base plate for toad is bent

Did you run into something - or did someone run into you? I would think it's compromised at this point and would need to be replaced. Perhaps you could have a welding shop look at it, but for the price of new baseplates I am not sure I would trust it and just get a new one.

Did you perhaps back the toad up?

Having had my toad pass me at a stoplight!!!!! my honest opinion is get a new baseplate installed. Luckily it was on a back road at a slow speed and nobody was involved, other than the toad which had the front end ripped off.

I never back up with the toad hooked up.
I would have known if I hit something.
I looked for mark's on the tab, but I couldn't see any.
If somebody hit me, I'd think there would be a mark on the tab????

Look to make sure the three mounting bolts are there and tight.
Inspect cross bar to see if it is twisted.
I am guessing that the bolts came loose and twisted the crossbar. You maybe able to straighten, however best answer is replace it!
Blue ox Instructions

Which tab is bent? The safety cable tab, or the actual tow bar connection?

The tow bar connection.
It's bent down.

cdl2 wrote:
The tow bar connection.
It's bent down.

In that case i would replace the base plate.

Back when I had a class C I turned to sharp and basically skid the toad sideways.
Everything held and didn't even realize it until afterwards.

On my Demco base plate, the two tabs were the tow bar tang slips in bent several times, after straightening them out the third time I added a supporting plate on each side about 3/8 in thick that stopped just short of the L pin hole. This prevented the attach plates from bending. They were were only about 1/4 in and thick.