Suzuki Sidekick base plate and tow bar
If you are towing a Suzuki Sidekick I would be interested in you set up. Need info on base plate and your tow bar. Thank you for any help E.P.
Forum Discussion
How much different than a Chevy Tracker? A friend set his up with a Ready Brute Elite towbar, coach mounted, and ordered the baseplate from a place I think is out of business, RVExit.com - I got a Roadmaster baseplate from the same place along with some other accessories and it worked out OK. I later heard RVExit is (was?) a stay at home mom with a computer and a bunch of catalogs. Was good to me, any problem we had she took care of, but some others weren't as pleased. Just tried to visit their web and she's gone.
You're wise to ask here! Say you want that Elite towbar. You can get it with couplings for Demco, Blue Ox and Roadmaster baseplates. At least those. So look the baseplate for your Sidekick up on all three brands. Jot the price down so you can comparison shop. But more important! Read the Installation Instructions. Some are easier to install, some are less invasive of your car, and sometimes the towbar will attach at different heights. That can make one brand more attractive to you than another. We were lucky. In our case, the coach mounted Roadmaster tow bar wants to be within 3" of level going back to the toad. Our Frontier pickup is just at the top of that 3" in the UP direction and our Corolla is right at 3" down, so no Drop adapter on the coach. That means we don't drag getting in and out of the yard.
I'm writing this with the idea you'll install the tow package yourself. For baseplate, two tips:
1. If you need to drill the frame of the toad, you need GOOD drill bits and a powerful low speed drill motor. And some cutting or regular oil to lube the bit. That metal is thin but deceptively tough.
2. If the instructions tell you to cut the plastic bumper/fascia, don't do it till you've got the baseplate mounted and can do a trial fit. I didn't cut the Corolla fascia according to the instructions. When I tried it over the baseplate, I found I had to cut about a quarter of what the instructions suggested. Roadmaster brackets aren't very stealthy, at least the older style that we have, and ours on the Corolla are about invisible.
You're wise to ask here! Say you want that Elite towbar. You can get it with couplings for Demco, Blue Ox and Roadmaster baseplates. At least those. So look the baseplate for your Sidekick up on all three brands. Jot the price down so you can comparison shop. But more important! Read the Installation Instructions. Some are easier to install, some are less invasive of your car, and sometimes the towbar will attach at different heights. That can make one brand more attractive to you than another. We were lucky. In our case, the coach mounted Roadmaster tow bar wants to be within 3" of level going back to the toad. Our Frontier pickup is just at the top of that 3" in the UP direction and our Corolla is right at 3" down, so no Drop adapter on the coach. That means we don't drag getting in and out of the yard.
I'm writing this with the idea you'll install the tow package yourself. For baseplate, two tips:
1. If you need to drill the frame of the toad, you need GOOD drill bits and a powerful low speed drill motor. And some cutting or regular oil to lube the bit. That metal is thin but deceptively tough.
2. If the instructions tell you to cut the plastic bumper/fascia, don't do it till you've got the baseplate mounted and can do a trial fit. I didn't cut the Corolla fascia according to the instructions. When I tried it over the baseplate, I found I had to cut about a quarter of what the instructions suggested. Roadmaster brackets aren't very stealthy, at least the older style that we have, and ours on the Corolla are about invisible.
