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Base plate install
Looking for a quality installer in Nashville to install Blue Ox base plate and wiring on a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Jeff, do you do installs at ETLC?
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15 Replies
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if you have the tools and you’re handy, do it yourself. I did mine on our 14 grand Cherokee summit. It wasn’t anything too special. Remove the front bumper facia(It pretty muchsnaps off) and if you have tow hooks, remove them and everything pretty much bolts on then add safety cables and replace the facia and run your wiring for lights. Our summit doesn’t have to hooks so I had to drill one 5/8 hole on each side and cut out part of a lower grill to accomodate the Base plate extensions on each side. I also put one on my 14 ram limited. You can save yourself some $$. I had my 06 Envoy done at a camper place near me and after the purchase of the base plate, tow bar and install it was over $2,0000.
You don’t need to remove the wheels, But I rotated and balanced them while I had it up in the air on Jack stands.
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This may be one of the dumbest things I have ever posted, but have you considered Camping World?
Given the number of RVs and tow bars they sell I cannot think of anyone that is likely to do more installs than they do. Having said that I would watch them like a hawk to make sure they don’t screw something up.
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Jon, I might have to agree with you on the “dumbest thing I’ve ever said”. And yes, I have thought of Camping World but I truly do not trust the tech’s there to do it correctly and with any type of regard for a new auto. Yes, the entire front bumper is removed and they tap into the wire harness for lights. I’m just not comfortable the Min. Wage folks are CW would do a good job.
I may wait and buy the Jeep when we are back in Austin and have our regular towbar guy do it.
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BTW, I agree with Dana. On every vehicle we tow except the Hummer I made my own tow bar “base plates” and installed them and wired the vehicle myself. On the Hummer I bought the receivers that bolt to the frame from Roadmaster, but I installed them myself, and I did have to drill some large holes.
I retract my statement about considering CW.
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Tom,
I respectively cast my vote for waiting till you are at a known shop. A local RVer might be able to recommend a shop near where you are.
Smitty’s Welding in West Houston does our hook-ups and has a stellar reputation. He hooked up my friends Grand Cherokee which worked just fine.
All the best.
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Tom and Bill,
It has been posted many, many times on RV.net that people wouldn’t take their lawn mower to Camping World, I think you are wise to skip them.
As another suggestion, I just had Redlands Truck and Performance in Redlands, CA, install the towing equipment on our new toad. They installed the SMI supplemental braking system along with the base plate. They are a very trusted outfit and do everything professionally as I have used them in the past.
Blue Ox does not make a base plate for a Lincoln MKX so I had to go with Roadmaster. I certainly like the Blue Ox better as the Roadmaster equipment is clunkier looking sitting at the front bumper. Once parked, I’ll remove everything for a clean look like a Blue Ox system offers.
I know it’s a long way to come back to California but just wanted to mention Redlands Truck and Performance in Redlands which is about 50 miles from Palm Springs.
Good luck guys!
Mark
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There is nothing magic about installing the “base plates”. It is all a simple mechanical process that involves nothing more than bolting something onto a toad frame so the tow bar can hook to the vehicle.
Depending on the vehicle and how to gain access to the frame mounting points the job is simple with just a few steps, or lengthy with the required disassembly of a lot of components. Dana’s Jeep is a good example of an installation that requires a lot of disassembly, and some vehicles are worse, some much better.
The area that requires some concern is the wiring. A lot of toady’s vehicles have multiple control modules and multiplex wiring and the sophistication of those systems might create problems like power to the lights feeding back to modules that should not see power, or the lights doing weird things unless diodes are installed. The work around situations like that involves adding a set of lights or light sockets dedicated exclusively to the RV lighting.
Everything else relating to wiring is just routing the wires and connecting them to the plug and lights or light sockets.
Don’t be afraid of doing your own if you have some tools and patience. There are U-tube type videos on doing just about anything so regardless of the toad it is likely someone has put a video on the internet to use as a guide in addition to the well detailed instructions that come with the Roadmaster or Blue Ox components.
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The Blue Ox plates are pretty easy to put on. Save yourself a headache and get the TowMate wireless light set up. Works very well. I got the one that plugs into the cigarette lighter so no battery fuss. Mike
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Let me be clear, I have zero intention of installing this myself nor doing the wiring. Plus I have no place to do this as we are now full timers and campgrounds do not like it when you pull the front end off your car while on your site. Unless, of course, you pull the front end off by use of the bus, then the campground staff just laughs at you.
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Tom,
Check out a trailer service/repair shop or look for a place that specializes in hitch equipment. Any of these types of places should be able to help you out.Also look at the manufactures website for your tow setup and see where they have authorized dealers/service centers in your area.
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I took our HHR to Horn’s RV Center in Sheboygan, WI. I knew they had been in business for many decades. By coincidence, a guy I worked with at the bank had recently taken an ownership position in the business so I called him. He told their service guys and service managers had been there a LONG time and if the service manager said he could do something and had done it quite a bit, then I should be able to trust his word.
The service manager said they put the base plate on and did the wiring often. I bought the whole deal … base plate, Blue Ox tow bars, wiring package … from Horns. They put it on. I went there after work with the Suburban to bring the HHR home and the service manager walked me through the hookup. But all the lights didn’t work. Was he PO’d. Said the tech asked him to check the lights when it was hooked to their 1 ton dually to test. Apologized up and down, immediately wanted to know when my trip was (in a few days to pick up our coach at Jeff’s and then off to the Indy 500 for our first Prevost experience). Told me they would work on it in the morning (techs all gone). Called me mid-morning and said it was fixed, lights work now, and he’d personally deliver it to my driveway. It was there when we got home. Everything worked.
Then we changed HHRs. So I asked the mechanic at Muellers in Random Lake, WI where we buy all our vehicles and get the work done if he could do the switch. He said “Yes”. I watched him do it. Hooking up the base plate is pretty straight forward, especially if you’ve done them before. But I thought the electrical for the lights was a different matter. There you had to know what you were doing as there were diodes that needed to be wired in for everything to work right; I suspect on later model vehicles with more computer control of the lights the wiring is probably more challenging. Both the Horns tech and the Mueller went to great pains to get the wiring safely and securely tucked away so it was protected from stuff under the car.
So … Camping World … maybe. If you know and trust the service manager to give you a tech who knows what he or she is doing, then maybe. I’d probably go first to an independent RV dealer that appears to sell lots of Class A motorhomes which are more likely tow vehicles than the small RVs. Are they a Blue OX or Roadmaster dealer? How many do they install? Buy from them, have them install.
If you do go to Camping World, its a great time to stock on up those sheaths, covers, and boots for the tires/wheels, rear view mirrors, and windshield wipers. From what I’ve seen CW has a great selection of that kind of stuff.
Obviously if Jeff Rowe says he does them and I’m close by, that is where I’d go.
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Tom…
Best place in Texas is M&G Engineering in Athens TX…Awesome service and they also install the M&G braking system..They will do it while you wait if you make an appointment and are cheaper than anyone else we have encountered… will also order the baseplate for you and the Blueox if needed.
Cheers, Diane
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I agree with Diane. Ask Blue Ox and/or M&G /Braking for recommendations. They should have people all over the country that do this for them.
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Thanks everyone. We have decided to hold off buying Jeep until we get back to Austin in September and have our towbar guy install it. Plus they have a huge lot so we can overnight.
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Tom & Bill,
If you get near Orlando, there’s a Blue Ox dealer that installed my base plates for 1500. I bought the base plates through Amazon and had them in hand. They did a good job, but I did my own light kit.
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