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Blue Ox
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Original price was $699.99. Current price is $609.00.You save $90.99 (13%)
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Custom Designed: Each Blue Ox BX2218 Tow Bar Bracket is custom designed for specific towed vehicles, ensuring a precise fit and easy installation.
Material: Steel
Color: Black
Finish: Powder Coat
Mounting Type: Bolt On
Mounting Hardware Included Yes/No: Yes
Experience seamless and hassle-free towing with the Blue Ox BX2218 Tow Bar Bracket. Expertly crafted for specific vehicle models, this base plate guarantees an accurate fit. Its robust steel construction ensures unmatched strength and durability, while its black powder coat finish adds a touch of sleek style and corrosion resistance. Designed for bolt-on mounting, this base plate allows for easy installation with all necessary hardware included. Whether you're a professional or a DIY kind of person, the Blue Ox BX2218 Tow Bar Bracket is the ideal solution for your towing needs.
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
Yes, the BX2218 is designed specifically for 1997-99 Honda CR-V models. The baseplate mounts in place of the factory tie down brackets. However, you must use this baseplate only with a tow bar approved by Automatic Equipment Mfg. Company; using any other tow bar will invalidate the limited warranty.
Yes, if your CR-V has an automatic transmission. However, you must follow a critical transmission procedure: shift the transmission from drive to neutral (not from reverse to neutral) before turning off the engine and towing on all four wheels. If you shift from reverse to neutral, the transmission will remain partially in reverse and will be damaged during towing. No special pumps or drive shaft disconnects are required.
You will need: 10mm wrench, 12mm socket, 15mm wrench, 17mm wrench, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, 1/2" socket, and Loctite Blue. An assistant is also required to help hold the baseplate in position during installation.
The kit includes: one baseplate weldment (61-4977), six 10mm-1.25 x 30mm hex bolts (201-0422), two 5/16-18 x 1 hex bolts (201-0469), two 5/16 flat washers (203-0002), two 5/16 lock washers (203-0009), six 10mm lock washers (203-0104), two 10mm flat washers (203-0103), one transmission set-up decal (292-2127), two 36" safety cables (226-0046), and four 3/8 quicklinks (229-0359).
Yes. If your CR-V has a steel belly pan, it must be removed before installation and can be replaced afterward. If you have a plastic belly pan, it must also be removed. The baseplate mounts in place of the factory tie down brackets, which requires belly pan removal to access the mounting points.
You must remove: the steel or plastic belly pan, the round steel bar, and the tie down brackets from both sides of the vehicle. The belly pan bolts and the two bolts that held the cross bar will be replaced by bolts in the baseplate kit. All other hardware should be kept for reuse.
The plastic belly pan is held by seven plastic rivets and six bolts. Remove the plastic rivets by unscrewing the center with a Phillips screwdriver and prying the rivet out. Remove the four bolts using a 10mm wrench and the two bolts that attach the round bar to the tie downs using a 12mm wrench. (If you have a steel belly pan, the 12mm bolts were already removed in the previous step.)
Using a 15mm wrench, remove the tie down brackets from both sides of the CR-V. Set the brackets and bolts aside; they will not be used again.
With an assistant helping, hold the baseplate in position and start the 10mm x 30mm bolts and lock washers. Place a flat washer between the baseplate and vehicle frame on the top bolt on each side. Apply Loctite Blue to the bolts as you start them, but start all bolts before tightening any. When all bolts are started, push the front of the baseplate up as high as it will go and tighten all bolts completely.
Two 5/16 x 1 bolts, flat washers, and lock washers are provided to mount the round bar to the baseplate. If you have a steel belly pan, the round bar will be mounted along with the steel belly pan.
Yes, if you have a steel belly pan. You will need to enlarge the outside rear access holes to allow a 1/2" socket into the bolt pocket. Once enlarged, mount the belly pan using the 5/16" hardware provided. Use of Loctite on these bolts is optional.
Place the decal on the dash of your CR-V, on the tow bar, or anywhere it will remind you to properly shift the transmission before towing. The decal reminds you of the critical transmission procedure: shift from drive to neutral (not reverse to neutral) before towing on all four wheels.
Possibly. Dimensional variations between otherwise identical CR-Vs can be considerable. While the location and size of the holes in the baseplate were designed for easy installation, it may be necessary to file a hole slightly to allow a bolt to clear.
Shift the transmission from drive to neutral before turning off the engine. Do not shift from reverse to neutral. Honda automatic transmissions modified in 1989 and later can remain partially in reverse when shifted from reverse to neutral, creating a false-neutral condition that will damage the transmission during four-wheel towing. Shifting from drive to neutral ensures the transmission is completely in neutral.
Permanent baseplate safety cables are strongly recommended. 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. Do not mount the cables against wires, hoses or brake lines. These cables work in conjunction with, not as a replacement for, legally required safety cables attaching the towed vehicle to the towing vehicle.
Inspect all towing equipment for cracked welds, missing or worn parts, and loose bolts. Ensure all bolts are tightened to the recommended specifications and use Loctite Red on all bolts.
Blue Ox provides a limited warranty. However, use of the baseplate with any tow bar not approved by Automatic Equipment Mfg. Company will invalidate the warranty. For full warranty details, consult the General Instruction Sheet included with the baseplate.
Yes. Register your baseplate online at www.blueox.com. Registration is crucial so you can be alerted of product offerings, updates, upgrades, maintenance and safety bulletins, and recalls.
Yes, the BX2218 is designed for 1997-99 Honda CR-V. Use only with tow bars approved by Automatic Equipment Mfg. Company.
Yes. Shift transmission from drive to neutral (not reverse to neutral) before turning off the engine. Shifting from reverse to neutral will damage the transmission.
10mm and 12mm wrenches, 15mm wrench, 17mm wrench, Phillips and flat screwdrivers, 1/2" socket, and Loctite Blue. An assistant is required.
Yes, the steel or plastic belly pan must be removed. It can be replaced after baseplate installation.
Six 10mm x 30mm hex bolts with lock washers. The top bolt on each side requires a flat washer between baseplate and frame. Apply Loctite Blue before installation.
Strongly recommended. They prevent the towed vehicle from breaking loose if the baseplate connection fails. Mount cables from baseplate to frame rail, not against wires or hoses.
Before each towing trip, inspect for cracked welds, missing or worn parts, and loose bolts. Tighten all bolts to recommended specifications using Loctite Red.
1 compatible vehicles
| Year | Make & Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 - 1999 | Honda CR-V | Comes with Standard Attachment Tabs Install Rating 2 |
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