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  1. Tow Bar Base Plate
  2. Roadmaster
  3. Removable Draw Bars
  4. Twist Lock Attachment
Roadmaster Crossbar-Style Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
Roadmaster

Roadmaster Crossbar-Style Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

Part Number: RM85EQ
$485.00
Retail:$550.00
You Save: $65.00
Tow Bar Base Plate

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Roadmaster's crossbar-style brackets are virtually invisible, easy to mount and simple to remove. Brackets install on your vehicle's frame to provide attachment points for your tow bar. Great Prices for the best tow bar base plate from Roadmaster. Roadmaster Crossbar-Style Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms part number RM85EQ can be ordered online at etrailer.com or call 1-800-940-8924 for expert service.
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  • Reviews (902)
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Roadmaster Tow Bar Base Plate - RM85EQ

  • Removable Draw Bars
  • Roadmaster
  • Twist Lock Attachment

Roadmaster's crossbar-style brackets are virtually invisible, easy to mount and simple to remove. Brackets install on your vehicle's frame to provide attachment points for your tow bar.


Features:

  • Hidden bracket design provides improved aesthetics compared with standard brackets
    • Crossbar-style brackets sit far back for a supremely clean look
  • Drawbars attach and remove quickly and easily
    • Arms click to lock in place in brackets
    • Built-in pull rings let you unlock arms so you can twist and remove them
  • Computer-cut, all-steel construction provides exceptional strength
  • Black powder coat finish is durable and corrosion resistant
  • Simple installation - no welding required
    • Custom base plates ensure a perfect fit for your vehicle
  • Integrated mounting points let you easily attach an electrical connector plug or bracket (sold separately)
  • Compatible with Roadmaster tow bars with use of quick-disconnect crossbar (910021-00 - sold separately)
  • Instructions and mounting hardware included
  • Made in the USA
  • Limited lifetime warranty


The drawbars, or front arms, on the crossbar-style series base plate kit are supremely easy to mount and remove. Just insert them into the brackets and twist to lock them in place. To remove, simply twist the arms back and pull them out. 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.



523228-4 Road Master EZ4 Base Plate Kit

Replaces 1432-1

Installation Details RM85EQ Installation instructions

This Product Fits The Following Vehicles





Customer Reviews

Roadmaster Crossbar-Style Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms - RM85EQ

Average Customer Rating:  4.8 out of 5 stars   (902 Customer Reviews)

Roadmaster's crossbar-style brackets are virtually invisible, easy to mount and simple to remove. Brackets install on your vehicle's frame to provide attachment points for your tow bar.

by:

This was a straightforward install. The instructions were easy to understand and follow. All the necessary parts and hardware were included. It is pretty well hidden once installed. I highly recommend this base plate and etrailer.



by:

The install went well. Product is very sturdy and has held up well with no issues. I tow my Wrangler regularly behind my motorhome. I would recommend this product to friends.



by:

great fit. a slight cut needed to be made in the bumper bracket to facilitate the round tube to fit through the bracket. but, other than that, it was an easy install took about 2 hours if you include the coffee brakes. this part is highly recommended. Fast shipping. the beast human service. thank you.



by:

Had Base Plate installed today, shop gave me 2.5 hr labor time. I returned just under 2hrs and they were backing my car out the shop. They parked it facing me. I told the Mechanic "That was quick" He said that's because it wouldn't fit. I was disappointed and asked what do I owe you for your labor> He laughed out loud and said it on there, but hard to see. I was so surprised and pleased you have to just about get down on your knees and bend down to see it. took me about 8 min to install everything and connect it to the Tow vehicle. I'm very pleased with it.



by:

Great base plate kit, installed fast without issues on my 2012 jeep wrangler jk,delivered quickly, 5 star service. Thanks etrailer



by:

Working great on my Fiat 500l with the automatic euro transmission. Towed over 10000 miles and was easily installed using etrailer video instructions. Yes you can tow a Fiat 500 with the automatic euro transmission. The firmware was flashed on a recall and revised in the manual. Most dealers don’t even bother checking for the latest version.



by:

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



by:

Ordered Product on Saturday afternoon, delivered on Wednesday, Installed on Friday. My 23 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe did take the spacer and washer on each side of the frame and was no problem getting them to fit. The lower passenger outside nut that holds on the bumper will not tighten down all the way, the flange of the factory nut gets caught in a slot in the base plate on that side. Will look into a standard nut to see if that will work - it is tight against the slot and holding.



by:

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.



by:

Works perfect and very hidden. Cannot even tell it is on my Honda HRV. Installation was time consuming since this was my first on a Honda. Your video did make things go smooth. I would buy this item again.



by:

So far has performed very well. Was easy to install and hookup is pretty quick and easy. You install instructions were very thorough. Practically invisible when not in use. Tried to attach two pics, but would only take one.



by:

The fit between the bumper cross member was incredibly tight. I had to heat the base plate ends and give them s stretch. Install took a long time but it finally fit with hours of coaxing. Not and easy install but end results just fine



by:

etrailer service was great. Received my Roadmaster base plate in 3 days. The directions from Roadmaster were fair, but etrailer's video was excellent. I had trouble mounting my base plate as the space between the two baseplate ends were too tight. I needed to use a floor jack and bottle jack to get it on. Once it was in position everything went together fine. I trimmed the Jeep' air dam differently keeping the ends that Roadmaster wants you to cut off. I think it looks better. I also had to modify the center cut in the air dam to accommodate the breakaway switch I have.



by:

5 hours into install. Not the kits problem as I am using a ratchet, don't have an impact wrench. Biggest problem I had was nuts that went up into the frame. Very frustrating. Not sure why couldn't use a long bolt and go straight through to the hole on the other side. Instructions for the cut on the plastic skid plate are a little vague as is the video. All in all, pretty smooth install.



by:

As always roadmaster went above and beyond on construction. Super solid installation. I mean the only thing I wish roadmaster would make custom steal brushgaurds that you can adapt there amazing towbar too.



by:

Followed directions and completed job in a little over 4 hours. had trouble reinserting some pins in difficult locations.

Later in the month I installed the wiring tow package. Goofed up and crossed a wire and it took me two days to get back under the truck and rewire. all is working great according to directions...…….

I will use etrailer again, good service, great service representatives...……..jt



by:

Britney was great to deal with. etrailer and the staff have always been great! I will return.



by:

Super-cool. It's been a year. I installed it myself and it was way less of a task than I expected. The fitment of this was incredibly spot on (no "tweaking" or drilling). Performance wise . . . it does what you expect. You insert the removable "arms", clip in onto your tow bar, and when you get to your destination the vehicle is still attached to your tow bar. Quality product.



by:

I installed this kit on my 2015 Honda Fit. The instructions are very good, however, there are a couple of "snags" to watch out for. You might have to enlarge the holes on the blind hole part of the bumper installation in order to get all of the mounting bolts to align. The other recommendation I have is NOT to use the Loctite "red" thread compound on the blind hole bolts where you cannot get a wrench on the inside. The Loctite will dry too fast and cause issues tightening the bolts on those areas. They have lock washers anyways and you can use the Loctite on the bolts you can get a wrench on the backing nut mounts. I have been towing for months now and I am very happy with it, especially the crossbar style. You will have to purchase the crossbar separately. It's more weight and a little clunky compared to the direct attachment but it allows you to disconnect in some tough situations by pulling the crossbar off while one arm of the tow hitch is still attached. I use an Falcon All Terrain tow bar so I can release the tow arms in uneven conditions. And I have encountered all types of uneven ground, it really makes disconnect of the TOAD very easy.



by:

I’m always extremely satisfied with Roadmaster products. I had just bought a new truck and planned on towing it so I needed everything to get it ready to tow. This review also applies to to the other items I purchased.



by:

Good fit, works well. Very happy with the base plate after 1st year of use.
etrailer staff was very helpful with my questions, making certain I got the base plate that was right and advice with minor problems I had with installation.



by:

Installation took about 4 hrs for our 2018 Sonic RS. My wife called out the instructions and kept track of all the screws and their locations. I did the mechanics work. Some expertise is needed since the lower flange of the internal bumper had to be cut-off the entire width. A cut-off wheel does this job (great fireworks). And we used a roto-zip type tool to cut away openings in the plastic grill as needed. Lost my confidence a few times, but the customer support folks got me back on-track.

Don't forget the Locktite on bolt threads and use torque wrench for mounting bolts.

After a year, still tows great and held snug on some pretty rough highways.
Using the Roadmaster baseplates, since I have a Roadmaster Falcon towbar



by:

Towing Connections DON'T HAVE TO BE UGLY! (see photo)

I bought a new 2019 4x4 Jeep Cherokee Limited with the Active Drive II transmission. It included the Technology Group option with Adaptive Cruise Control, etc. I then bought the corresponding Roadmaster baseplate (521452-4) to couple with our old Falcon All-Terrain towbar from a previous Jeep.

I installed the new baseplate myself but it took a lot longer than the quoted two hours. This was partially because I was new at it. But mostly it was because the baseplate parts didn't all fit correctly: the driver-side rear brace was too wide, and two of the holes on the passenger side of the main receiver brace were off by half the width of the holes. These problems took special, expensive tools to correct because the parts are made from 1/4" hard steel. The other major factor was that much of the Roadmaster's instructions were not correct for my Cherokee even though it was the same model and year. There were several instructions that were no longer correct as well as having steps for removing parts that didn't need to be removed. A lot of time was wasted trying to sort through the instructions. Overall, between trying to reach Roadmaster's tech support, trying to find a source for the recommended tools, and doing the actual work per Roadmaster's instructions, days were wasted.

From Roadmaster, the baseplate kit arrived with the paint chipped/scraped off in many places such that the parts were already starting to rust. To make it so the paint on the towbar assemblies – including the old, rusty towbar – would hold up better, I rounded all the sharp corners/edges ... especially those that regularly strike each other when getting ready to tow. I then primed and repainted the parts.

After that, I focused on retaining the looks of the Cherokee's front end. For expediency, a typical towbar installer will attach all the connection components such that they stick out in front of the fascia. That's quick and easy but the results look pretty ugly. Instead, I spent some time – and about $10 on the following – to make the installation look professional (see photo).

CAPS for the receiver arms were created to protect them. (The insides of the arms were already rusting even without ever towing ... or even driving in the rain.) I made the caps from 1-1/4 PVC threaded plugs (Lowe's #51526). The threads and embossed writing on the tops were ground off with a belt sander. On what had been the threaded part of each cap, a groove was cut to hold an O-ring (A5568 size 125) so the caps fit snugly into the receiver arms.

The BREAKAWAY SWITCH was mounted behind the grill on a wooden block attached to the Main Receiver Brace's crossbar; that allowed it to face out yet stay hidden. A trim ring from a bathroom-sink-drain assembly was painted black after the threaded part was notched a little to accommodate the switch's junction box. The silver split-ring was replaced with a black (memotite) key ring.

The 6-PIN SOCKET (Roadmaster 910030-7) was mounted on the two stems that stick out from the baseplate's main receiver brace. However, I bent, angled, and shortened both stems so the socket would sit flush along the curved grill's centerline. I also drilled the holes deeper into the ends of the two stems so I could use longer (1"), #10, self-drilling screws. The screw heads were painted black.

All the WIRES were placed inside black, heat-shrink tubing and tucked out-of-sight using zip ties.

Additionally, with the hopes of keeping the paint from being chipped away while traveling, I added material to take the play out of the Quick-Disconnect parts. To prevent the crossbar's QD bases and the QD mounting brackets from hammering metal against metal, I glued four small rectangles of EPDM rubber (i.e., 45-mil (3/64") pond liner) onto the horizontal flat areas where they rest on each other. And, to further eliminate any bouncing, I slipped a thick, rubber grommet onto each of the two upper, vertical, mounting-bracket pins before I inserted their linch pins. That $3 investment significantly quieted the towbar while promising to eliminate a lot of the typical paint chipping and rusting.

(With any luck, Roadmaster will see this review and correct/improve their products accordingly.)



by:

This was my 4th install for a dingy (with 4 wheel flat towing) in the last 20 years. This install is for a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Overland. The New ROADmaster 90* twist & lock removable base plates are REALY Awesome! So much much easier & faster than installing & removing locking pins! One picture shows a Brush guard from ROADmaster no longer available.



by:

Bought this product from etrailer with free shipping it was cheaper than I could get in town.. The baseplates are perfect for our 2014 Jeep Wrangler and our stowmaster 5000 tow bar. The unit is built to last with heavy steel plate and nice welds. Installation is pretty easy, you just have to remove the plastic air dam, and trim it up. Etrailer has a great video going over the install. I am pretty picky, and I didn't care for the way Roadmaster has you cut the air dam. If you take your time and look at photos of the way they cut it when you have your air dam off you can make it look much better. I have enclosed pictures of my install so you can see the difference. I am very happy with the ez-4 baseplates and etrailer


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Info for this part was:

Employee Lindsey S
Edited by:
Lindsey S
Employee Amanda K
Written by:
Amanda K

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