To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
When you’re not towing, this setup keeps your vehicle’s front end looking clean. The hidden bracket design leaves the mounting points tucked out of sight, and the removable drawbars come off with just two pins. Once those square drawbars are out, the brackets are virtually invisible and protected from scrapes or scuffs behind the grille. It’s a neat, low-profile look that still gives you solid connection points when it’s time to tow.
You can trust this base plate to hold up through miles of towing thanks to its computer-cut, all-steel construction. Every piece is engineered for strength and precision so the load stays evenly distributed through the frame. A black powder coat finish adds durability and corrosion resistance, keeping the setup in good shape trip after trip.
Getting it installed doesn’t require welding or fabrication. The kit bolts directly to factory mounting points and comes with hardware and instructions that walk you through each step. The guide includes detailed visuals showing exactly where each part fits so you can line everything up right the first time. For a complete install, a Fishwire (C58400 – sold separately) is required.
If you’re running a Roadmaster tow bar, this kit connects easily using the quick-disconnect crossbar (910021-00 – sold separately). Once in place, the hitch pin attachment keeps everything secure while still allowing quick removal when you’re done towing. It’s a simple, reliable setup that integrates seamlessly into your existing gear without extra hassle.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today, in this 2008 Ford Taurus, we're going to install part number 4415-1 from Roadmaster. To start off our install, get under the hood. Let's remove two plastic fasteners and two bolts that are attaching the top of fascia to the core support. Next, we need to go to the fender liner by the wheels. Now, we'll get underneath the vehicle. There'll be three screws we got to remove. To make things easier, we'll go ahead and turn the wheels so they're out of the way so we can remove the fasteners. Now, we'll get underneath the vehicle.
We'll have to remove three plastic fasteners attaching the center splash shield to the core support on the bottom. On this particular car, on the passenger side, there's a little extra panel that we have to remove one more bolt for. We need to do this because above it is access to your fog lights. We want to disconnect those as well. There'll be one on each side. At this point, we can go ahead and start removing the front fascia.
It's a good idea to have an extra set of hands to help do this. Starting on the corner above the wheel, we'll go ahead and gently pull out. Now, this particular vehicles a tight fit. Then we'll pull it out far enough to see the tabs. Then we'll use a small screwdriver to push down the tabs to release it.
Once you have both sides free, we can go ahead and pull the fascia and set it out of the way for now. With the fascia out of the way, there are two air deflectors that we have to remove. Theres one on each side. These will not be reinstalled. There'll be one fastener on top. It's easy to see and then there'll be two underneath the bumper structure.
Now, on each side, just lower the bumper structure but remove one bolt attaching the hood latch support to the core support. Now, we can go ahead and start installing base plates. We're going to start on the driver side. Now, we're going to take the bolt we just removed and run it through the center of the base plate and use that to hold our base plate in place. Our base plate should line up the hole in the lower sub-frame. Now we need a fish wire, one and a half-inch-long carriage bolt at the backing plate. To help us pull the bolt through, we used part number 80101-1. Now, ours didnt particularly line up that well so what we did is we went ahead and ran a half-inch drill bit through it to clean it up. Now, we ran it through the base plate into the hole in sub-frame. We thread the block through and then thread it on the bold then carefully pulled it all the way back through. Now, this may take a couple of tries. The block may hang up on the inside. Once you have the bold through, we'll go ahead and let's install the lock washer and a nut. We'll take a 5 -inch long bolt with the 2-inch backing plate then we'll go ahead and run it through the bottom of the sub-frame near the base plate. Now, youll notice theres a space in between. We'll install a cup plate washer which is like a round washer with a flat space cut into it and then apply the spacer and then into the base plate. Then on top, we'll get a lock washer and nut. Once again, we'll snug down the hardware just to keep everything together. Now, there are two holes in the base plate that we have to use for drilling out two holes in the bumper structure. First off, we'll go ahead and mark the center of the holes with a half-inch drill bit. Then we'll follow up a series of pivot holes until we eventually get to go back up to our half-inch hole size. When the holes are drilled, we can go ahead and install the hardware. We'll install a weld nut and a 1 -inch bold. We'll go ahead and take the weld nut. The weld nut will slip inside the bumper structure. At this point, we'll go ahead and start applying some Loctite to the bolts and then well install the 1 long hex bolt in a half-inch lock washer. Once you have these two bolts installed, we'll go back to the original bolts that we previously installed and add some Loctite to those. Now, we know that everythings fit and all the hardwares in place, we have everything lift installed, we'll go ahead and tighten down the bolts. Then we'll torque the bolts down as specified in the instructions. We're all finished with our driver side. Now, we're going to repeat the same process over on our passenger side. We can go ahead and reinstall our fascia. Now, we do have to do some trimming underneath. There is an opening on the bottom of the bumper fascia. On each of far corners, we're to trim out some of the plastic thats underneath of it. We'll go ahead and make a mark with a yellow marker. Then we'll take a rotary tool and cut out the pieces that will be in the way. Now, we'll go ahead and reinstall our fascia onto our car. Now, you may have to do this a couple of times. Make sure that the fascia fits back into place. You may need to trim just a little bit more to make room for the base plate. Once you have the fascia fully installed by snapping the corners back in, then we can go ahead and reinstall the rest of the hardware and the panels underneath the car. This is also a good time to reconnect the wires for the fog lights as well. We can go ahead and install the removal front bracket arms into your receivers. Then we'll go ahead and secure them in place with the 5-inch pins and clips. Now, it looks like it's a good idea to go ahead and run the pins on the center of the vehicle outwards and then install the clip. Then we'll go ahead and install the 8-inch safety cables and the QuickLinks. We'll put the QuickLink and the cable together then attach it to the connection point on the base plate. Then we'll go ahead and simply tighten them down. At this point, our base plate is fully installed and ready to accept a tow bar. With that, that will finish it for our install of part number 4415-1 on our 2008 Ford Taurus.
Ratings & Reviews
I’m very handy with tools so drilling the four holes required was a simple task. Everything fit as advertised and the quality was on point. Since I already owned a roadmaster tow bar this kit was a no brainer. My vehicle is 2017 Silverado so it was slightly different teardown of the front end. Thankfully i found a u tube video
2018 Fiat Abarth install - Videos of install from etrailer helped a bunch. My 2018 fog lights on the Abarth required some trimming on the inside of the bumper cover. Photos in the instructions did not accurately depict my 2018 Abarth, but taking the grill and fog light assemblies off of the bumper cover allowed me to see what needed trimming. Basically a 1 inch notch with the dremel did the trick. I also got the rock guardian and falcon all terrain tow bar. super quick to assemble and disconnect. CLEAN LOOKING INSTALL WHEN EVERYTHING IS REMOVED.
This base plate was installed on a 2008 Kia Spectra. The bracket is strong and not really hard to work with HOWEVER,,,,,,,,,, I am used to the BlueOx base plate which is much easier to "hook up". Unfortunately, BlueOx did not make a base plate to fit my vehicle. That is not a big problem as I'm usually not in any hurry and it only takes maybe 5 minutes longer to "hook up".
The biggest problem with the RoadMaster base plate is that due to the way it is bolted to the frame, it only allows for a 6-inch ground clearance on the front of the vehicle. I have to be very careful with any "dips" in the road, especially on cross streets. Six inches may not sound like much but since the tires are several feet behind the base plate, it reduces that ground clearance greatly. It also will not clear the concrete "stop blocks" in front of many parking spaces.
If you are not very careful and keep this in mind, you may likely bend the frame of your car when you come to one of these sudden impacts. I haven't bent anything yet but it has certainly been shocking when it hits. Most of the time, the impact will cause the base plate to scrape and lift the car to the height to clear the obstacle.
I've attached a picture with a ruler in the view.
Great product for my 2014 Wrangler. Good materials, solid attachment to vehicle, and looks good. The e trailer installation video was great for assisting installation. Made the install much quicker and easier. The most difficult procedure for me was disconnecting the wiring harness on the back of the bumper. An old tack puller (or tool of similar design) would have been great for leveraging the pins out of their holes. Cutting the air dam was a slow process to ensure I didn't cut too much. A paper template to mark where to cut the air dam would make this process much simpler. Again, I can't emphasize enough how great the installation video was for making the steps easier.
After comparing Demco, RoadMaster, and Blue Ox base plate costs, mounting procedures, etc for my 2012 Fiat Sport, I decided to go with RoadMaster (Kit #522013-1A) for two main reasons: 1) I had the tow bar and mount adapters from another product that were the same specs as the RoadMaster tow bar and adapters to attach to the base plate, and 2) no drilling or other modifications required to mount the base plates. Blue Ox (Kit #BX2800) required I buy their tow bar and other unique configuration adapters PLUS drill two half-inch holes on either side where the base plate mounted AND hammering flat the tips on the corners of the bumper bracket the frame where the base plate mounted. Blue Ox did provide better details on the removal of the facia and bolt removal and torquing actions required for the Fiat. My biggest challenge was the removal of the facia without damaging the clips or other damage to it. Once it was off, the action of removing the bumper core from the end of the frame rails and bolting on the base plate was slick! I took a little over 4 hours to do this, but it was because I wanted to do it right, without damage, and have the confidence I could tow without issues. (Not sure how sequence will show, but labeled the pictures as "Before," "Removal," "Installation," "Finished," and "Ready to Tow.")
This was the second base plate kit from etrailer that I have installed, the first being on our ‘03 Outback and this one on our new to us 2015 Subaru CrossTrek. As usual the response, shipping and delivery from etrailer was prompt and curious. They are my go to place for anything towing related.
Installation of this kit went well with only a few issues, most of which were related to our vehicle not the kit. I knew the car had been hit lightly on the LF corner, but could find nothing of concern body or frame wise when I looked the car over before buying it. Turns out the front bumper reinforcement had been tweaked a tad which made lining the bolt holes up with the holes in the base plates a tad challenging. This made the small angle brackets that go inside the frame heads tough to line up, but in the end it all fit. I did find that it was unnecessary to pull the washer reservoir or the left headlight to access the nut and washer for the long 1/2” bolt. You can easily reach and see the place from underneath after pulling the plastic encapsulation panel. When drilling that 1/2” hole be sure to angle the drill bit UP a tad otherwise you may end up having to grind a flat on the side of the large, thick washer as you can see in my picture from underneath. I used shrink wrap over the nut and bolt since there’s a wiring harness right against it. The picture of the baseplate differs a bit from the pictures so I guess they made some changes. All in all a great kit!
The Jeep project went very well everything fit great and worked well. I really love Roadmaster products and quality and your company is the best place to purchase them. I sold the Jeep and replaced it with a new 2019 Chevy Equinox 2.0 L AWD and just purchased and installed the following items from you and installed them, RM-156-25 & RM-156-75 Battery Charge Line Kit, RM-146-7 Flex Coil Kit, RM-523193-4 EZ4 Plate Kit, RM-88333 Custom Seat Adapter, RM-751489 Stop Light Switch Kit and a RM-98160 Second Vehicle Brake Kit w/brakeaway. All these parts were in stock and arrived quickly and normal with you people, I really enjoy the o-line vidios as I do all my own installs. Thank you so much for your great service.
I will attach pictures of my install, you will see how I was able to fab a bracket and attach it to the existing mount on the base plate to mount the brakeaway switch and the air connection for the brake system.
I also fabricated a tail light bar as I didn't want to use mag-lights or splice into the factory lights and bulbs installed into the lights would not work as the factory brake lights will come on when the brake system is applyed and the turn siginals would not be visable.
Thanks for all you do, I would and do recommend you people to everyone who needs your products. Rob
The installation took me about 7 hours, the facia removal was tedious , between the installation videos and instructions, I performed the task. This bar has one con, the pull rings on the removal bars are flimsy , my first pull stretched one out. I’m sure trailer has a fix for this under warranty, I hope.
Etrailer was very easy to do business with and made it simple to ship my order directly to the RV shop that was going to install it. This was my first order from them, but I will definitely consider future purchases from them if I'm in need of something for my RV.
The representative (Sarah) was very helpful and knowledgeable, the prices are very reasonable and all my items arrived on time. When I called with a question, she was very polite, friendly and genuinely sounded like she enjoyed her job. When I discovered one of the items I ordered wasn’t needed, getting help to return was hassle free. I would recommend etrailer to anyone that needs anything RV or trailer related. I will definitely do business with them again. I am impressed.
We towed our 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI 3000 miles last year, this is an ideal setup, discreet when not in use, solid, and easy to get on/off. Very please with the support I received from Roadmaster as one of the bolt was missing, was sent super quickly.
Not an easy install on a Trax but it is very well made and gives a clean look. I did customize by cutting down the 6 pin bracket supports to get it flush with front of the car.
Install pretty easy. You will have to change directions of one bolt due to obstruction ( frame). Cannot torque a few of the bolts. These are the ones with wire attached.
Rock guard needed addition trimming from factory instructions.
Awesome delivery speed, and a well made base plate for my 2007 Element. Installation was a breeze (thanks to my son’s heated shop) and I had to do no cutting to make this fit. I had a Stowmaster tow bar that came with my RV and etrailer was able to steer me to the correct missing parts to make this a really affordable installation. Now to get out of this snow!
Purchased for a 1997 Subaru Impreza. Delivery was amazingly fast! I didn't have it installed until a few months later, as my travel plans had stalled. It didn't quite bolt right on, but was close, and a friend had to modify it some to make it work. I still hear a grating noise when I turn too sharp on one side, but otherwise it's fine.
The front connection plates didn't line up with the holes, so had to have those modified, as well, in order to line up and attach to the tow bar. Once the new holes were drilled, I was able to hook up and go.
It's relatively easy to connect after finding a way to do it alone.
I've towed from CO to TX and all over TX with it with no problems.
Fit and finish is great, the illustration for what you trim on the bumper isn't great but otherwise pretty easy install (I ended up measuring between the mounts on the draw bar and just trimmed accordingly)
I’ve been purchasing products from ETrailer since 2005 and all the products I’ve purchased have been a great value. The products mentioned above installed perfectly and with the direct assistance from ETrailer everything fit as suggested. I will always interact with ETrailer as needs present themselves.
After ordering the wrong crossbar, etrailer sent the correct one for our Mini Cooper quickly. However I did have to modify most of the holes as the cross bar didn’t quite fit (but close). I had to drill the three main bolt holes to 11/16 so that the bar would go over the Mini’s 3 main bumper bolts on both sides. The two lower bolt holes (each side), needed to be drilled out 3 sizes larger to accommodate the 4 bolts that come with the kit. I had to drill out the Minis lower holes to better align with the crossbars lower holes. I would also like to note it being a pain in the knuckles to reach one of the three (each side) bolts to put the stock nuts on the bolt and then try and get them tight. (The main bolt pattern for the upper bumper is diamond shape, one up tow bolts lower. (The lower “inside” bolt on each side is the one that is hard to get to and tighten.) Sorry I didn’t get picks, I was in a rush to get the car back together. There’s an angle piece on the cross bar that blocks the hard to reach bolt, it would be helpful if that could be made more accessible to reach.
Overall the installation was great, however the process of drilling 3 - 1/2" holes in that little bumper that has a Rockwell Hardness of about 60, seems to be a bit over the top.The instructions are spot on, delivery was great, the quality of product was accurate. I am a happy boy!
Replaced same part that was damaged in a crash. I had used my original one for close to ten years without issue. Fast shipping from etrailer.
The Base plate kit is well made and came with all the necessary hardware.Installation is relatively straight forward. I did have to enlarge two of the holes that didn't quite line up. But overall I'd recommend it.
Bolted right up. Installation should be done with bumper on, as you can't fit the ends through the louvers without some convincing. Works great so far. Was able to use a Stowmaster 5000 with it.
Installation was a bit trying. Ended up looking very clean and almost invisible.
Using the tow bar worked super easy and our motorhome hardly noticed the Mini Cooper back there.
Came quickly and is very high quality. Great directions/video from road master makes the installation step by step easy to follow.
Skill level is probably at the intermediate level depending on experience.
The #118-3 is a perfect fit on my 1995 Geo Tracker. When you pull off the removable arms you would never know they are there. The Quality is very good easy to put on all you have to do is drill 4 holes the tube on the base plate fits into the tube on the frame of the tracker and with the 2 bolts it is a solid fit. I was worried about the plate nut getting it inside of the frame but it went in easy when you put it over the frame tube and use a thin piece of metal to slide it in place. I’m very happy with it. I probably could of got it on without taking my bumper off but with only 4 bolts holding my bumper on it made it easier
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