Blue OxBX2232 Base Plate

I was actually going to pay some one to mount this for me. Glad I didn't! It was actually easier to mount than the roof rack I bought. I read the comments and took the advice of buying a new drill bit. I recommend you use sandwich baggies and a magic marker to put all the push pins and screws in so you can keep track of where they all come from. removing the fascia from the front of the car was intimidating but once I started it was easy. It will stick at the wheel wells. lift the fender edge to release the fascia on bothe sides.Once the fascia is off you'll be amazed at what passes for a bumper these days. The base plate is actually stronger than the original bumper. Hardest part of the job is partcially drilling the spot welds that hold the bumper bracket. Once drilled I used a 4lb maul and a chisel. Drill a little whack it, repeat till weld breaks. If your wearing shorts during this process get a towel to cover your legs, man those red hot bits of steel burn! Be sure to give the frame edge a love tap or two if it bends during this process. If your doing this alone use a screw driver through one of the holes to hold baseplate on place on one side as you work opposite side. Vise grips to hold in place on both sides. be sure they are facing down so they wont be in the way as you put fascia up to test placenment.. if all good drill one hole on each side and put in "Lock Tighted" screw/ washer/ nut. Finish all holes and cables and replace fascia. all done! No jack required. I sat on ground on carpet. Instructions are very good and clear. Seriously... don't pay someone to mount this for you. save your money.

The hardest part of installation is the sides of the baseplate are extremely tight. Once you manage to overcome that hurdle and slide it on you are one bfh away from getting it set. I'm very leary of blue ox. My first time using the new baseplate and new blue ox towbar my towbar got trashed. Bent 90°! Maybe find a better brand if you can! When my towbar was bent I was stuck. I didn't want another blue ox pos, but I didn't wanna remove and install another baseplate either.

Fit great on 04 Honda Element and we have an 05 CRV and it fit that as well. We towed the Element behind our RV and it did great!

Package (in a sealed plastic bag) included 4 3/8" washers instead of the needed 3/8" nuts.

This is the second one of these I've installed on towed vehicles(2nd Gen. Honda CRV's). If you are a DIY'er or mechanically inclined you will not have any problem installing this base plate. It can be done by one person without much difficultly, but it would be helpful to have a second person to help hold it in place while actually installing it. The instructions are fairly thorough with some pictures. However, there are a couple of slight inaccuracies on this particular model(probably because it can be used on a Honda CRV or Element or possibly other vehicles), so just read carefully and completely before and during installation. There may also be a few minor parts left over depending on which vehicle you are mounting it on, but this is not mentioned in the instructions. Lastly, there are safety cables that are to be installed which are suppose to mount around the vehicle frame and the base plate itself. This instructions show the method to do it, but in actuality, it does not/cannot apply to the CRV due to the frame structure. In the event the tow bar would unbolt from the frame(extremely unlikely IMO), there is no real way for the safety cable to stay attached to the base plate itself. It's sort of difficult to explain without actually seeing it. These cables are really unnecessary IMO, but you'll have to make the judgement for yourself. The best tip I can give you for installation is to have a really good drill bit(cobalt) and go at a slow, steady speed when drilling out the cross-member welds and the bolt holes on the frame. Call Blue Ox directly if you have any questions regarding installation. They are very helpful.

Installed this on a 2002 Honda CR-V. Installation was fairly simple with common hand tools. Make sure your drill bits are sharp for drilling out the factory weld that hold on what honda calls a bumper. Fits perfectly and can hardly tell it is on the vehicle. Did not have to modify the front plastic bumper.Quality item.

This is a very well built base plate. I installed it on a 2003 Honda Element and it’s way heavier duty than the original bumper that you have to take off to install this. It’s very thick steel. I feel like I have a real bumper now even though that wasn’t the purpose of this. I just towed my Element for the first time and this thing is solid. So far I’m sold on Blue Ox! I wish they would have made the convenience hooks shorter because they do stick out far but overall I’m happy with this purchase.

Fit great on my car. We had to cut a bit of the plastic on the front grill of my Honda Element. I have towed m car from NH to SD with no problems.

Had the other half of the tow bar and was lucky enough to find this plate on amazon for a great price.