Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
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2006 Ford Ranger
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2006 Ford Ranger
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This setup bolts right to the vehicle’s frame for a solid, heavy-duty connection point that can handle long hauls and tough towing conditions. The all-steel, computer-cut brackets spread the load evenly across the front end, while the black powder-coat finish keeps corrosion at bay. It’s made for the kind of confidence you want when logging thousands of miles behind a motorhome.
A big plus here is how tidy it looks once you unhook. The drawbars slip out with two pins, leaving behind brackets that are virtually invisible inside the grille area. No bulky crossbar or exposed metal—just a clean front end that stays protected from scrapes and shin bumps when you’re not set up to tow.
Because this kit doesn’t use a crossbar, connecting to your tow bar takes less time and fewer parts. The direct-connect design works with Roadmaster motor-home-mounted tow bars that slide into a trailer hitch receiver, like the Nighthawk, Sterling, Blackhawk, Blackhawk 2, Falcon, and Falcon 2. Each arm slides in easily and secures with pins so you can get on the road without fussing over alignment or extra hardware.
Everything about this kit is made to install cleanly using standard tools. The frame brackets line up where they should, and no welding is needed. Hardware and instructions come in the box to make setup straightforward for anyone comfortable turning wrenches on their own vehicle. Once it’s bolted up, it’s a sturdy, ready-to-tow foundation you can rely on trip after trip.
Ratings & Reviews
2002 Honda CR-V. Easy to install. Two and a half hours, and stopped to eat a sandwich. To install the spacers inside the roll frame on the car I used an extension magnet to reach in there and position them. As you can see NO cutting was needed on the bumper cover!
Now I have to figure out the easiest way to run the wiring for the lights.
Thanks Lauren A for your help!
Awesome instructions! Install was fairly easy. Product is very high quality and solid construction. Thank you E Trailer!
I installed this base plate on a 2018 Miata RF. I think I recall something about it taking 3.5 hours and my initial estimate was 3.5 days. It actually took a bit longer than that, but I was not pushing myself and did not have the luxury of having the vehicle on a lift but had it up on two ramps for the front wheels.
The order came pretty quickly, probably about 4 or 5 days between the time I placed it and UPS delivered it. The parts were well packaged and it came with a printed set of instructions. I had watched the video install on another Miata and if it weren't for that I'm not sure I would have tried it. I'm not a pro mechanic by any means but have worked on my own vehicles now for over 40 years. And I'm not a spring chicken either, so all the up and down working on the car can tire me fairly quickly. But if you are not in a rush and go carefully it can be done.
It took a day to do most of the disassembly. I removed both headlights and the intake tube on the passenger side. That tube came out much easier then it went back in.
The next day I got the baseplate mounted which helped to start visualizing how it all would work. All of the holes for the 6mm bolts did not quite line up with the holes in the frame. I had to file one sides worth for a bit of extra clearance. From my experience on this install you really want to leave all the bolt on the loose side till you get everything situated.
A couple of days off for rain and the then I got to work on the bracing. Initially I though I didnt need to cut the top lip of the frame but I decided to go ahead and do it anyway since that part didnt seem to sit flat when bolted from the back end. I'm still not sure its really necessary as the hump clears the metal lip without cutting it.
I also ordered a 14" long 1/2" drill bit to cut the holes in the frame. It was a Bosch bit, wasnt very expensive and it went through the metal like the proverbial hot knife. I managed to get all the big bolts installed in a day with a great sense of satisfaction.
The next day I torqued down all the bolts and the mount felt very solid. They stress that you need to install all the bolts, but honestly I can't see the 6mm bolts doing much compared to the half inch bolts that do most or all of the work. But I put them in and tightened them all the same.
A couple of days spent to install the tail light wiring and then I got back on to putting the front clip back on. My car must have had an aftermarket grill since it did not match the pictures or the video. I tried to position it carefully to see where the parts that were going to stick out would be so I didnt cut out more than I needed to. So there was a good amount of back and forth, cut and fit. In the end I had to make some extra cuts for clearance for the safety cable tabs as well as the mount for the 6 wire connector. Until I made the extra cuts the lower part of the front clip would not seat correctly. Getting the clip in the right position so it fits under the lights also takes some finagling.
Figuring out where all the bolts go back in can be interesting. Take pictures where you can. Dont be too aggressive when working with plastic parts. Overall I'm satisfied with the install, but I have yet to try and hook it up to tow.
Easy to install needed to replace some fasteners as they broke removing front grill was able to get them from Amazon cheap
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.
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.
Fast service and just as described
Perfect Fit easy install
Great. Worked so well, I got the same for a second vehicle. Could not be more pleased.
Excellent did not have a problem installation was easy did it in one hour
Ease of install is nice.This is my second Jeep Grand Cherokee install
Great products and good prices with excellent customer service.
Could not ask for better service. We have been dealing with etrailer for quite some time and they have not let us down yet. Keep up the great work and look forward to using your company in the future.
The product arrived promptly and was complete and undamaged. The attaching the hitch instructions were quite good and complete. The prepping the vehicle instructions not as good. More instruction on how to removed trim pieces would have been helpful.
Received product very quickly. Have not yet installed but preleminary inspection revealed a quality product. As always, I have received excellent service and quality merchandise each and every time I have done business with etrailer. Will do an additional follow up after installation.
Fairly easy to install with good instructions. Nothing is 100% exact so you may need a pry bar here, or to wallow out a hole there. Do NOT tighten any bolt until ALL of them are started. Otherwise, a few hours of rolling around on the ground and knocked it out.
I had one of these base plate mounts for my 99 jeep Grand Cherokee, to pull behind my motorhome. My motorhome (Gasoline) pulls it like it is nothing. In fact I leave the rear window shade open to make sure it is still back there. It tracks well and is better than a trailer. That said, when I purchased my 2010 GC, I ordered the new baseplate for it before the week was out. These plates are very solid and almost invisible when not in use. Very good product for what I use it for.
Excellent fit, so much so you can't even see the receivers hidden under the bumper. Very well engineered product.
This baseplate was pretty easy to install. No modification to the vehicle were needed just removal of some parts and reinstalling parts. The thing I like the most is that its not visible when the arms are removed. So my wife’s Grand Cherokee still looks normal.this is an outstanding upgrade so we can tow which ever jeep we want to have as a toad.
Brooke M.
7/9/2025
That's great to hear, Paul :) Having options is always freeing. What other kind of Jeep do you have?
Brooke M.
7/11/2025
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Dennis
5/17/2017
These work very well, Ive had one on my Jeep GC toad for a few years now and it still works as good as it ever has.