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Blue Ox
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1998 - 1999 Ford Ranger
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1. Custom Designed: The Blue Ox BX2136 Tow Bar Bracket is custom designed for each specific vehicle, ensuring a perfect fit and optimal performance.
Material: Steel
Color: Black
Finish: Powder Coat
Mounting Type: Bolt On
Mounting Hardware Included Yes/No: Yes
The Blue Ox BX2136 Tow Bar Bracket is the ultimate choice for your towing needs. Custom designed for each specific vehicle, this top-tier product ensures unmatched reliability and enduring value. Made with high-quality steel, it boasts a powder coat finish for enhanced durability and superior resistance to rust, chips, and scratches. This 'Bolt On' mounting type base plate comes complete with all the necessary hardware, making installation a breeze. The black color choice adds to its sleek appeal, blending seamlessly with any vehicle color.
Blue Ox is known internationally for recreational and commercial towing products, manufacturing in Pender, Nebraska since 1925. The line covers tow bars and vehicle-specific baseplates for flat towing behind a motorhome, sway control and weight distributing hitches, supplemental braking accessories and towing wiring, backed by patented designs and long-standing customer service.
Blue Ox has manufactured since 1925 and is recognised internationally for towing products and customer service. The company operates from Pender, Nebraska, where it grew out of Automatic Manufacturing Co., a business that started with cattle oilers and developed into agricultural equipment, tractor accessories and trailer towing hardware. That agricultural engineering heritage still shows in how the towing products are built, and the company holds patents across weight distribution, fifth wheel and tow bar designs.
Flat towing is the discipline Blue Ox is best known for. Towing a car with all four wheels on the ground behind a motorhome demands a system that stays rigid under braking, articulates properly over uneven ground, and connects to the towed vehicle at points strong enough to take the load. Blue Ox tow bars handle the first two, with self-aligning arms that latch under tension and release without a struggle when the load is off them. Vehicle-specific baseplates handle the third, engineered per make and model to tie into structural mounting points behind the fascia.
The wider flat towing range covers supplemental braking systems, safety cables and the accessories that make a complete legal setup, along with baseplate wiring and dinghy towing harnesses that pass lighting signals to the towed vehicle without back-feeding its electrical system.
For conventional trailer towing, Blue Ox weight distributing hitches with integrated sway control transfer tongue load onto the tow vehicle's front axle and resist the yaw that crosswinds and passing trucks induce.
The company describes its foundation as customer service, designing around what owners actually ask for, and it runs an RV park adjacent to the factory where customers can stay. Sister operations at the same Nebraska site include Automatic grain roller mills and MAD-RAMPS pivoting ramp systems.
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Call 888-634-94943 Years
1 compatible vehicles
| Year | Make & Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 - 1999 | Ford Ranger | Comes with Standard Attachment Tabs Install Rating 3 Bumper Fascia Must Be Removed/Replaced During Install Minor Drilling Required |
Yes, the BX2136 is specifically designed for 1998-99 Ford Ranger 4WD. The manual does not confirm compatibility with other model years or configurations.
A Class III (5000 lb) rated tow bar, hitch, and accessories are required. These vehicles weigh over 3500 lbs and require Class III equipment. Using Blue Ox baseplates with any tow bar not approved by Automatic Equipment Mfg. Company invalidates the limited warranty.
Required tools are: 3/4" socket, 18MM socket, 15MM socket, 10MM socket, 17/32" drill bit, and Loctite.
The baseplate includes: 6 × 1/2-13 × 1 1/2 hex bolts (Grade 5, zinc plated), 6 × 1/2 lock washers, 4 × 1/2 flat washers, 4 × 3/8-16 × 1 1/4 hex bolts, 4 × 3/8-16 × 1 1/2 hex bolts, 8 × 3/8 lock washers, 4 × 3/8-16 hex nylon insert lock nuts, 4 × 1/4 nut plates with wire, 2 × 1/2 nut plates with wire, 4 × 1/4 nut wires, 2 × #12-14 × 1" self-drilling screws, 2 × 10-32 × 1/2" slot round head screws, 2 × #10 lock washers, 2 × #10-32 hex nuts, 2 × 4-way connectors, 2 × 36" Class III safety cables, and 4 × 3/8" quicklinks.
Yes, the bumper must be removed. To access the bumper bolts, first remove the rectangular-shaped belly pan (held by four small bolts to the frame). Then remove one of the three bolts holding the tow hook, and remove the tow hook out the back of the bumper. Finally, remove the four nuts holding the bumper on the end of the frame rails.
Three components must be removed: the rectangular belly pan (4 bolts), one tow hook (3 bolts), and the bumper (4 nuts on the frame rails). The belly pan removal provides access to the bumper bolts. The tow hook removal allows the bumper to be removed out the back.
Yes, drilling is required. You must drill two 17/32" holes in the bottom of the frame. To locate these holes, hold the baseplate in position on the inside and bottom of the frame rails and mark the location of the two round holes in the bottom of the baseplate's end pieces. Remove the baseplate and drill the 17/32" holes at these marked locations.
The baseplate fits on the inside and bottom of the frame rails near the front of the frame. Slots in the frame will match up to slots in the end pieces of the baseplate. Hold the baseplate in position to mark the two round holes in the bottom of the end pieces before drilling.
The four nut plates supplied are used on the bolts going into the slotted holes. The nut wires are used for the two drilled holes. Flat washers are used to cover the slots. Loctite must be applied to all bolts.
Yes, Loctite must be applied to all bolts. After applying Loctite and starting all bolts, tighten them completely.
Dimensional variations between otherwise identical vehicles can be considerable. If it is necessary to allow a bolt to clear, file the hole slightly. This is a normal part of installation.
After the baseplate is fully tightened, reinstall the bumper, tow hook, and belly pan in that order.
Permanent baseplate safety cables are strongly recommended when towing a vehicle with a tow bar. They prevent the towed vehicle from breaking loose if the connection between the frame and baseplate fails. The cables must be connected from the baseplate to the frame rail or cross member of the vehicle's frame. Each cable must have an adequate weight rating for the towing system; the combined rating of two cables together does not qualify. Do not mount cables against wires, hoses, or brake lines.
No. Permanent baseplate safety cables are to be used in conjunction with, and NOT as a replacement for, legally required safety cables attaching the towed vehicle to the towing vehicle.
It is the installer's responsibility to watch for oil cooler and air conditioner lines, electrical wires and hoses, and missing parts or attaching points on the frame. If the baseplate is improperly installed against a wire or hose, it could cause fluid leaks or electrical shorts some time after installation. Do not mount permanent baseplate safety cables against wires, hoses, or brake lines.
It is the owner's responsibility to inspect all towing equipment for cracked welds, missing or worn parts, and loose bolts before each towing trip. Ensure all bolts are tightened to the recommended specifications using Loctite Red.
Yes, it is crucial to register your product online at www.blueox.com. Registration ensures you are alerted of product offerings, updates, upgrades, maintenance and safety bulletins, and/or recalls.
Remove the attachment tabs when not in use, if applicable.
Utilization of Blue Ox baseplates with any tow bar not approved by Automatic Equipment Mfg. Company invalidates the limited warranty.
Do not substitute other devices if the tow bar pin and clip are lost. Obtain replacement parts from the tow bar manufacturer.
Yes, the BX2136 is designed for 1998-99 Ford Ranger 4WD. A Class III (5000 lb) rated tow bar, hitch, and accessories are required.
Yes. Remove the belly pan (4 bolts), one tow hook (3 bolts), and the bumper (4 nuts on frame rails).
Yes, you must drill two 17/32" holes in the frame. Mark hole locations by holding the baseplate in position, then drill after removing it.
Required tools: 3/4", 18MM, 15MM, and 10MM sockets; 17/32" drill bit; and Loctite.
Yes, apply Loctite to all bolts before tightening completely.
Yes, they are strongly recommended. Cables must connect from the baseplate to the frame rail or cross member and must not contact wires, hoses, or brake lines.
Inspect all towing equipment for cracked welds, missing or worn parts, and loose bolts. Ensure all bolts are tightened to recommended specifications using Loctite Red.
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