Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
(3049 reviews)
Price: $591.95
Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
Item # BX1647
Our Price: $591.95
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Blue Ox Base Plates - BX1647
- 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: 19-1/2"
- Bracket height: 12-3/4"
- 3-Year warranty
Simple, Hidden Design
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.
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.
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.
BX1647 Blue Ox Baseplate - Removable Tabs
Installation Details
This Product Fits The Following Vehicles
- 2000 - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
Video of Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Video Transcript for Blue Ox Base Plate Installation - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
Today is 2004 Chevy Cavalier. We're going to install part #BX1647 from Blue Ox. First thing to do is go ahead and move the top portion of the front trim. Fasteners is in the back side of this piece and we can just pull straight out. We're going to move this screw on the driver side and repeat the same thing on the passenger side. Next we're going to move, three fasteners, one, two, three inside the fender well.
This is the driver side, repeat the same thing on the passenger side. Now, the straight fasteners are underneath the vehicle and we're going to remove and the same thing under the passenger side. inaudible make a room, we're going to remove this fastener as well. There's going to be three fasteners that we have to remove that are right behind the headlight. Now, we're going to reach from the bottom up and we're looking at the passenger side.
Now, on the driver side there's some components on the way that are going to be harder to see. In this side, it might just be easy to get along the extension and crawl your way up in there. There's two fasteners in the bumper--okay, one right here that goes straight into the foam. Just point and go ahead and move the front bumper to face you. Now, we're going to remove this fastener right here so we can get the foam behind the bumper out of the way.
All right, now we're going to remove this line going to the pump, it's going to--you see the trim panel tool, it's not dripping so looks like it's empty. Lucky if it was full we could slip another line in that place and then we'll put a bolt in the other end just to hold it to plug it so it won't drip everywhere. Right, now to remove these components, we're going to remove three fasteners, one, two and three which is back here. Okay. Now, these components are also connected to the fender liner so we're going to remove these two screws here.
When I get the bottom loosened up, now, the very top is a push pin up here. The driver side is cleaned out now, now we'll go to the passenger side and we have got to do the same thing. However, we have just got to remove the horn with this bolt right here in its bracket and the wire, we're just going to move it out of the way. We also have to remove this push pin for the panel. At this point we can now start installing the base plate--now, you are definitely needing an extra set of hands to hold it up while I clamp it in place. With the base plate clamped up, we'll go ahead and mark and drill our four holes. Also, there's a hole that's underneath the bumper structure that we have to drill into as well. Okay. At this point, we can go ahead and start installing our hardware. We're going to use the handle nuts, we're going to push you from the opening in the bottom and run it behind the hole we're going to use, we're on a lock washer onto a bolt and a little bit of red lock tight to it. And we'll go ahead and turn it with our handle nut. We'll go into the next one, leave everything loose until all the hardwares are installed and then we'll go ahead and tighten them down and then torque them down as specified in the instruction. Well, you will have to cut excess length off the handle. All right, now we're going to have to reseal our components with the horn, let me check the electrical. Now, this part here was replaced by the bolt right here so it's just going to have to stay loose, our clip for a wire was covered by a towbar too so we'll actually just got to move it right up here. Now, we'll go ahead and start putting the components back onto the other side. All right, now we'll go ahead and continue resealing the interior components. We'll go ahead and put our foam in the place, we'll have to do some trimming and go make a notch on it, we'll just cut it in half like go over this way and it should fit right up. All right, lastly, we're going to install our safety cables. It will wrap around the frame in any fashion that you can do it in. We'll take two ends, bring them together and use them to quick link, connect them to our base plate. Now, the difficult part is re-install the bumper cover, it will make any adjustments to the bumper cover if we have to. Now, one last detail, now we have actually installed the bracket for the wiring connector. We use a self threading bolt to the end of the tube. We're going to adjust the height of these row to four pole or even a six pole. Now, next we'll go ahead and install the tabs for our towbar and we're finished. Now, this is for install of part # bx1647 from Blue Ox, our 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier.
Customer Reviews
Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms - BX1647
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (3048 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: Rod04/13/2023
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: Me Mac Mini 2009 cooper05/02/2023
Well, I'm glad I'm good with tools, grinders, drills, and such. It was not just bolt-on dal. The car grill was able to be used any longer as it was too tight of a fit. Some of the lower fascia had to be trimmed and also removed OEM nuts from the front, the angle wouldn't allow the stock nuts to work. But in the end, I got to work out. So prepare to spend around 4-6 hours playing with it to get it to work. I am positive it's going to work as intended.
by: Al12/20/2022
everything bolted up easy, i simply drilled hole’s into were needed and supplied my own bolts straight through for easy installation.
by: Ron10/14/2022
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: Stewart04/18/2024
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: Jonathon03/14/2024
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: Deborah04/20/2023
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: David A.03/06/2024
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: John04/06/2023
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: Freeman04/04/2024
Baseplate installation went pretty smooth with no surprises. I chose to separate the lower grill piece while I had the bumper cover off. This allowed me to install the bumper cover over the baseplate and then accurately determine where to make my cuts in the grill for the baseplate protrusions. The Blue Ox base plate is well made and fit perfectly.
by: EH05/27/2023
The hitch is a great product; however, the installation is not a bolt on and you are done process as I was led to believe. It is highly doable with a little fudging, die grinding to fit, and tweaking. The grainy instruction pictures leave a lot to be desired. It looks good on my 2014 Suzuki SX4 and I am glad to have it, but even as an experienced body shop man it is still a challenge to install. Would I do it again, yes, without hesitation. It is solid, durable, and looks good in my grill.
by: James07/18/2022
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: Dale04/13/2023
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: RRR03/05/2023
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: Russell 05/27/2024
This kit was installed on my 2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4 last summer. The directions aren't too bad if you have mechanical aptitude. It seemed that there could have been an easier mounting method. The nuts with wires welded on so you can snake them into place inside the box frame were definitely a pain in the a$$. You will need to have plenty of patience. A vehicle lift would also be an asset. It worked as well as any other Blue Ox baseplate we have had for other vehicles so no issues there.
by: Jeff12/23/2022
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: Dan D07/20/2023
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: Ken05/07/2023
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.
by: Stephen07/31/2023
The Bx2692 is the better tow bar solution because it is higher up to hopefully keep your tow bar flat. I modified a Base bumper to install this because it is only available for the "Modular" and "Capable" bumpers. The base bumper option from bluox is for lower tow hook delete option. Took about 3hrs with the help of a grinder jigsaw and multi tool.
by: John04/13/2023
This baseplate fit perfectly and was a pretty easy instal after removing the bumper wrap on my wrx. Car pulls steady and straight!!
by: Mike 05/12/2024
etrailers customer service is excellent. The item was back ordered, the customer service folks kept me informed on the projected delivery the entire time. And the Blue Ox part are really high quality. Only one minor issue, the bolts, nuts and washers bag was opened and the box had a large crack. Lost a few small pieces, not a big deal I have plenty of spares in the shop. Thanks etrailer
by: Florian05/16/2024
We had this base plate kit professionally installed on my wife's 2017 GMC Acadia and we've used it as our tow vehicle with no problems. It's easy to connect to the Blue Ox system we bought from etrailer and it's worked out great!
by: Michael01/17/2023
This Base plate was fairly simple to install in about 1/2 a day. I also installed brake kit and wiring so actually spent most of the day. This baseplate combined with the etrailer tow bar have been great. already pulled over 5000 miles with no issues at all. I love this setup and will never go back to tow dolly
by: Joseph03/03/2020
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.
by: TH04/18/2024
The images in the instructions are not of good quality, but installation is pretty straightforward. Be sure you know which bumper bolts to remove (the images are blurry), and do not forget to unplug AND unclip the wiring harness on the driver's side before removing the bumper so you are not pulling on wires while handling an awkward and heavy bumper.
The baseplate was slightly wider than my frame, so it had to go straight up, and I had to use a floorjack and block of wood to help push it into place. Ten holes are drilled into the frame, which requires some time and a very good drill and bit. Drilling vertically is relatively easy, and you can use, for example, a long-handled tool between the ground and drill to gain leverage (note: you need to reduce pressure when the sound of the drill changes, as that means you are almost through the frame; also, keep your arms locked straight so you do not lose control of the drill!). Drilling horizontally is a bit more challenging in terms of leverage, but again, use a very good drill bit (or have a second bit handy as the first bit gets dull). Keep in mind that there will be a lot of metal shavings coming down, and avoid getting those directly on your skin (they will be hot).
The nuts come with wires welded to them to help fish the nuts into place, but the access to the drilled holes isn't such that you really need wires on the nuts. Once the bolts are torqued to spec (torque setting depends on grade of bolts), you can either fold the wires into the frame, or clip the ends of the wires (which is what I did). I would not install without torquing the bolts to spec (don't really only on your impact, for example).
Reinstalling the bumper includes some effort to line it up in the original position, with even gaps with the body. You should be able to set the bumper on, loosely install one nut on either side to hold it, then get it close by sliding under the bumper and tightening the nuts in their original positions (based on marks from where the nuts had tightened originally. Having a buddy helps is a good idea, but I installed everything on my own.
I had the advantage of being a former auto tech, and long ago, a hitch installer, so there are some tricks to know. However, some basic skills and patience are all that are really necessary in this case.
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See what our Experts say about this Blue Ox Base Plates
- Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2000 Chevy CavalierThe first thing needed to flat tow your 2000 Chevy Cavalier is a base plate kit like the Blue Ox Base Plate kit part # BX1647. This provides the attachment point for a set of tow bars. For Tow Bars I recommend the Blue Ox Alpha part # BX7380. This comes with safety cables. For lighting I would recommend the Hopkins Magnetic Tow Lights # C6304. And finally, most states now require supplemental braking in the vehicle being flat towed. The easiest system to set up and use is the Even Brake...
view full answer... - Can You Use a Blue Ox Base Plate Kit with a Valley Tow BarYes, you can use Valley Tow Bars with a Blue Ox Base Plate like the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit # BX1647. You will need a Blue Ox Base Plates Adapter # BX8833 in order to adapt your Valley tow bar to the # BX1647. I attached an FAQ article on flat towing that you should find informative also.
view full answer...
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Info for this part was:
Video Edited:
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Written by:
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Expert Research:
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Updated by:
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