To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
If you like a setup that stays out of sight when you’re not towing, this base plate hits the mark. The hidden bracket design tucks neatly behind your grille, so when the removable arms are out, there’s nothing bulky showing up front. It keeps the vehicle looking clean and helps protect the mounting points from scrapes or buildup.
Connecting your tow bar shouldn’t feel like a chore. With the twist lock attachment, each arm slides into place and locks securely with a simple turn. It’s a smooth, quick process that makes hooking up or disconnecting straightforward whether you’re at home or on the road.
You want something that holds up mile after mile. This all-steel base plate bolts directly to your vehicle’s frame for a solid, no-weld install that’s built to last. The black powder coat finish resists corrosion and keeps the hardware looking sharp even through tough weather and road conditions.
No extra fabrication needed here. The base plate’s custom-fit design lines up precisely with existing frame points, so you can mount it directly without welding. It provides a sturdy foundation while keeping your vehicle’s structure intact and ready for every trip ahead.
Designed for Roadmaster motor-home-mounted tow bars like the Nighthawk, Falcon, or Blackhawk, this kit connects directly without a crossbar in between. The result is a cleaner look, fewer parts to manage, and a setup that’s easy to connect and disconnect every time you tow.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi, everybody. Andy here with etrailer. Let's take a quick look together at this Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit with removable arms. So this has been designed to fit your 2025 to current Ford Expedition, the 4 wheel drive, only with the 4L mode. Now, on custom fit parts, such as this base plate kit, I do recommend taking advantage of our vehicle fit guide here at etrailer. Just pop in the year, make and model of your vehicle, answer any other questions that it might have for you.
And our fit guide will confirm if this kit will work for you, or if we have something comparable that will work for you. So, this base plate kit is designed to fit your vehicle specifically as we mentioned. So, this is gonna bolt right onto existing mounting points onto your frame. So, no drilling or welding is going to be required. That's gonna make installation pretty straightforward, and it's gonna give you a solid, secure connection right from the start.
This is built for flat towing behind an RV. So, once this is installed, you've got a dependable attachment points here that are going to hook up to your tow bar. So, whether you're heading out on a long trip or just towing occasionally, this is made to keep everything stable and secure. Now, one of the nice things about this is how it looks when you're not towing. The main brackets are going to stay hidden, so your Expedition's gonna keep a clean, factory-like appearance, instead of having bulky hardware sticking out.
When you're ready to tow, set up is gonna be quick and easy. These twist-lock arms snap in and out easily, so you're gonna be able to hook everything up or disconnect it by yourself without a hassle. And notice just how easy these are gonna be to remove. So, when you're done flat towing, and you wanna go back to that more factory look to where you really can't tell if you've got a base plate kit installed on the front of your Expedition or not, we have a little key ring here that's attached to a connector. So, I'm just gonna pull that and then twist it.
And then that's going to allow me to easily remove this arm. So, here's where you can see that, where that's, how that's locked into place there. And then when I'm ready to flat tow, I'm just gonna slide this back into the base plate, give it a turn, and then it clicks right into place. So, that's how easy this is going to be to put the arms back in and remove them. Very easy. Also, this is built tough. This is made from heavy-duty steel with the black powder coat finish. So, it's gonna hold up well against rust, weather, and general road wear over time. As far as compatibility goes, this is gonna work directly with the Roadmaster Motor Home Tow. Lemme try that again. Roadmaster Motorhome Mounted Tow Bars like your Nighthawk, Falcon, and Blackhawk. It uses a direct connect design which means that the tow bar attaches straight to the base plate. No crossbars are gonna be needed making the whole setup simpler and cleaner. This kit includes everything that you see here, all the hardware that you're going to need to get this installed, along with instructions to guide you through the installation process. Now, talking about installation real quick, if you decide that this is going to be exactly what you need and I hope it is, but you really don't wanna bother with the install, well, we have you covered on that front as well. On this product page, underneath the photo section, we have a link that will take you to our installer locator. Click that link, answer the questions that it has for you, and that locator will find an installer in your area that etrailer has partnered with to install this base plate kit for you on your Expedition. Well, I think that's gonna wrap up our look today. I do hope that our brief time together was helpful for you. Again, my name is Andy. Thank you for joining me.
Ratings & Reviews
Easy installation! Etrailer videos are very informative and helpful! Always great to have a helper too!
Good product. If you are reasonably handy and have some tools, you can install this yourself in a few hours. I'm a mechanic, it took me a little over 2 hours to install on my own toad. The fit is good, there are 4 holes you have to drill, otherwise it is plug and play. When you insert and twist lock the tow bar mounts into their sockets they feel a little sloppy but they are secure, and i never noticed any rattle when towing. Overall i give it a 4 out of 5 for easy install and clean look after install. Pic included of installed base plate.
This was a bit of a challenge to install on a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Z71. One item to be aware of, as you take off the front Facia of the truck for the install, there are two Facia "brakets" that attach to the front fenders that seem like they are use once plastic snaps. Three of the 4 snaps broke off on both sides when I removed the facia. These are about $35 a piece from Chevy and prevent you from making this a 1 day job. Additionally, there are 2 7mm screws/bolts that connect one of the coolers to the back of the bumper support and these are a real problem to get back in - over an hour of time and every 1/4" tool in my arsenal was needed to find a way to get these started. Finally, one of the Connecting Plates (Passenger side) needed to holes to be elongated to enable all the bolts to be started. Finally - you need to put the Brakaway bracket on the driver side, to have enough cable to reach you brake system. Probably have 4 hours in the disassembly and installation of the Direct-Connect Plate. Now waiting a couple days for the plastic brackets from Chevy to complete the install. Good Luck!!
The folks at etrailer are fantastic. I didn't know everything I needed to tow my car behind our RV... but they did! Everything I needed was in the boxes and the videos made it all come together. Thank you to everyone at etrailer!
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.
Very fast shipping, and the install was easy. Great product
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!
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.
The Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit has performed flawlessly over the past year. With almost 10k miles logged during our 3 month trip across the US, the components have remained as installed and operated as expected.
I really like the way it is hidden and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. My Rubicon X has a metal skid under the bumper that I cut holes in for the base plate tabs to protrude. I made 5 or 6 trips to my shop to get it right. Would be nice if it came with a paper template showing where to trim. It bolted up perfectly and seems well made.
Great Base plate, had to modify the non-oem bumper a little to get the clearance needed to get mounting holes lined up. Once that was done, everything went pretty quickly finished and tested. Towed 600 miles and worked flawlessly. Much better than using the bumper tow points, as they were elevated causing a very bouncy towed on bridge aprons. Bumper tow points also let the towed have minor side to side movement, this does not, so a lot better towing experience.
The product is great - I gave 4 vs 5 stars only because I had to drill the rear holes out as they did not align with the holes in my frame and I had to drill out the hole in the bracket to align with my frame extension hole, again bracket did not align with the existing hole. However, in general it appears to be a solid mount.
It’s a super strong and wonderfully engineered addition to my new Maverick pickup.. Couldn’t be happier with it!!!!! Well done!!!!
I have lots of issues with this tow bar. Initial installation was difficult due to a tight fit. Had to have my mechanic cut holes in frame to get bolts attached. After a few times of use the bolts failed causing the bar to fall fwd that then damaged my hitch arms. To fix I drilled new hole through bar and frame securing it with a #8 bolt. To reinforce it I used turnbuckles attached to my bumper. last tow finally went well.
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.
2017 f150
Customer service was very helpful. Easy to install. No bumper or grill cutting however, you do loose your front hooks. Nice low profile.
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.
Pathetic and just talking to Noah he states he will get to my issue later when he has time!! My car is on jacks all torn apart and I think Roadmaster gas misled advertising. This 523228-5 baseplate is NOT MADE FOR 2026 CHEVY TRAX!!!
It mounted up just as the instructions said it would. From previous research I was not surprised when some of the mounting did not align perfectly. Had to use a dremel tool to make it work. The product looks very sturdy from its design. I’m happy with it and look forward to RV traveling.
Awesome instructions! Install was fairly easy. Product is very high quality and solid construction. Thank you E Trailer!
Easy to install needed to replace some fasteners as they broke removing front grill was able to get them from Amazon cheap
This Road Master Direct connect base plate works perfectly for a 2020 ford transit cargo 250! Awesome service from etrailer as usual! The finished product can barely be seen through the front fascia!
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.
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.
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