Base plate pulled off

You are correct about pulling on a horizontal cross member, but both the Jeeps that I built plates for, and a couple others that I helped install, were pulling on the main boxed frame rails that run for and aft, and also supported by the crossbar. I'm not an engineer, but it all looked good to me.
All brackets bolted thru the boxed frames have backup plates that are the life line of the engineering. If a person were to short cut it and not use the backup plates, would be a real good reason for the frames giving way.
If the base plate itself comes apart, I would have to say the welder was not a welder at all !

Back when I was trying to decide on 4-down or dolly I found pictures on the web of several uni-body vehicles with base-plate separation problems.

It seems that uni-body are not that strong with the front cross-member that attaches the radiator, etc. This is were the base-plates were attach and pulled out of. They ripped that part of the uni-body away. Some pictures were on on other RV forums.

Vehicles having a real frame do not have this potential problem.

As you say most base plates have a place for cables, I can tell you my base plate for my 2003 Jetta had neither a place for the cable or cables it self so not all base plates are the same, Mine came from Blue Ox and looked like some drunk or blind guy had built it or they made a template off a wrecked car, Just my thought's never again would I buy from Blue OX.

For ya'alls information, the law says that you must have a safety cable/chain capable of holding control of the toad if any part of the hitch fails.
The receiver on the MH, nor the base plates on the toad, are part of the hitch.
Many base plates have provision for connecting the safety cables to the base plates, not around the frame.
When I built my base plates, I stopped at the RV Towing place that specializes in 4 down, to get some short loop cables to go around the frame, but he didn't have any. Then is when he informed that they always just connect to the base plates, that that was all the law required. So I went back home and welded 2 loops onto the base plates, and connected the coiled cables to the loops on the base plates. Since then I have seen others the same way
The '05 Jeep I had before, I built the base plates also, but I installed loop cables around the frame to connect the coiled cables to, only because I thought the law required it.

I had a blue ox base plate put on our Ford C-Max, they have safety cable (as posted above) that wrap around the frame, looks like it would prevent the base plate from coming off, it could come loose I suppose if all the bolts failed? Lost a boat one time on a gravel road, felt a little bump, then noticed a boat trying to pass me on the passenger side. I've learned how to hook up a vehicle since then.

I installed a BlueOx base plate on our 2007 Malibu. Two steel safety cables were provided with the base plate. They wrap around the front frame member and the base plate. If the base plate comes loose it would definitely destroy the front grill and bumper put the cables will keep it attached to the car.

If he had safety cable hooked up and it pulled the switch the brakes would have come on pronto, on the car. May have happened as I can't tell from description.
I'm not sure if the brakes would lock up immediately, my impression with air brake cylinder and tank or gradually. Sine he didn't hit the fence too hard, presumably being towed at speed it may have been hooked up.

falconman wrote:
So where are the safety cables attachéd? The base plate?

Doesn't make sense if they are. My tow bar is fastened to my aftermarket bumper with attachment points we fabricated and then the cables fasten to the frame underneath the

Jeep. I looked at the baseplate that came with my tow bar and thought, seriously? Who welded that.

falconman wrote:
So where are the safety cables attachéd? The base plate?

Exactly what I was wondering. Apparently they skipped that step of the installation. Having installed two of these now, there's no way it comes free even if ALL the bolts shear off.

So where are the safety cables attachéd? The base plate?