Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

I just had my base plate installed by a local Auto body shop. It is winter right now where I am so have not towed my vehicle yet, but the person who installed it said it was a very easy and straight forward installation. He also installed the lighting kit RM-152-LED, and he was happy with that install as well. So far I have been happy with all the products I have purchased from e-trailer and like the clean finished look on my 2016 Ford Fiesta. My only wish is that I would have ordered the receiver inserts with my other products. It would be nice if they were included in the kit or at least maybe a recommendation along with the kit. Although, I will be ordering them, I think it will give the car an even better look and keep the receivers clear of debris. I can't wait until spring when I can test everything out by towing it behind my motorhome!600571

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by: Rose 07/15/2021

Excellent product..price was right..this is a difficult DIY installation.1094470

Our Roadmaster base plate and tow bar are still going strong..we use the rig about 7 months of the year and it is holding up beautifully...so glad we went with this product from etrailer

Rose - 07/16/2022

144399

Hi, I purchased a Roadmaster 524438-5 EZ 5 base plate from you. The installation was straight forward except there was a nut welded onto the inside of the driver side frame rail. I couldn't chisel it off so I had to expand the lower and upper bolt holes to accommodate the slightly off kilter angle of the bracket. Hopefully the pictures I provided will show the situation. The end product is very nice looking. Much better than the previous bracket on my '05 PT Cruiser.409933

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Easy to understand instructions, videos were informative. Well made solid sturdy product nice paint job, quick shipping.1400347

Instructions were somewhat hard to understand. The worst criticism though is that many 1/2 inch bolt holes did not line up, sometimes by 1/2 inch or so. The unit is very solid and well powder coated but poor tolerances make it less than average quality. Would look elsewhere next time.1173132

Sometimes, even heavy-duty hitch receivers can flex because they are delivered to us stacked on top of another on pallets. Which this being said, there are tips to follow to make sure your brackets are aligned. Please see them in this help article:

-- Sierra K - 10/15/2021

122570

My Trailer Hitch Doesn't Fit

by: Stephen09/01/2021

2019 Ford Fiesta

The body shop installed this base plate and a hitch to carry a bicycle rack on my 2019 Fiesta for less than $[XXX]. Hookup to the Falcon tow bars is easy, as well as unhooking. No issues so far. The base plate is nearly invisible while not towing1147168

by: James M.05/26/2019

Instructions were all on point except for a couple of bolt or nut sizes. Other than that it is was simple to install. The quick release system has not failed and is, in my opinion, an esthetic look for the vehicle when they are removed. I am very pleased with this product.647112

I have found etrailer to advertise only the finest products! Their customer service is amazing. I will continue to be a loyal customer.1058335

by: Robert 07/13/2021

Perfect. No issues with installation and it does the job perfectly. Could not be more pleased.1092334

The base bar fit my application perfectly. I found one welded nut on the arm
which was welded off center of the hole, It took a few minutes of grinding to
be able to get the bolt to go into the nut.
Shipping was quick.
It is a great product. Over built if anything!




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by: Joyce B01/22/2017

2015 Ford Fiesta

The base plates were not easy to install but doable. The Ford Fiesta tows perfectly.334474

1375621

Excellent service. 692043

1236331

1047890

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

etrailer.com site was easy to use and place my order, plus it arrived on time.
The base plate fits perfectly on my 2021 Nissan Versa. I had the Road Master Falcon 2 set up on my motor home towing a 1999 Toyota Solara and it was time to get a new Toad. After a lot of searching we settled on the Versa and I will say that the base plate fits perfectly and looks great with and W/O the "ready to tow" set-up installed. I would recommend Road Master to anyone looking for a cost effective 4 wheel down set-up.1126759

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Still working great. The only thing I wish I could get is “plugs or covers” that go in the holes on the “baseplate” that are exposed after you remove the tow setup components.

Dave - 08/19/2022

146844

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

Installers beware! I had a very difficult time with this base plate kit because of a mid-2022 redesign by Roadmaster that makes it very challenging to install.

Roadmaster added a tang on top of each base plate to supply additional bracing of the unit against the bumper core. It requires installing two additional bolts and spacers on the upper mount in an area where there isn't easy access due to bracing. This has not been reflected in the picture of the part on etrailer nor is it included in any of the installation videos. The Roadmaster instruction text says to remove the existing bolts from the bumper horn and then reinstall them but with the needed spacers and the set-back of the upper mounts on the redesigned base plate the bolts aren't long enough. I guess to compensate RM supplied two new bolts as seen in the drawing. The problem is, the supplied bolts aren't the correct thread pitch. The RM supplied bolts are metric 1.5 but the welded nut on the Cherokee is 1.25 thread pitch thus requiring a trip to the hardware store to get the proper bolts. Then, when trying to install them you don't have clear access due to bracing. You're trying to hold a spacer in place, using an extension with a universal joint and the socket to get the bolt started. To make matters worse, the upper mount bolt holes on one of the base plates didn't align with the jeep because the tang wasn't at the right height. I had to use a crow bar and a lot of effort to slightly bend up the heavy steel tang to get it to mate up. To top it all off one of the arms was locked in the receiver and wouldn't budge. I had to resort to using a breaker bar inserted in the arm end and a mallet to slowly get the arm to even rotate in the receiver. After much effort I eventually got it to rotate as it should in the receiver and then managed to extract it. When I got it out it was badly scored from the rough welding detritus way down in the receiving tube (see photo attached). I used a file to clear the tube and now it works properly but you have to ask where was the quality control when this arm was inserted in the receiver tube? It had to be obvious that it wasn't going in properly.
All in all I was extremely disappointed with the amount of effort and time I had to put into what should have been a straightforward installation. The redesign makes the job take at least twice as long as it should have.1427578

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by: John11/09/2022

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

I bought and self installed this on my 2021 GMC Sierra Duramax 1 year ago. Install took about 5 hours and wasn't difficult...I could problty install it in 2-3 hours after leaening the tricks. Weve towed the truck all over the USA since then (over 10,0000 miles) and it works great! I've used other brands and highly recommend Roadmaster tow systems over the competition.1465473

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Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

It was great that there was a video for my specific application, and I watched it several times. The kit also came with detailed step by step instructions that followed the video and those were helpful during the installation. The instructions and video covered each step, so the installation was straightforward by simply following them. Removing and then reattaching the nose piece would be easier with 2 people. I had to do this alone so for me the reattaching of the nose piece was the most difficult part. The photos I included are the finished product and I think it looks very clean and blends right in with the front grill, without the arms of course. I travelled over 2000 miles and it worked great.1414265

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Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

This particular base plate requires drilling 2 holes in the bumper and expanding 2 holes already there. Expanding the holes was not that much of a problem but the 2 new holes was a major pain. Had to go through 6 different drill bits. I would get the other base plate that only requires expanding 2 holes. But once I got those holes drilled out it went better. Plus one of the shims was a little long and had to grind it down to fit.1419833

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by: David12/02/2022

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

They look great. Very easy to install great directions and the DIY video made it simple to install. With a twist the tow arms can be added or removed for storage when not in use.
Very satisfied1477428

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Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

Just got done installing them by myself. They are super easy to install. The only thing hard about it was taking off and putting back on the stuff on my car. ?? haven't towed with it yet!1466670

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by: Joseph05/07/2021

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

Installed the baseplate myself. Just followed the directions and it went well. Have used it for about 4000 miles. Easy to connect to the tow bar. Great produce.1032046

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I installed the product myself two years ago. Installation instructions were detailed and easy to follow. I have towed the car approximately 8000 miles over the past two years and it has been solid to use and easy to connect to each time.

Joseph - 05/09/2022

138638

Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

Regards base plate installation 2021 mini cooper
I like to thank you for all your help, everyone at etrailer was very helpful. The quality of the part are excellent and the instructions are right on. One important task before starting is to check all the hardware included in the Kit, on mine was one 1 “ pipe spicer missing which I only noticed during the installation and lost some time with this. One other suggestion in regards to the horn installation mounting it directly to the support bracket will bend the connection clip. I made a little bracket to create more space. Everything else went very smooth. Great product and service.1290383

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Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates

Everything installed perfectly and the instructions where clear. I didn't care for the instruction to cut up the metal rock guard for the crossbar, but otherwise am pleased with the installation result.

We have since travelled 1,200 miles with this set up connected to a Nighthawk tow bar, and are 100% happy with the performance, and are especially pleased with the ease of connection and disconnection.1285990

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