base plate for toad is bent

[cdl2]

I'm towing a 2000 Chevy Tracker
I have Blue Ox base plate & tow bar.
The left side attachment tab is bent down
I have no idea how this happened
Any idea's how this happened & what I can do to fix it
I've contacted Blue Ox too
Thanks

[tropical36]

Pirate wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

cdl2 wrote:
I got the bolts & nuts from Blue Ox, & finally removed the grill cover & the bumper cover.
The left side(drivers side) of the base plate is bent down.
I tied to push it up & get the holes to line up.
No luck with that.
A new base plate is $430.

Ya gotta be kidding me. It's bent and they actually have their hand out for $430, when they should be giving you the #430, so you can buy something worth having. Am I just imagining things or is it actually true of most all tow bar and base plate failures, I've read about, involve Blue Ox?
And then, I keep hearing that they are such a good company, because they stand by their product and will readily replace defective items. HELLO!.....and having a bullet proof product is what one should be looking for, not one that repeatedly fails and gets replaced with the exact same part.

BLue Ox makes great products. Why should they replace this due to install error? I've been here for years and can count on one hand (maybe) the number of BLue Ox failures.

And how many DEMCO or other brand failures, have you heard of and wouldn't begin to know, how you could possibly bend mine? Even one, is one too many and especially if it might be yours. Also, what's with this long bar that I see on a Blue Ox and one that must be stored somewhere, if you don't want to be carrying it around on the front of your toad?
As for having a toad with a frame, most certainly if you can and with mine, it doesn't just bolt to the frame, but is in behind the bumper plates, before being bolted, so technically, even with broken bolts it can't just pull off straightaway and with side bolts, as well it can't come out from behind the frame plates.

[traveylin]

Using a toad with unibody construction is a typical starting point that leads to unsafe conditions. The sheet metal used to form the body flexes at base plate attachment points and work hardens leading to failure. A breakaway break system is a Band-Aid on a bad situation. Purchase a toad with a real frame to bolt your base plate on and avoid most of your breakaway problems

[Pirate1]

tropical36 wrote:

cdl2 wrote:
I got the bolts & nuts from Blue Ox, & finally removed the grill cover & the bumper cover.
The left side(drivers side) of the base plate is bent down.
I tied to push it up & get the holes to line up.
No luck with that.
A new base plate is $430.

Ya gotta be kidding me. It's bent and they actually have their hand out for $430, when they should be giving you the #430, so you can buy something worth having. Am I just imagining things or is it actually true of most all tow bar and base plate failures, I've read about, involve Blue Ox?
And then, I keep hearing that they are such a good company, because they stand by their product and will readily replace defective items. HELLO!.....and having a bullet proof product is what one should be looking for, not one that repeatedly fails and gets replaced with the exact same part.

BLue Ox makes great products. Why should they replace this due to install error? I've been here for years and can count on one hand (maybe) the number of BLue Ox failures.

[Pirate1]

wildmanbaker wrote:
I guess I know my place now.

No, you had a good point but towing 3-5K lbs at 65mph should call for no compromise on safety. Your belief is great for the tractor or something like that.

[tropical36]

cdl2 wrote:
Tropical36......Thanks
But I'm starting to think it might be my fault, at least in part.
I managed to recover 2 of the nuts from inside the cars frame.
Neither had the remains of a bolt, that rules out sheared bolts.
Now I need to figure out if I can bend the base plate back up.
I'm sure I can't do it while its on the car.

Can you possibly use a different brand base plate and get some adapters to fit your tow bars?
I just can't imagine my Demco base plate doing anything, other than to pull the Jeep's frame apart into two pieces, maybe.

[cdl2]

Sonora......what about a automobile frame straightening shop?

[sonora]

Any kind of welding repair shop should be able to help you.

[cdl2]

Wildman......a bottle jack was my first try.....didn't get it even close.
Plus I was worried about the load on the base plate after I got the bolts in.
What kind of shop would you suggest?
I'm going to remove the base plate today.

[wildmanbaker]

Have you tried using a jack to raise it into place? If you can't, try removing it and take to a shop with a large press to try to re-shape it.

[cdl2]

Tropical36......Thanks
But I'm starting to think it might be my fault, at least in part.
I managed to recover 2 of the nuts from inside the cars frame.
Neither had the remains of a bolt, that rules out sheared bolts.
Now I need to figure out if I can bend the base plate back up.
I'm sure I can't do it while its on the car.

[tropical36]

cdl2 wrote:
I got the bolts & nuts from Blue Ox, & finally removed the grill cover & the bumper cover.
The left side(drivers side) of the base plate is bent down.
I tied to push it up & get the holes to line up.
No luck with that.
A new base plate is $430.

Ya gotta be kidding me. It's bent and they actually have their hand out for $430, when they should be giving you the #430, so you can buy something worth having. Am I just imagining things or is it actually true of most all tow bar and base plate failures, I've read about, involve Blue Ox?
And then, I keep hearing that they are such a good company, because they stand by their product and will readily replace defective items. HELLO!.....and having a bullet proof product is what one should be looking for, not one that repeatedly fails and gets replaced with the exact same part.

[cdl2]

I got the bolts & nuts from Blue Ox, & finally removed the grill cover & the bumper cover.
The left side(drivers side) of the base plate is bent down.
I tied to push it up & get the holes to line up.
No luck with that.
A new base plate is $430.

[enblethen]

Let us know how you make out!

[cdl2]

I'm going to order the bolt kit from Blue Ox......its $40.
When it gets here I'll remove the front end pieces
I'm pretty sure I can get the base plate to line up again.

[wildmanbaker]

Right on the money Tripical36. When I installed ours, it came with 4 shim plates for manufacturing variances. These cars are part actual formed frame rails and formed sheet build-up. It is very hard to help when all you get is a description. Seeing it in person in quite another thing.