassis, so no welding is required.I recently bought a Spark to use as a toad for my toyhauler. The next step was to select a baseplate, towbar, light system, etc. I wanted a baseplate that would be as inocuous as possible when not in use and be simple to connect and detatch. The Blue Ox 1725 seemed to fit the bill. I combined it with the Curt towbar and a Blue Ox adapter, which resulted in a nice clean and simple system.
The staff at Etrailer went out of their way to answer my questions and to insure that my order was delivered quickly. Great service as always. The install went smoothly thanks to the great instalkation video.
I am very happy with the way that it turned out.
5000 miles of trouble free towing!
The baseplate is not for those unfamiliar with tinkering with parts/cars.
To install the baseplate, I removed the front undercarriage plastic unit, the front grill and loosened the fenders. Instructions were good and all parts fit as they should. I had to cut the plastic grill in several areas to fit the attachments, but when completed, it looked as if the car came that way. Of course, that was step one. Step two was the installation and wiring of brake lights, and step three was the wiring and installation of the braking system. This all took two or three days working at my pace. All in all, a very good installation. I would do it again.
Outstanding service. Quick,reliable and reasonably priced.
I cannot say enough good things about etrailer. With the help of Kim P., I ordered a base plate, tow bar and a couple of other items. The first surprise is that the free shipping was almost more like express shipping. I received everything 4 days later. When I went back to the etrailer to order another part, I noticed that the base plate price had dropped by $60. The second surprise was when I contacted Kim about the price drop. Thanks to her quick action, etrailer refunded the $60 dollar difference. It was a sincere pleasure to work with Kim and etrailer. Great web site, great products, and great customer service.
Purchased for my 2017 Spark. My installer stated that the product installed perfectly, based on the included instructions. Ready to flat tow my car.
Great product-totally went together exactly like the video. Those videos along with great customer support set etrailer apart and make this kind of project realistic for a do it yourselfer. Only challenge was the evil hidden screw reinstall in the GM fender well. That's a GM thing. The base plate's manufacturing tolerances were right on. Perfect fit.
The Blue ox plate was easy to install, following the your [installation] video. The hardest part was removing the front bumper cover on the Chevy Spark. My son and I had it all installed in about 2 hours.
Had it put on and have had excellent use of the base plate. Easy to hook up to and no problems when not hooked up. Very pleased.
Man... Carla was excellent. All we have to do now is find someone in my area that can install this stuff with similar efficiency. Do you have any references for me that can do this install quickly?
Dennis
Great pictures and instructions. Took about 2 hours, taking extra care not to damage my 1 month old Chevy Spark.
Installed perfectly as per instructions
Well it came fast enough but I will have an opportunity to get it installed for a few days. Chedi was very helpful and I will buy the rest of the towing parts I need for my 2018 Spark and RV
easy to install and fast shipping
Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
I ordered a Blue Ox Base Plate for my Ford Focus. Blue Ox said they were out of stock, and would have to make one, six or more weeks? I Order the Blue Ox Base Plate from etrailer, and it was delivered to my house in three days. Getting ready to install it, directions look very well detailed. Look forward to towing our Ford Focus this summer, with our Motorhome, on our camping trips
Louis - 02/07/2022Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
Baseplate was an easy fit,installed it myself with the help of a friend after the easy install I decided to get the wiring harness as well,again simple install neat and tidy hauled my Jetta behind my 1974GMC motorhome from Victoria,BC across the mountains with no problem.
Werner - 06/26/2022Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
This baseplate is very well made and sturdy. I would rate it excellent but for 2 flaws:
1. My vehicle has a power steering cooler which the instructions say to relocate on the supplied brackets. Relocating as instructed puts excessive strain on the connecting hoses. I had to cut the pipes and add about 3 inches of rubber hose to the power steering cooler to make it fit comfortably.
2. Blue Ox do not provide any kind of support outside office hours. This type of product is typically installed by the user over a weekend and BO should provide support to their customers during this time.
Overall, I would rate ease of install at 5 (out of 10) excluding the cooler issue.
Hook up to the completed baseplate is a breeze. We have the Aventa II towbar which takes about 2 minutes to connect.
Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
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.
Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
2017 jk unlimited with quadratec qrc full bumper/ winch. BX1134 is the one you need for this install .Install went well only had to make a couple notches in bumper. Photos attached.cables had to be attached to base plate rear rings no room between bumper and base plate to go around.If you don't want rattles just wire tie rings to baseplate once they are secure trough plate holes it'll thighten thinks up. Very well made product.
Nicholas - 08/23/2021Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
My Blue Ox Tow bar and Break Buddy System perform as advertised. I tow my Buick Enclave behind my 30’ class C with confidence.
Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
My experience with etrailer was good from the perspective of the cooperation and pleasantness. However, even though I was clear on the tow bar I had (Blue Ox) and the vehicle I was towing (2005 Dodge Dakota) when the tow package came and the shop I had installing it got to the end of the installation, it was discovered that the wrong pins were sent, i.e. they wouldn't lock in place - too short . At first we couldn't determine what the problem was, so I called etrailer back. Was told those were the correct pins. Finally called Blue Ox directly and the rep immediately told me (after I gave him the PN) that those were the wrong pins. Without me asking he offered and did send two replacement pins free of charge. They worked perfectly.
Katrina B - 07/07/2022Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
Just what I needed to flat tow my Jeep Wrangler. When I first received the base plate I was thinking about having it installed, but after watching the etrailer.com installation video I decided to do it myself. Couldn't have asked for a smoother install. The permanent base plate safety cables concerned me a little. I came up with a figure-8 over the frame that I think will work ok and I did secure it with some cable ties in a couple of spots.
Thanks to Nick at etrailer for the help and to the folks that made the installation video giving me the confidence to do-it-myself.
Joseph - 03/04/2021Review from a similar Standard in Base Plates
This is a really solid base plate. Installation for the Pontiac Vibe was is definitely more involved that installing the alternative (Road Master). The Road Master base plate just bolts through existing bumper holes and an engine mount. This base plate is bolted directly to the frame just behind the bumper, with four 3/8" grade 5 bolts in holes you have to drill after clamping the base plate in place. I found it easy to get the required height (3/4" below bumper) but simply using a 1x3 piece of lumber. You also have drill a 1.25"hole in the frame to gain access to the inside of the frame. Tricky part of this install is getting the nuts, which are welded to a 1" plate and a ~14" steel rods, into place to be line up with the holes. It is a little hard to see. I also recommend making sure the bolts actually thread easily on to the nuts before putting the nuts in the the frame. I had the misfortune of one of the either cross threading or jamming, and I ended up having to cut the bolt head off with a sawsall using a metal blade. The bolt had not gone very far into the nut before it jammed so I was just able to get the sawsall blade behind the head, and cut it off, holding the head with a pair of vice grips. If that hadn't worked I would have had to take the car to a shop with oxy-acetaline torch to have it cut off. I was able to fish the cut of bolt out for the frame with a bent coat hanger. The first photo is of the base plate after I cut off the bolt.
Blue Ox support was GREAT! I sent them and email explaining that I needed new nuts and bolts, and they sent the needed parts (at no charge!). I just had to put my install on hold for several days.
The second problem I had was in attaching the electrical harness recepticle to the tubes on the to bar. One of the self tapping screws twisted off as I was tighting it. I ended up cutting of 1/2" of the tubes (with the sawsall) and then tapping the tubes with 1/4x20 threads, and regaining the length cut off with the bolt. My recommendation to blue ox, is that they tap these tubes with to 1/4x20, and provide regular bolts to attach the recepticle. The second picture showes the result.
When I showed the 3rd and 4th pictures to my mechanic, he was impressed and said, "That looks really solid!" The last picture shows the front of the car after I have started to assemble it (with the styrofoam padding on the bumper, and the draw bars in place.
The solidity of the Blue Ox engineering and the FABULOUS customer support has totally turned my into a Blue Ox fan. I'm glad my RV dealer suggested that I go with Blue Ox instead of the slightly cheaper solution, that would have been much less solid.
Do you have a question about this Base Plate?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com 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.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.