To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
The crossbar-style hidden brackets attach to your vehicle's frame to provide attachment points for your tow bar. The visible portions of the brackets can be removed when you are not towing.
Features:
The square drawbars, or front arms, on the crossbar-style base plate kit are simple to mount and remove, easily securing with hitch pins. Once the drawbars have been removed, the remaining brackets are virtually invisible. On most automobiles, the brackets are mounted within the grille, where they remain not only unseen, but protected from scrapes and scuffs as well.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (1027 Customer Reviews)
The crossbar-style hidden brackets attach to your vehicle's frame to provide attachment points for your tow bar. The visible portions of the brackets can be removed when you are not towing.It worked perfectly for my 2002 Jeep Wrangler. Easy to install. Drill one hole as outlined! Etrailer was great about customer service! Package arrived on time.
My wife and I have owned a 2001 JEEP Wrangler SE since new. It has never been wrecked or damaged in any way. It does have an Old Man Emu lift which raises it about two inches over stock. It also has a Warn winch and bull bar on the front. This JEEP has the factory U channel front bumper.
The Roadmaster base plate was purchased after we decided to tow this JEEP with our motorhome.
Installation was OK but had a few issues. First off, the Torx bolts under bumper are size 55, not 50, as told in all the instructions I read. The driver side bracket was a great fit and went on very easily.
The passenger side bracket was a much different story. Once the Torx bumper bolt was inserted, the second bolt did fit in the hole but third bolt required a lot of work. It is designed to pass thru a slot in the outside section of the frame and then you drill thru to make the hole thru inside edge of frame. The Roadmaster bracket did not line up with slot completely so it required being drilled. That sounds easy but try drilling a 1/2 hole thru a 3/8 slot. You are going to back up many times and break the drill bit edge before you finish!
Once installed, the Roadmaster 1420-1 baseplates look nice and seem very strong. You will lose about two inches of approach angle along the bottom edge of front bumper but should not be an issue unless you are a rock crawler.
Finished height of hitch came to 21 3/4 inches and is a perfect match to my motorhome which yields a level tow bar so no extra drop receiver for RV needed. That saves about $150. Remember, my JEEP is lifted two inches but you would still be within the three inch margin of saftey with a stock suspension.
I would recommend this Roadmaster 1420-1 baseplate to a friend.
I have mounted four different Roadmaster brackets in the passed but this model had some serious problems. The drivers side bracket attached to my 2001 Jeep TJ very easily per the instructions. The passenger side bracket on the other hand had serious engineering deficiencies. None of the mounting holes matched up to the vehicle frame. Two of the bracket holes needed to be enlarged to engage. The back hole was very difficult aligning the inside required drilled hole with the outside slotted opening. Near impossible to enlarge a slotted frame opening. May be fine for a fully equipped shop with all the tools required but not so much for the home mechanic. I'd still recommend these brackets but know what your getting into.
MY UNCLE HAD AN OLDER ROADMASTER STOWMASTER TOW BAR WITHOUT THE BASE PLATE FOR THE TOWED JEEP. I ORDERED THIS HOPING IT WOULD WORK, AFTER A SOMEWHAT EASY INSTALL THE BASE PLATE MATCHED UP PERFECT WITH THE TOW BAR.
Arrived quickly and were packed well. Instructions were simple to follow and the parts fit perfectly. Looking forward to towing the Jeep with our motorhome.
The brackets/base plates were nicely built! Over priced, (not e trailer's fault) but I guess you get what you pay for! They were super easy to install! Was a little skeptical on the drilling but It went without a problem! I was under promised and over delivered with product! I will definitely keep doing business with etrailer.com in the future! You folks rock!
got the base plates on wed and on thursday morningstarted the job. It was a breeze to put on, just like the picture on line showed. I would tell my friends to call or look on line in a heart beat, you people have a good product. thank you phil
Great company to do business with, great phone assistance and fast shipping. Parts fit perfectly.
Thanks very satisfied
Philip Reagan
The base plates arrived very quickly and I had them installed in 30 min., only one hole to drill. Would certainly recomend them to anyone.
fast service great product
Beefy brackets. Superfast shipping.
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
well to tell you the truth i never mounted them cause car wouldn't pas inspection i now have a jeep liberty 2005 that i would like to get base plates for maybe trade the set i have now that are new still in box
etrailer service is and has always been stellar. My order was correct and was delivered very quickly. The only reason I made this a four instead of a five was that the rear bolt position of both base plate brackets where welded on crooked. Each small plate was at a different angle from each other. In my opinion whoever welded them wasn’t paying attention to quality control. Because I was on a time crunch for my departure on a trip and could not wait for replacements (and I needed the vehicle for local driving) I made the brackets work. Other than that the installation went smoothly and I was able to test tow my 2004 CRV a couple of times without incident.
The product top notch quality build. I have a 2015 jeep wrangler and to be honest installing the bolts inside the bumper frame is a pain in the butt. To be clear this is NOT etrailer’s fault, but be prepared to use either very a long pliers or some kind of rigged up tool to hold the nut while you screw it. It appears that video that is available on there web site has a technician who has very long fingers and was able to do it easily. My fingers are not as long so using just fingers was not an option for me.
Item arrived earlier than predicted after viewing a very complete tracking system. The information was very clear and precise. Good job! I am 75 years of age and installed the baseplate myself. Only a couple of minor issues. One pin would not insert. Welding blob in the way. Filed it smooth and problem solved. The video was excellent but was a bit different in that it showed a different method o rear bolt installation, however the instructions on paper showed the correct way. Reinstalling the front clip had presented some difficulty. I suggest really watching the inner fender position relative to the front clip before removal. All said all went well. The finished look is great, (see pictures). Great product!
Looks great installed. I think it will work perfectly for towing my F150 4x4. Took approximately 1 hrs. I removed the bumper, 4 bolts, and installed effortlessly. Nice appearance!
Good information and prompt shipping.
Base plate is solid and install and use instructions are excellent.
Be warned that product install is drill two holes and install 3 bolts, BUT the entire front panel has to be removed and replaced. Not difficult, but time-consuming.
Seat bracket is solid and install and use instructions are excellent.
Brakemaster kit is good quality, but instructions are not as good as most Roadmaster products. Instructions for air line install are especially weak.
Needed these for my 4Runner. Had to do a bit of grinding on the frame rails to get em to fit. I suspect just different year manufacturing tolerances. All in all, pretty easy to install if you are even semi mechanically inclined. Havent towed it yet but got all the bits and pieces and to fit together just like it should. Easy to remove and good clearance underneath
Very impressed that they're the exact fabbed fit, and easy to install! These tow base plates are super sturdy!
Installed onto 2017 Toyota 4-runner. Fit perfectly. Was hard getting the one bolt hole drilled through the truck frame, but that is a tool issue, not anything negative about the product. I would recommend this Plate Kit to anyone wanting to flat tow a Gen 5 4-runner.
Installed on a 2010 Ford Ranger Sport 2wd
Have towed over 10000 and not one issue. I did the install without one issue, picture perfect, I did use a online video to get a general idea of install otherwise I primarily used manufacturer's. . Be sure to use the recommended/ required locktite product.
Enjoy!!!
This base plate kit fit out 2007 4Runner perfectly. Wasn’t difficult to install myself in only a couple hours. Very happy with the product.
Base plate kit was fairly easy to install,all hardware was included and directions were clear! I would definitely buy another to install if ever needed. I do have a car lift making it easier,but would not be bad without,just a little harder on the knees!
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