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These direct-connect brackets bolt straight to the frame to handle heavy-duty towing without extra crossbars or adapters. The all-steel, computer-cut construction spreads the load evenly and provides exceptional strength through thousands of miles on the road. A black powder coat finish keeps corrosion away and helps the setup look clean after every trip.
When you’re not towing, pull two pins and remove the drawbars to leave a nearly invisible front end. The partially hidden bracket design tucks inside the grille where it stays out of sight and protected from scrapes and scuffs. It’s a simple way to keep your vehicle’s factory look while still being ready to hook up anytime.
Because these base plates are designed for strong, heavy-duty applications, there’s no need for a crossbar between the arms. That means fewer parts, faster hookups, and a sleeker appearance when connected to your tow bar. Everything lines up cleanly for an easy, confident connection every time you set up to tow.
The kit includes mounting hardware and instructions, so you can handle installation with basic tools at home. You’ll remove the front grille and bumper to reach the mounting points, then bolt everything up with no welding required. Even first-time installers report that the process is doable with patience, making it a solid day’s project in the driveway.
This base plate kit works with Roadmaster tow bars that slide into trailer hitch receivers—like the Nighthawk, Sterling, Blackhawk, Blackhawk 2, Falcon, and Falcon 2. Each drawbar secures with simple pins for a solid connection every time you tow. Just note that EZ Hook safety cables for Sterling tow bars don’t attach here since these brackets skip the quick-disconnect crossbar entirely.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
94% were satisfied with this product
6% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Excellent base plate, just as my wife requested, she didn’t want too much metal visible in front of the bumper. Installation instructions were a bit confusing for me, but I’ll clarify, for me.
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.
Great company to dill with
\Excelent service grate product thank y ou
Service was great I received my item on time.
Easy install.
Great fit, easy install works great
Great company to deal with and what makes it great in addition to the products is the customer service that is given. Samantha was knowledgeable and answered all of my questions. A pleasure to know quality service and products are available. Thanks, Samantha.
Our transaction was so easy and Martha was so helpful and our order arrived 2 days early! I will certainly do business with etrailer again
Working just as expected. Great install instructions.
Makes towing simple.
I once had to disconnect to make a 7 point turn in my 40 foot RV.
Disconnect and reconnect took about 5 minutes total.
Installation only require I drill a total of two holes.
GMC's construction did require I remove the front bumper to remove the existing recovery hooks. Anyone that works on a GM will tell you that you need to drop the fuel tank to facilitate changing the windshield wipers (kidding...kind of.)
Total install time was about 3 hours by myself.
Installation was simple, if you have basic mechanical know-how. I just drove from WA to Chicago towing my 07 GMC Sierra (Falcon 2 tow bar) and it was super smooth sailing. Top notch product.
Victor
3/31/2019
The tow bar still going strong after a year. After the original WA-Chicago trip Ive gone to KY, FL, PA, VA, TX, CO, UT, and back to WA. Worth every penny!
Easy installation and works as intended. Quick delivery. I’m very satisfied!
Roger
3/18/2025
One year out and no issues. All works as planned.
Chris R.
3/18/2025
Pulled entire length of route 66 and then some. We had absolutely no issues with all of our etrailer equipment. Thanks for all of your help.
The baseplate went on with relative ease; However, I had to do some modifications accommodate the brush guard. The instructions stated that I needed to remove the brush guard. I was able to work around that, and fixed it so that I could leave the tow bar mounted when arriving at my location. I pull my Suburban behind a diesel pusher motorhome. It Pulls much easier that I thought it would. I don't advise anyone to try this unless they have access to a machine shop, and are ready to drill some holes. It has been in place for over a year and still works good.
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Lance
8/13/2024
Product works as anticipated, no issues.