Demco Tabless Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
This item does not fit your vehicle
2018 Ford Transit T350
These items fit your vehicle
2018 Ford Transit T350
To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
If you like your front end to stay clean and uncluttered when you’re not towing, this kit keeps it that way. The tabless design means no crossbar or bulky brackets stick out, and the tabs stay attached to your tow bar instead of the vehicle. When you’re done towing, the included high-density polyethylene receiver covers snap into place to keep dirt and debris out of the sockets so everything stays smooth for next time.
Connecting your tow bar is quick and simple with the twist-lock system. Just slide the tabs into the base plate receivers, twist to lock, and drop in the included pull pins for security. When it’s time to disconnect, pull the pin, twist, and slide out—no wrestling or tools needed. The setup feels solid every time you hook up.
This base plate bolts directly to the chassis with no welding required. Its sturdy steel build spreads towing force evenly across the frame, which helps reduce stress on the suspension. The dependable design is made for long-distance use and built to give confidence mile after mile.
If you already have a tow bar setup you like, there’s no need to replace it. This base plate works with Demco, etrailer, Blue Ox, Demco Kwik-Tow, and Curt Rambler tow bars without an adapter. For Roadmaster setups, Demco offers adapters DM9523036, DM9523062, DM9523014, or DM9523023 (sold separately). An electrical bracket is included so you can easily mount a round plug up front for a neat wiring setup.
The kit comes with all hardware and clear instructions for a straightforward bolt-on install—no welding required. Once in place, everything lines up securely and stays tight. Specs are distance between brackets: 30-1/2" and bracket height: 16". It’s a solid weekend project that leaves you ready for reliable towing without extra fabrication work.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hello neighbors, it's Brad here from Etrailer. And today I'm in Boyden, Iowa at the Demco headquarters and manufacturing facility where we got to see Demco products made. And these are all products that I handle on a daily basis when doing flat tows, fifth wheels, or even couplers. They cover so many different towing products and they have plenty of experts here to break down some of their products a little bit more, to give you some understanding as well as allow me to ask those questions on products that I handle every day. So Verlin, when it comes to flat down vehicle, one of the main components is gonna be a base plate. So what is a base plate So the base plate is basically where the tow bar is going to attach from the motor home to the towed vehicle.
And you'll see here today, we've got a base plate already installed on this Colorado, and then we've got another one just sitting here so people kinda get an idea of what it looks like. But it's our attaching point to the frame of the vehicle, basically. Brad So yeah, I mean, as you're towing a vehicle, it's essentially becoming a trailer. It's like making sure that you have a coupler that's gonna be strong enough to tow it. Verlin Absolutely.
So you also have a few attachment points along with any flat tow components, not only just the arms, but also safety chain loops as well as some of your components. Six pole braking systems along that as well. Yeah, so talk through that a little bit. So this particular base plate in this application on a Colorado, we happen to remove the OEM tow hooks and we're bolting into the tow hooks. And then we're reinforcing that because a flat tow is just a little bit different than towing your vehicle out of the snow or the mud.
You know, you've got the stopping and the turning forces that are a little bit different than your standard let's tow it out of the mud type situation. So that is what those brackets are. Yeah, we've got the attaching points there. Also include the little bracket here for four-point or six-point electrical connection, as well we've got the holes built in for the airline connection. And I see you've got the tab there in your hand, Brad.
That's right. Yeah, and that's something, you know, you're not always flat towing your vehicle and you wanted to kind of go back to a OEMs look. And that's where removable arms come in place. So pretty simple. These just slide in, give it a quarter turn, and then you're gonna be able to put that pin in place and it's ready to go. You can hook your tow bar up. But you guys also include, got some caps here. Verlin Yeah, there's a little packet of caps and basically kind of snap the cap off when you're ready to tow. Put the removable pull tab in there and you're set to tow. When you're done, keep the dirt water and road debris out. Just snap the cap right in place. Brad Now the safety cables, what's the point of the safety cables So you know, Demco is always really concerned about everybody's towing as safely as possible. And while we build these to the best of our ability and FEA test all of our base plates before they go out into production, there's always a chance that something catastrophic could happen. And in that event, we have a extra set of safety cables. So we have one set of safety cables coming from the coach to the truck. This set of safety cables is going to attach to the base plate and around a secure part of the frame. So in the event we had a bolt failure or something to that effect, we do have one more secondary link to keep that towed vehicle behind your motor home. Now traditionally, if you're looking at base plates, they're ever seen them depending on the vehicle, they don't all look like this. Absolutely not, no. And every vehicle is different. So when our engineers design a base plate, they've got to look at the structure behind the front face shield of the vehicle and find out what is the best, safest, and strongest way to tow that vehicle. And they use computer modeling as well as FEA testing on every base plate to make sure that we're gonna keep that vehicle behind your motor home. So today it's on a Colorado, but there's also, we got a few other vehicles. Absolutely. You can cover a whole spectrum of vehicles with base plates. Absolutely, yeah. If the vehicle's towable, we try to get a base plate to fit it. And what we do there is we have a network of auto dealers around the area here that we work with as well as customers bring in their vehicles and we'll fit them up and design a base plate for their vehicle. And not only is the base plates gonna be your foundation for flat towing, but you guys also offer tow bars, braking systems, really everything to get your car down the road. Absolutely, yeah. Brad After seeing your guys' manufacturing facility, I got to see these made in America. Verlin Made right here in the USA, right in Boyden, Iowa. Awesome, thank you Verlin. All right, thank you.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
93% were satisfied with this product
7% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Quality product with fast free shipping. Although it arrived with damage to the box from the baseplate moving around during shipping, there was no damage to the baseplate itself. Installed relatively easily according to the instructions.
Product seems very well designed and manufactured. Minor reaming of a couple of the holes was needed to align with truck frame. We used it with a Blueox tow bar so towing was flawless. I highly recommend this base plate.
This was NOT the easiest install. Lots of grinding and cutting of stock parts. Then the effort required to align all the holes after said grinding and cutting took considerable effort. eTrailer needs to do specific video on this product so buyers know what to expect. I can say this product is worth the effort but boy oh boy know what you’re getting into.
Very easy to install except for one item. The core support bolt holes need to be moved out about 1/4 inch. Had to trim the hole on the plastic shutter surround. Otherwise great fit on 2026 Ford Ranger. I’ve done many of these and this was the easiest. Price is definitely too much. Haven’t towed with it yet but looking forward to it.
Now that I have actually used the tow bar and base plates I am very happy with my purchase. Sets up easy and when not in use the cover plates make for a great appearance on the truck.
Order was shipped and received timely. Both products purchased look to be well made. Haven’t installed yet currently using a demco set up on a 2001 Cherokee sport. Up graded to a 2020 wrangler needing a new base plate and lighting. Eager to install on the new buggy!
Straight forward install. I have towed the Maverick about 7000 miles with no issues. The pins are a wee bight tight when mating to my Blue Ox tow bar. But that is loosening with time. A nice improvement would be a heavy duty mount for the umbilical plug
Lock tight both TUBES hard as a rock.
YOU Don't need lock tight at all as all threads in the nuts are lousy and no way to hand start anything. Had to run 4 or 5 bolts through each nut with an impact to free them up a bit. They should have piolet starter on each bolt and all threads should be clear enough for a hand start. This kit worked well as it does not require the bumper to be removed. BUT: LOUSEY BOLTS AND NUTS ADDED AT LEAST 30 MIN TO FIGHTING EVERY BOLT TO GET IT STARTED. 5 STARS FOR THE KIT. 1/2 STAR FOR THE BOLTS WITHOUT PIOLET AND NUTS THAT CAN NOT BE HAND STARTED.
I use only Demco baseplates as they are the only brand that mount with no cutting or drilling. The Excalibar tow bar is very well made and handles my Jeep Gladiator with ease. It's also very simple and easy to hook and unhook. The excellent "how to" videos from etrailer sure helped me make the correct purchase decision.
Was able to install without issues using 2 washers between base plate and the upper brace and none on the bottom, otherwise followed the video. Works great!
Just installed the Demco Tabless Base Plate and included 6 pin wire bracket. It was very straightforward and anyone who is a little mechanically inclined, can do it with ease. The etrailer video was incredibly helpful. I followed it step by step and had no issues. I love that it is a direct bolt-to-frame base plate and does not need any modifications. I spent a bit more time cutting out the gravel guard to form-fit the tabless connectors. The adapters are sleek and blend right in to the front end. Love how it turned out.
I would give the tow bar a minus numberif possible. I bought it in hopes of not cutting up the shutter housing on my 2025 Maverick Hybrid. Well the bolt holes did not line up. I spoke with the Demco Engineers about the issue and they said that I must have a bent frame. My vehicle was two weeks old from the manufacturing date and all the rest of the pieces in the front assembly fit perfectly from Ford. I lad less then 200 miles on the unit. I made some cuts in the bar to allow more movement with the approval of Demco and still I could not get the front facia on. I called installers and they said they just cut away whatever is needed to get a tow bar on. None that I talked to at 3 places had as yet done this model installation. E trailer accepted my return and I put a roadmaster bar on.
I gave this 5 stars based on design and durability.Installation, however, is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Installation can be a real challenge, and even the best back yard mechanic might be a tad frustrated. The biggest problem in installation is NOT installing but getting ready to install. Removal od the tow bar hooks took more time than installing the base plates. We're talking a 2018 F-150 XLT Sport 4X4 crew cab. The pics show the finished product and the location of the safety can\bles.
Instructions are excellent. And thank you for the rapid delivery.
This baseplate kit is well made and trailer is great to do business with
Ease of ordering, fast shipping
Etrailer always comes through with the right part at the right price and very quickly. Thanks for all you do!
Product has been solid. We have towed several times this past year and the experience has been very smooth.
Getting the front of my canyon truck off was a little tough but the installation of the actual baseplate kit was a breeze.
Do you have a question about this Tow Bar Base Plate?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.