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Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

Item # BX2261
Retail:$886.60
Our Price: $426.37
You Save: $460.23
Base Plates

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Shipping Weight: 41 lbs
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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. 1-800-940-8924 to order Blue Ox base plates part number BX2261 or order online at etrailer.com. Free expert support on all Blue Ox products. Great prices and Fastest Shipping for Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms. Base Plates reviews from real customers.
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Blue Ox Base Plates - BX2261

  • Removable Drawbars
  • Blue Ox
  • Twist Lock Attachment

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:

  • Custom-fit base plate provides attachment points for your tow bar when flat towing
  • Hidden design provides a clean, seamless look
    • Arms remove with a simple twist when not in use
    • Brackets won't protrude past the front of your vehicle
  • Sturdy design spreads towing force evenly to prevent stress on your vehicle's suspension
  • Integrated mounting points let you easily attach an electrical connector plug with bracket (sold separately)
  • Receiver covers keep dirt and debris out of the base plate when arms are removed and provide a finished look
  • Durable steel construction is powder coated to resist rust and corrosion
  • Straightforward installation - no welding required
    • Base plate bolts securely to your vehicle's chassis with included mounting hardware
  • Sturdy lugs pair with Blue Ox tow bars to form a secure and reliable connection
    • Adaptable for use with Roadmaster tow bars - adapter (RM-031 or RM-031-5) sold separately
    • Adaptable for use with Demco tow bars - adapter (BX88310) sold separately
  • Made in the USA


Specs:

  • Distance between brackets: 22"
  • Bracket height: 13"
  • 3-Year limited warranty


Simple, Hidden Design

Blue Ox Base Plate With Arms AttachedBlue Ox Base Plate Arms Removed

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.


Blue Ox Base Plate Removable Arms

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.


Guide to Flat Towing

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.


Towing Basics

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.



BX2261 Blue Ox Baseplate - Removable Tabs

Installation Details BX2261 Installation instructions

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles





Customer Reviews

Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms - BX2261

Average Customer Rating:  4.8 out of 5 stars   (2980 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.

by:

We bought a new tow car so needed a new base plate kit. Just like the first one we purchased for our old car this one shipped/arrived very quickly. The website made it easy in determining which one was needed. Customer Serve was the best. Not many companies follow up after delivery. I highly recommend.



by:

This Blue Ox baseplate was a perfect match for my 2017 Honda Fit. Workmanship is top quality. The manufacturer’s installation instructions were not particularly helpful, but etrailer’s online step by step installation video was outstanding. A trouble free installation thanks to eTrailer.



by:
2015 Honda Fit

Some of Blue Ox's hardware should really be updated. Metric would be a start and a better quality of wired nuts. I have been routinely replacing the low quality hardware for better quality and fit.



by:

Best way to go when pulling a car behind your motor home.Easy hook up and
easy to handle. The folks were great at etrailer and the Blue Ox products are the best
products I have ever found.



by:

I Have used this product and company many times with great performace and
excellent service. When you need help just ask and they will do everything
in there power to help.Outstanding customer service is where they stand out to
me.They are all great people and they stand behind there product.



by:
2015 Honda Fit

Blue Ox is the best! This fits and functions pefectly on my 2015 Honda Fit.



by:
2015 Honda Fit

r eceive my parcel
very easy to fix
on my Honda fit



by:

Very satisfied with your product thank you



by:
2018 Honda Fit

The product is excellent but for a do it yourselfer, the instruction sheet is pretty tough..



by:
2017 Honda Fit

Received product and all seems to be co ntained.



by:



by:

The size of the box terrified me but I had to do this one myself.
This project is not for the faint of heart. When you think about what could go wrong you could wet yourself. I went with my gut and just opened the box. Hmmm, packaged very well with everything you need for the install. No going to the hardware store for this or that. Sat there with a cold sarsaparilla and read the very detailed instructions, went back to the etrailer web site and checked out some vids and pics. Hmm, it didn’t seem that daunting of a job. On my 04 Lexus GX470 most of the holes were drilled. Before I knew it 5 hours had past and I owned a toad! I took it to my local Rv service center for an inspection and it was deemed safe to use.
This thing is awesome, tracs straight as an arrow.
Now, I have to figure out this diode lighting kit. Camping is fun! Yah!!! :) Noah and etrailer made this a tolerable project. I urge everyone to take advantage of the resources that are on this sight. I always learn something when I’m there. See y’all on the trail….Rod



by:

This kit fit well, had decent instructions, and performed perfectly every time once installed. If doing the install yourself, you'll need some metal fabrication tools to notch the D-ring plates behind the bumper but it's not complicated, just a little time consuming depending on the tools you're using. The look is also a little weird on the front of a new Bronco since you're losing the burly bumper D-rings, but it's a well engineered setup overall. I only used the tow bar setup a couple times before the vehicle was lost in a wildfire so I can't comment on the longevity, but I have no doubt it would still be working fine today.



by:

I am really happy, not only with the product but the customer care I received. Very quick and helpful!!

I would make one suggestion. Take the headlights out when doing this on a Chevy Cobalt. It will make it much easier to get to the 3 bolt holding the fender to the fascia.



by:

I will start with the people that work here at etrailer are great to deal with and very helpful! These baseplates for my 2023 bronco have been great. i bought and installed myself. install pretty straight forward. and these work great for flat towing my bronco behind my motorhome.



by:

everything bolted up easy, i simply drilled hole’s into were needed and supplied my own bolts straight through for easy installation.



by:

eTrailer was very helpful in choosing the correct hitch for our rv and car. They also provided a special brake application in the car that makes it super easy for toad braking.
I am 72, and I hook up this toad and pull it with confidence. The instructions to hook up the toad was presented with ease. They knew exactly what they were doing, and we didn't rush through the demonstration. I would recommend eTrailer to anyone.



by:

Installed successfully on my 2024 Trax LT. However, with respect to the following installation steps, I made some changes:

All - Don't use a reciprocating saw! An oscillating tool and saw attachment works best, allowing more precise cuts.

Step #8 - After consultation with BlueOx Tech Support, I elected to re-install the plastic shroud. Wasn't difficult and I felt better about maintaining the integrity of the original equipment.

Step #28 - I moved the temperature sensor to a forward facing position in the grill section directly above the baseplate.



by:

Etrailer offered competitive pricing for the base plate and the package was shipped promptly and arrived very quickly...much faster than I had anticipated.
The packaging was excellent and included all documentation. Installation was very straightforward and the unit was a perfect fit with minimal modifications to the car itself. Only a few small pieces of plastic had to be trimmed for a perfect fit.
We did have some trouble with 2 of the nuts-with-wires attached in that the bolts did NOT want to thread in to them. For some reason, they just did not want to 'start' easily and this made the blind installation of the nuts on the bolts extremely time-consuming. The nuts/bolts did not cross-thread and there were no other issues once we were able to use a tool to jam the blind nut and stop it from moving so that the bolt could be tightened and torqued. 4 of the 6 went in smoothly and with zero issues, so do I not believe that it was 'installer error' (!).
In the end, a perfect installation and the base plate is nearly invisible. I would definitely purchase from eTrailer again and can easily recommend their products based on this experience.



by:

My only negative comment is that this base plate sets the tow bar connections 23" above the ground making it somewhat of a pain to fine towbar and hitch connections. It mounts relatively easy.



by:

Everything as advertised. Followed the videos and instructions for installing the base plates and tow bar and all were good. Did a test pull today and it towed great, straight as a dye. I only have 2 suggestions. There was no mention in the video of the space plate, which was included. Figured it out. Second suggestion, Install a 2" ball on your work bench and adjust the receiver to it. The instructions tell you what socket to adjust it with but that could have been done on the bench before shipping. Great product, so excited. We are off on a few hundred mile trip with the Fit behind the motorhome Wednesday. So excited. No more tow dolly.



by:

Pretty easy to do my self but the instructions could have been a bit larger with more pictures. I think the hardest part was drilling the holes to attach the two brackets as there was only one hole on each frame. Getting the square nuts with wire attached were difficult to get both aligned because the wire on the first one got in the way each time



by:

Bought it at etrailer as I have with other trailer hitch related parts. Installed it myself, and it was a real job. I figure about 10 hours to get it right so I didn't have to worry if my 'toad' would pass my motorhome as I tooled down the road. Fit was perfect for my 2008 Honda CRV, but make sure you keep that oil cooler line up as high as possible or you will be redoing the fit to get the front cowling back on the car. Bought an angle grinder with cutoff wheels and that made the frame notching a lot easier. Note that if the removeable attachment pins are a tight fit into the base plate, they will loosen up with a good silicone lubricant and the wear of towing. I have towed with confidence for a year without a hitch (pun intended).



by:

It turned out fine but my opinion is that you should have some average or above mechanical skills to install this yourself. As you can see, the base plate protrusions are hardly noticeable at a distance with the tow pins removed. One thing worth mentioning is I had to mount it more rearward on the frame because the front valance would not mount back on correctly. Overall, good base plate.



by:

The item I received must have been a returned item. The box label was proof it was shipped to someone else before. Reason I'm not happy is because the bag of screws was open and most of it slipped out of the holes of the damaged box that was opened before and re-taped. The end of the crossbar was bent and not much packing inside. I needed this for our trip, so I didn't return it and had to fix and find screws to make it all work.


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See what our Experts say about this Blue Ox Base Plates

  • Can 2017 Honda Fit With Automatic Transmission Be Flat-Towed
    I checked out the owner's manual for your 2017 Honda Fit with an automatic transmission and on page 312 it states your vehicle can not be flat-towed behind a motorhome. If a Honda Fit has a manual transmission the owner's manual says that it can be flat-towed.
    view full answer...
  • Time Required to Install Blue Ox Base Plate Kit BX2261
    For a first-time base plate installer we estimate that the total time required to mount the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit # BX2261 to be a good 5 to 6 hours (half a day, let's call it). Our installers who have the benefit of having done this many times typically complete a base plate install in 2 or 3 hours.
    view full answer...
  • Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2016 Honda Fit with Automatic Transmission
    I wish we had a cut and dry yes or no answer to your question, but when it comes to deciding if any given vehicle can safely be flat towed with all wheels down that determination goes to the vehicle's manufacturer. I reviewed the online version of the owner's manual for the 2016 Honda Fit EX-L and in the section titled Emergency Towing there is a statement on page 428 that says "...towing behind a motorhome or other motor vehicle can damage the transmission." No mention is made if this...
    view full answer...
  • Flat Towing 2015 Honda Fit EX-L Automatic Behind a Class A Motor Home
    When it comes to deciding if any given vehicle can safely be flat towed with all wheels down that determination goes to the vehicle's manufacturer. I reviewed the online version of the owner's manual for the 2015 Honda Fit EX-L and in the section titled Emergency Towing there is a statement on page 428 that says "...towing behind a motorhome or other motor vehicle can damage the transmission." No mention is made if this refers to all versions or only to versions with the automatic transmission....
    view full answer...
  • Why Is A Fuse Bypass Required For Removing Fuses When Towing A 2017 Honda Fit
    If you don't remove fuses prior to towing, there's a good chance that your car's battery will be drained by the time you reach your destination. A fuse bypass is never required but if you have to remove a fuse to tow your car, a bypass system makes the whole ordeal easier. To determine if you need to remove a fuse before towing, consulting your vehicle's owner's manual is where you start. I reviewed the owner's manual for your 2017 Honda Fit and for extended towing you will need to remove...
    view full answer...
  • Flat-Towing Parts Needed for 2016 Honda Fit with Manual Transmission
    We do offer base plates for the manual transmission 2016 Honda Fit such as Blue Ox # BX2261. In addition to base plates flat towing requires safety cables, a wiring or lighting kit, a tow bar and a supplementary braking system. Each of these components is reviewed in detail in the linked article. A popular tow bar compatible with those base plates is the Blue Ox Alpha # BX7380 that includes safety cables. For lighting you can use the diode kit, # RM-15267, and not have to worry about...
    view full answer...
  • Blue Ox Parts Needed to Flat Tow 2017 Honda Fit EX, Manual Transmission
    Actually I prefer Blue Ox flat towing components over Roadmaster, but honestly they are both great ways to go and would work fine. I have found Blue Ox tow bars easier to connect to Blue Ox base plate kits than the Roadmaster equivalents. So for your 2017 Honda Fit with a manual transmission I would recommend the Blue Ox base plate kit # BX2261 and the Blue Ox tow bar part # BX7380. For lighting you can use the diode kit, # RM-15267, and not have to worry about cutting into the taillight...
    view full answer...
  • Can a 2015 Honda Fit Sport Automatic Be Flat-Towed With 4 Wheels on the Ground
    According to one of our primary resources for flat-towing information, Roadmaster Engineering, the 2015 Honda Fit is flat towable. However, your new Fit owner's manual is the best place to check for any cautions or special requirements for flat-towing your exact version of the 2015 Fit Sport. We offer Roadmaster base plates for the manual transmission version of the 2015 Honda Fit Sport. That is their EZ4 Series Base Plate # RM-521569-4. Please refer to the linked instructions at right....
    view full answer...
  • Recommended Tail Light Wiring for Flat Towing 2017 Honda Fit
    The Blue Ox Base Plate Kit # BX2261 referenced in your question is confirmed to fit your 2017 Honda Fit and will work perfectly with your Blue Ox Alpha Tow Bar. For a tail light wiring kit I recommend the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit # RM-15267. This kit will let you wire the Honda Fit so that it accepts the basic signal lights from the RV needed for flat towing. This kit includes a 6-Way connector that you will mount to the front of the vehicle and enough coiled...
    view full answer...
  • Recommendations on Flat Towing a 2017 Honda Fit with a Manual Transmission.
    According to the Owner's Manual, the 2017 Honda Fit is towable behind a motorhome if it has the manual transmission. The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) model cannot be flat towed. The base plate that I recommend for the Honda Fit is the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit # BX2261. The Blue Ox base plate is a custom fit piece that is hidden beneath the vehicle's body. Blue Ox also provides all the hardware needed. Blue Ox does state that the bumper fascia will have to be removed and some...
    view full answer...
  • What Fuses Need to be Bypass or Removed Flat Towing a 2017 Honda Fit
    After reviewing the owner's manual for your 2017 Honda Fit for extended towing you will need to remove the 20 amp accessory power socket and 7.5 amp ACC fuses on the interior fuse box. You will also will remove the 15 amp back up fuse located in the engine compartment fuse box. To make this process easier, I highly recommend adding the Roadmaster FuseMaster Fuse Bypass - 13" - 20-Amp Mini-Fuse # RM76511, the Roadmaster FuseMaster Fuse Bypass Switch for Towed Vehicle - (2) 20-Amp ATM Mini-Fuses...
    view full answer...
  • Parts Needed to Tow a 2015 Honda Fit Either Flat Towing or on a Tow Dolly
    In addition to the Roadmaster Falcon 2 Tow Bar # RM-520 you'll also need a base plate kit, wiring, a supplemental braking system, and likely a high-low adapter to flat tow your Fit. According to my research a 2015 Honda Fit cannot be flat towed according to Honda. However, you'll want to consult your owner's manual to make sure your vehicle is able to be flat towed without damaging it. If the Fit must be towed on a dolly you can use the Roadmaster Tow Dolly # RM-2050-1. If you find...
    view full answer...
  • Can 2015 Honda Fit With Manual Transmission be Flat Towed Behind Motorhome
    I took a look at the owner's manual for a 2015 Honda Fit and it states that if the vehicle has a manual transmission it CAN be flat towed; if it has an automatic transmission it cannot be flat towed behind a motorhome. There are a number of parts you're going to need in order to flat tow a '15 Fit with a manual transmission, starting with compatible base plates. I recommend the Roadmaster EZ5 Base Plate Kit # RM-521569-5 because the brackets will be hidden away so the Fit can maintain...
    view full answer...

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