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If you like your vehicle to keep a clean, factory look when you’re not towing, this setup fits the bill. The drawbars are easily removable via two pins, leaving behind brackets that are virtually invisible once the arms are off. They mount within the grille area where they stay protected from scuffs and road debris, giving your front end a tidy, low-profile appearance.
These direct-connect brackets are computer-cut from all steel, so they provide exceptional strength for long-distance towing. A black powder coat finish adds durability and corrosion resistance, helping the hardware hold up through years of use. The heavy-duty design connects right to the vehicle frame to spread the load evenly during towing.
Because this base plate is built for strong, heavy-duty applications, it doesn’t need a crossbar. That means faster hookups and a sleeker appearance up front. The arms slide into place and secure with pins—simple, solid, and quick every time you connect your tow bar.
This kit is designed for straightforward installation with no welding required. The custom base plates ensure a perfect fit for your vehicle, and all mounting hardware and instructions are included to guide you through the process. The result is a secure setup you can handle yourself without special fabrication or complex tools.
You can pair this kit with Roadmaster tow bars that slide into trailer hitch receivers—like the Nighthawk, Sterling, Blackhawk, Blackhawk 2, Falcon, and Falcon 2—for a complete flat-tow setup. Just note that it’s not designed for tow bars that attach to a hitch ball or for use with EZ Hook safety cables that rely on a Quick Disconnect crossbar.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
92% were satisfied with this product
8% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I watched YouTube videos on how to install. I have used this a year now. It is well made and not some cheap junk. Heavy steel and I am pleased with it. As with all etrailer products I have purchased, I highly recommend. Their customer service is outstanding.
Couple issues, video for the install was completely inaccurate
Second issue was that none of the spacers included with the kit could be used as they were too thick.
Bolted right up to my 2021 Ford Expedition Max Platinum. No issues and is a snap to hook up and unhook the tow bars. The units poke right out the factory openings and are hardly noticeable when the draw bars are removed. About the only complaint I have is that the draw bars fit sloppy in the base plate adapters. They wobble a LOT but are made of very thick steel. After about 3000 miles towing so far, the draw bars are pretty heavily worn where they contact the base plate adapters.
Quality product for my new 2024 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD ST Line. Came with decent instructions that got me through installation without issue. Installation required drilling only two holes through the plastic lower grille opening for the insertion of the tow arms. Everything else was completely "bolt-on". The breakaway switch, safety cable tabs, and the wiring receptacle all fit through existing openings in the lower grille providing a "clean" finished look.
I originally purchased a Blue Ox baseplate to install since I already had a tow bar. Upon removing the front grill, I was surprised to find the used Element I had purchased already had the front bumper caps removed and 2 braces installed. Thanks to the photos on etrailer reviews and product info, I was able to determine that the vehicle had previously had a roadmaster baseplate installed! I purchased this unit and it fit perfectly onto the already installed braces. Seems very solid and high-quality so far.
A clean look on my 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid after following e-trailer's detailed installation instructions.
Put this on a 2014 Honda CR-V. This is a very well made base plate setup! The overall design, welds and powder coating are outstanding! Shipping was super fast too! The install video by etrailer was close to perfect and really helped to take the "scary" out of doing the job. The only change I would like to see in the video is during the grill removal. He says to just yank it forward to get the clips to release. Unfortunately, most of the specialized clips broke doing it this way. Had I known, I would have slipped a thin tool just below the grill to get the clips to unlock/release. Also, on the wrap around, bumper cover, some of the tabs on the bumper cover ripped out and I had to do some creative plastic welding or fiberglass resin/cloth to repair. These clips have a release tab also. I suggest finding specific videos on youtube to remove the plastic body parts and grill. I got it all done and it works perfectly! I really love the almost invisible tow receivers on the car (when the arms are removed). Our last toad was a 1997 Nissan Hardbody pickup that has permanent knee busting/shin smashing protrusions. I am super happy with everything we have bought from etrailer over the past 18 years!
It mounted up just as the instructions said it would. From previous research I was not surprised when some of the mounting did not align perfectly. Had to use a dremel tool to make it work. The product looks very sturdy from its design. I’m happy with it and look forward to RV traveling.
Good product. If you are reasonably handy and have some tools, you can install this yourself in a few hours. I'm a mechanic, it took me a little over 2 hours to install on my own toad. The fit is good, there are 4 holes you have to drill, otherwise it is plug and play. When you insert and twist lock the tow bar mounts into their sockets they feel a little sloppy but they are secure, and i never noticed any rattle when towing. Overall i give it a 4 out of 5 for easy install and clean look after install. Pic included of installed base plate.
This was a bit of a challenge to install on a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Z71. One item to be aware of, as you take off the front Facia of the truck for the install, there are two Facia "brakets" that attach to the front fenders that seem like they are use once plastic snaps. Three of the 4 snaps broke off on both sides when I removed the facia. These are about $35 a piece from Chevy and prevent you from making this a 1 day job. Additionally, there are 2 7mm screws/bolts that connect one of the coolers to the back of the bumper support and these are a real problem to get back in - over an hour of time and every 1/4" tool in my arsenal was needed to find a way to get these started. Finally, one of the Connecting Plates (Passenger side) needed to holes to be elongated to enable all the bolts to be started. Finally - you need to put the Brakaway bracket on the driver side, to have enough cable to reach you brake system. Probably have 4 hours in the disassembly and installation of the Direct-Connect Plate. Now waiting a couple days for the plastic brackets from Chevy to complete the install. Good Luck!!
The folks at etrailer are fantastic. I didn't know everything I needed to tow my car behind our RV... but they did! Everything I needed was in the boxes and the videos made it all come together. Thank you to everyone at etrailer!
Awesome instructions! Install was fairly easy. Product is very high quality and solid construction. Thank you E Trailer!
Very fast shipping, and the install was easy. Great product
Easy to install needed to replace some fasteners as they broke removing front grill was able to get them from Amazon cheap
This Road Master Direct connect base plate works perfectly for a 2020 ford transit cargo 250! Awesome service from etrailer as usual! The finished product can barely be seen through the front fascia!
I bought and installed this tow plate one year ago on my 2013 Jeep Wrangler. I bought this particular plate due to the jeep having a Barricade off-road bumper. This plate attaches a bit lower than other plates and prevented having to modify the bumper. Installation was easy involving only hand tools. The plate comes with all needed bolts and attachments. I have towed this Jeep several thousand miles behind my RV with absolutely no issues. As an aside, I use a Roadmaster Night Hawk tow bar which is also an excellent product. Both are expensive, but I believe cheaping-out on safety is no a good idea. I highly recommend this product.
This works perfect with my Roadmaster tow bar. It was a little difficult to install since I had to remove the front end of the Trailblazer, but with the good directions that came with it and some you tube videos made the installation easier.
Pathetic and just talking to Noah he states he will get to my issue later when he has time!! My car is on jacks all torn apart and I think Roadmaster gas misled advertising. This 523228-5 baseplate is NOT MADE FOR 2026 CHEVY TRAX!!!
Had these installed at Lester’s Automotive in Boerne,Texas…First class service all the way. Paul and his crew worked through lunch for over 4 hours to install these on our 2026 Ford Ranger. Also ran the wire and hooked up my auxiliary tow lights. The price for this was very reasonable and would highly recommend them for all r.v. needs even if not real close to the Boerne area. R.V park within reasonable distance if needed.
Etrailer comes through again! This was a great savings as a used kit, but it was even better than the description online. I have installed (4) baseplates on and etrailer.com has given me great videos to watch and good instructions to follow. Couldn't be more pleased with the quality, service and delivery times.
Great Service. was shipped the day we placed the order. delivered in record time;
Got what I ordered... on tome and as promised.... good place to do business.... when the need arrises i will order from them again....
the base plate kit fit very well, I had to do a little bit of grinding but after that it all bolted up well and fits great
Bought this to be able to flat-tow our 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser which some say can't be done (w/o damage to the tranny) - however - we're a couple thousand mile into the experiment and all seems to be well.
The device itself - although a bit awkward to completely remove/reinstall on the vehicle - shows no sign of weakness or operational malfunction.
For those of you who may consider doing this same thing with your Toy and are using (or intend to use) Roadmaster's Brakemaster air-actuated brake system, BE ADVISED: you WILL burn up your Cruiser's brakes UNLESS you add their 900002 adjustable pressure reducer to accommodate your "active" braking system. (Bolt hole spacing on the actuator cylinder bracket allows for mounting the reducer right on the unit inside the vehicle ;-)
One improvement Roadmaster could/should make to this baseplate setup is to provide mounting points for their Guardian series front-end vehicle protection.
It CAN be done!
R W.
12/13/2020
After a year of pointlessly hauling around that Guardian rock guard on its storage mount on the back of the motorhome, we finally got the mods to the baseplate done that should be a factory option. Woohoo, it worked!! So far as the baseplate parts themselves, the only possible concerns Ive noticed are: 1 some rust and wear of the hitch pins 2 wear at the holes in the hitch pins where the security lockskeepers pass through them. Looking into replacing the whole hitchpin setup with the same type of locking pins I use in the receiver tow hitch and baseplate arm receivers.
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Tom
1/12/2025
works great,no problems at all