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11-14-2019, 03:44 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Holyoke Massachusetts
Posts: 33
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Base Plate Blues
My wife and I completed our first year with our Class C Freelander. We live in Western Mass and our trips this summer to Maine, Vt , NY and the Cape did not make us miss not having a toad. We simply Ubered to get out and about.
Realizing that this would not work when we decided to expand our travels, I bought a Ford Fiesta with the intention to tow 4 down. Much to my dismay I’ve received quotes ranging from $3500 to $$5600 to install the base plate and towing package. I looked at a video and I know that this is not something I want to tackle myself. Is this the going rate or should I expand my search?
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11-14-2019, 03:59 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,565
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Buy a dolly and go that route.
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11-14-2019, 04:17 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 606
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Few years back I had a bought a new 2015 Fiesta and a tow dolly. The tow dolly was a Master Tow brand which I think is the best. It cost me about $1800 brand new with electric brakes. Couple of years later we now tow a Jeep Wrangler and sold the tow dolly for $1100.
When you get good... after say 25 times of attaching the Fiesta to the tow dolly. It is less than a 8 minute process. Don't let people tell you otherwise... it's not that bad, and does not take that long. Drive up and put it in park, insert one pin to secure the ramp, two safety chains around the arms behind the tires, two straps over the tires and you're done.
The down sides... you will need gloves the tires are dirty and will make your arms and hands black. You will need to be nimble enough to lean, sit, or get under the car to hook up the chains. Im in my 40's so still easy if your older or think you might have a hard time, try it out first. Call the sales lot, and asl them if they will hook it up to a truck and show you how to drive up and secure your car before you buy it.
P.S. My 2018 Jeep cost around $3800 to get all set up to flat tow.
Good Luck.
__________________
1998 Prevost Vogue XL 40' Riveted
500HP Detroit Diesel, side radiator, tag axle, IFS
We have RV'ed in ALL of the lower 48 and into Canada.
2019 Fleetwood *SOLD*
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11-14-2019, 04:17 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 5,309
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Check around. Look into Ready Brute Elite. Fairly complete tow-bar, brake package at a reasonable price. If not in a hurry, check with camping world as every now and then they have a good deal on a complete towing package including installation.
__________________
Tom
2016 Newmar Bay Star Sport 3004
2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport Willys
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11-14-2019, 04:20 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 32
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not sure what you are including in the "towing package" but the following are examples of costs
Base plate $500
Tow bar $1000
Auxiliary Brake system $1100
Misc cables & wiring $400
Base plate and wiring installation $750
Cost of tow dolly with surge brakes $1500
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11-14-2019, 04:29 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Sarnialabad, Peoples Republik of Canuckistan
Posts: 2,223
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Bad memory, but I think we paid around C$4500+ all in to get our 2016 Wrangler JKU tow ready, using all Blue Ox equipent, an Aventa LX tow bar and cables, BO baseplate and tailight/battery charge wiring, and Patriot II wired/wireless aux braking system.
__________________
2018 (2017 Sprinter Cab Chassis) Navion24V + 2016 Wrangler JKU (sold @ ????) - 2016 Sunstar 26HE (sold @ 4600 miles) - 2002 Roadtrek C190P (sold @ 315,000kms)
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11-14-2019, 04:38 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 248
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I am going the ready brute eleate route.
It has a surge brake built in, so it is the lowest cost solution.
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11-14-2019, 08:42 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: San Jose, Ca, USA
Posts: 2,691
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Since we're comparing costs, here's what we spent a couple of months ago for our 2017 JKU:
Ready Brake Elite Tow Bar: $1150
Ready Stop Breakaway: $97.99
Blue Ox Base Plate: $414.52
Hopkins Plug & Play Wiring Kit: $52.95
Total: $1715.46
Then we added another $300 to have the base plate installed on the Jeep. I tried to do it myself, but there are 2 bolts on the front bumper that I couldn't get to because they were behind a vacuum pump.
__________________
Alan Hepburn - San Jose, Ca
2007 Bounder 35E being pushed by a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Sport S or a 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU) Sport S
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11-15-2019, 03:08 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Caldwell Idaho
Posts: 79
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Used tow bars sell cheap on Craigslist. You can find one of the major brands for $300 or less. Base plate is $300 to $500. Brake Buddy less than $1000. Wiring package about $200 from etrailer. None of this is rocket science to install. Find a small independent shop (not a Camping World type dealership) to install. You can be in the whole package for not much over $3000.
To use a tow dolly you will need a more complicated light/brake controller package installed, probably a hitch, and you will have a seperate vehicle to license and insure annually. To use rv spaces where you cannot leave the trailer attached, you will have to unload the vehicle, then park the trailer, then park the rv. Backing an rv to reattach the trailer is more difficult than hitch a car because the placement does not need to be precise. The trailer adds exta weight to tow and does not tow as well as a vehicle 4-down.
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11-16-2019, 09:48 AM
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,519
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I'd say $3000-$3500 is the going price for professionally installed system. Probably $4000 if you let them supply all the components (dealer price mark-ups). DIYers can do much better, but it takes more than a bit of wrenching skill.
You can reduce the price somewhat with a Ready Brute Elite tow bar & brake - it's the lowest priced package solution I am aware of. Can probably get out the door for around $2500.
Note that New England prices tend to be high on vehicle & Rv work and parts. You might consider getting the work done further away from home. In any case, shop around - you have already seen a wide price spread for the job.
__________________
Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
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11-16-2019, 09:52 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: SD
Posts: 897
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Re read post #3 before going the dolly route.
If you are young OK but if older and not too nimble using a dolly will be problematic especially during inclement weather.
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2012 Dynamax Dynaquest 390 XL
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11-16-2019, 01:32 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 30
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Base Plate Installation
Understand your dilemma. Recently went through same problem. After I found the proper base plate and tow bar for my vehicle I priced them out on Amazon. Then looked for YouTube mounting videos and down loaded them on my smart phone.
Base plate mounting was the most expensive part of deal when contacting potential shops to do the work. Accessibility to car frame for mounting base plate without lift was biggest problem.
I then went to several independent garages inquiring as to what their shop rate was and explained the work I wanted done. I showed the installation movie to the shops so they put together a quote for the man hours required to do the job.
There was a large savings on parts and using Amazon prime with no charge for shipping. There was about a 40% savings using a non RV related install garage.
__________________
2009 Jayco Greyhawk 31SS
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11-16-2019, 01:46 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 606
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rfkurtz
I then went to several independent garages inquiring as to what their shop rate was and explained the work I wanted done. I showed the installation movie to the shops so they put together a quote for the man hours required to do the job.
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I do not argue there MAY be savings but what is the hourly shop rate of a garage VS a specialty RV place?
I saw this first hand when I shopped getting my 2018 Jeep ready to flat tow.
For me it was a $10 an hour difference higher for the RV place VS garage. This place was a specific RV shop but privately owned not corporate. They sold and installed hundreds of them and understand the complexity and what is required to install properly. But this place told me they would only install what they sold me.... no bringing in your own stuff even if factory sealed. This shop offered me a warranty.
The other place was like I said $10 an hour cheaper but first, they had never installed one and second, they quoted an extra 1.5 hours of labor loosing me any discount that I saved on labor and parts. Also no warranty.
Sometimes savings look good but in the end you really don't save that much.
Good Luck!
__________________
1998 Prevost Vogue XL 40' Riveted
500HP Detroit Diesel, side radiator, tag axle, IFS
We have RV'ed in ALL of the lower 48 and into Canada.
2019 Fleetwood *SOLD*
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11-16-2019, 04:00 PM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Wisconsin, Florida
Posts: 62
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We were outfitting 2018 wrangler. Craigslist ad for complete setup taken from 2016 wrangler. Blue ox Aventa tow bar, baseplate, complete set of cables. Complete wiring setup. Patriot brake with bag.
You couldn't even find dirt on anyting. Baseplate install 150.00. Everything else myself. Shop around for that lucky strike.
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