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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.
Features:
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.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Ryan: Hey everybody, Ryan here at etrailer. Today, on our 2019 Toyota Corolla, we're going to be taking a look at and showing you how to install the Roadmaster Crossbar-style Base Plate Kit with removable arms. We're going to have five main components that we need to flat tow our Corolla down the road. First one's going to be your base plate. Base plate is going to provide us with a solid and reliable connection point to hook up our tow bar to. The tow bar is going to be that second component, this is going to link the front of your Corolla to the back of your motor home.
The third thing that you're going to need is safety cables. Now, these are going to be here in the event of a catastrophic disconnect. These are going to keep your car attached to the back of your motor home.Next thing is tow bar wiring. So the tow bar wiring is going to transfer the lighting functions from the back of your motor home to the back of your Corolla. And the last one being a braking system.
The braking system is going to apply the brakes inside of the Corolla, that way you don't have to rely completely on your motor home, to not only slow itself down, but also the Toyota that you're pulling.What I like about this base plate is the fact that we have removable arms, that way, whenever we're not using it, we're not going to have any big bracketry really sticking out of the front of our car. Now, the way these work, when we are ready to use them, is you're going to have some pins here and so we're going to put this into the base plate, and turn it a quarter turn and those pins will lock in, just like that. This would be set up the same way for the other side too.Now, the actual purpose of the base plate is to give us a solid and reliable connection point. That way we can hook our tow bar up to it. So that tow bar is going to connect to the base plate, the other end of your tow bar is going to connect to the motor home.
So this is really your primary connection that you're relying on to tow your Corolla down the road.The base plate is going to give us some hooks here, that way we can connect our safety cables to it. And one thing I really like that some base plates don't have, but this one actually does, it makes life a lot easier, is the fact that it already comes with some brackets pre-attached to it.So that gives us a really good spot to mount our breakaway switch for our braking system, as well as our connector here for our tow bar wiring. Now, one of the things that some of our customers did say they we're a little bit nervous about was taking the fascia off the front of our Corolla to get our base plate installed. But in all honesty, there's only a handful of fasteners and more or less just snaps right off. It's not a big deal.
Speaking of which, let's go ahead and do that together now.To begin our install, we're going to need to remove our front fascia. You go ahead and pop the hood, and we're going to start by removing these three fasteners here along this front edge. The ones on the corners will be plastic pushpin style, just like this, the flathead screwdriver, lift the head up, and you can pop the fastener out. Same thing right here.And then in the center, we're going to have a bolt. So we'll grab a 10mm socket and pull it out. Now, if you move to the front edge of our wheel well, they have a couple of fasteners. This top one will be a really small pushpin style, so we'll get a little flathead screwdriver, pop the head of it out and remove the entire fastner. The other one is going to be a quarter turn style, so we'll grab a large flathead, turn it about overturn. Then we can kind of carefully pry underneath it, and pull back just like this to separate the wheel aligner from our fascia. The other side set up the same way, so we'll repeat this process over there.Underneath our front bumper, we're going to have six 10mm bolts that's attaching the splash shield to the lower part of the fascia itself. We'll go ahead and pull all those out.Now, with an extra set of hands, we can remove our fascia. I like to start at the corners and work our way in towards the center to kind of get your hands behind there, and pop it off to make a way around to the headlight. Sometimes they come out really, really easy. Actually, before you pull the bumper completely off, make sure you don't have any electrical connectors, in our case, we do, we have one right here in the center. So to disconnect that we'll just push down on the tab and pull the two apart. Now, if you work your way along the edge, below our headlight, we're also going to have one more down here on each side of our fascia, it'll be very similar to the center. You can just reach in, push the tab down and get it disconnected.That being said, we can remove our fascia and set it off to the side. With the fascia out of the way, what we're going to do now is grab this foam pad here on our bumper beam, that just pulls off and set to the side as we won't be reinstalling it. We're going to need to take our bumper beam off. We're going to have some wiring that's attached to it. So we'll grab a trim panel tool or a flathead right underneath it and move it from our bumper beam.Our bumper beam is going to kind of wrap around on our driver's side and there's going to be four holes here. And in those holes, they're going to be 14mm bolts, so we'll need to pull those out, grab a socket extension to get them removed. They kind of fall down in there, it's no big deal. Once you get the bumper beam off, we can always fish them out of there. If you work a way around to the front of the car, again, two more 14mm bolts.If you just follow the bumper beam down to the passenger side, we're going to have the same 14mm. Now, once we get these removed, there's nothing supporting the bumper beam, so just hold it in place steady with your hand while you take these out. Grab the beam off and for this piece over here on the driver's side, so it'd be a push pin fastener, pry underneath the head, pop it out, and we can slide that off and set it to this side as well.We're going to have these plastic air dams, and we're going to take these off. These are more or less just kind of snap into the body. Just pull them out or take a flathead or trim tool to help kind of pry them if they don't want to pop it out, take it off, set it to the side, we won't be reinstalling it. We're going to do the same thing for the passenger side.Now, we can grab our base plate and put on the front of her vehicle. What we're doing is these holes down here are going to line up with these openings down here. We'll work it into position. One side we'll slide in real easy, the other side may kind of get hung up. So if that happens to you, what we're going to do is just loosely secure this side. So we can kind of pry that other side in. Just take a two inch bolt and this large flat washer, put it through here, get it to pass through our base plate on the other side of the bolt, or take a flat washer, a split lock washer, and a nut.Then we're just going to get a few turns started temporarily, that way, it'll help support this side of our base plate. On this side of the base plate, you try to push it, it kind of gets hung up on this little lip right here, so hat we're going to do is grab a pry bar to just kind of help work it over that lip.Once it's in position, we're going to you use the same hardware that we used on the other side, to again, temporarily and loosely secure it. With those bolts loosely installed, right away, we'll notice that they're going to kind of interfere with our splash shield. So we're going to trim it, it's pretty thin plastic, so I'm just going to use a pair of snips and going to remove this little portion of it here.Cut out and do the same thing on the other side. Now, we can temporarily reinstall our bumper core. That way we can get everything lined up. Do that the same way that we removed it, slide it onto the studs and reinstall the nuts. It can be a little tricky to get your fingers in there and get them tightened up, I'll just grab a socket and extension and get them on that way. Once I get them all started hand tight, I'll come back and snug them down.Now, we can do is temporarily secure our U bolt. So the way this is going to work is sit on top of our bumper beam and line up with the holes, just like this in the center of our base plate. We're going to push our base plate up, secure each leg of the U bolt with a flat washer and a nut. And the reason we're doing this is to hold the base plate up nice and flat against our bumper beam, that way we can get a couple more holes in the base plate lined up properly. We'll get both sides going hand tight, and then I can come back with a wrench and tighten down inaudible 00:12:44. That way the base plate sits up nice and flush against our bumper.So once it's nice and tight against the bottom of our bumper beam, we know we have our U bolt tight enough for now. On the side of our frame rail, there's going to be a hole here closest to the front, and we're going to enlarge it with the drill bit size indicated in the instructions. And once we enlarged that, we're going to continue on straight creating a hole on the other side of the frame rail. Now, that hole we're creating is going to allow us to pass a bolt through, to attach the top part of our base plate to that frame rail.With the hole mount created, you can take our long bolt, and again, another thick flat washer with that on to pass that bolt all the way through to the other side. Make sure it passes through the opening in our base plate, take a flat washer, a split lock washer and a nut. Again, we're just going to get a couple of threads started on it to help keep the base plate in position. Then we're just going to repeat the same process over on the other side.Now that we know our base plate is all lined up. What we're going to do is take off our U bolt here, then after that's out of the way we can again, remove our bumper beam. That way we can get the other smaller portion of the bumper beam that goes onto the driver's side in place.We're going to pull our bumper beam back off, just set it to the side for a moment. Now, we can reinstall our brace over here on the driver's side, using the same hardware that was originally holding it in place, and use that same technique, holding the bolt with a socket and extension, pass it through and line it up. You get all four of them started, then I can come back and tighten them all down. Don't forget to re-install the little plastic push pin here in the front, and now we can reinstall our bumper for good this time. Now, once your bumper beam is all tightened up, we reinstall our U bolt same way, except one exception, we're going to put a bead of Loctite onto the threads, then slide it back in place.We'll get our flat washers and our nuts started, then we'll come back with a wrench and snug them down. Now, we can tighten up all of our other base hardware, but before you tighten it, you want to make sure to grab your red lock tight, and put a bead on all of the bolts that are securing the base plate. Now, we can grab our torque wrench and tighten all the hardware down to the amount specified inaudible 00:17:03.With everything torqued down now, we can just re secure our wiring to our bumper beam, they'll just push into the openings. And now would be a great time to install and work on some of your other flat-tow components, such as your diode wiring and your braking system, because with the fascia out of the way, we have a lot more room to work and it just makes life a lot easier. If you already have those components installed, you'd simply trim your fascia to the diagram and instructions, and re-install it in the opposite order that we removed it.Now, we can go ahead and trim out our bumper according to instructions in our diagram. I went ahead and just used a marker to kind of give you an idea of what that diagram should look like, and where we need to cut.This is relatively thin plastic, so I'm just going to use a pair of snips to get the majority of it out. Then we can always come back with a file or anything to clean up any rough edges. And keep in mind, this is just to get us started, we're going to cut both sides and then loosely test fit our bumper on the front of the car to make sure that all of our components are going to be accessible and pass through.So after we cut out those initial openings, I went ahead and just loosely held our fascia up against the front of our car to make sure everything fit, and it did. But I did just take out a little bit more to make it a little easier to access. And while I was there, I also created an opening for our diode wiring connector here in the center. Now, once you know the openings are going to work for you, and they're the correct size, what you can do is take a file or even a dermal tool like this, and just work around those edges just to smooth them out and help clean up our installer.Now, with an extra set of hands, we can reattach our fascia opposite way that we removed it. With that being said, you don't want to forget to plug in your electrical connectors that we disconnected. We'll have one on each side, then one in the center, and then we can go ahead and just line it all back up. And that'll finish up our look at and our installation of the Roadmaster Crossbar-style Base Plate Kit on a 2019 Toyota Corolla.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (882 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.
Although it took a while, it was easy to install and the instructions were well written. It has performed satisfactorily and I am pleased with my Roadmaster towing system.
I had a friend, who has many years of automotive body shop experience, do the actual installation. I was not comfortable with removing the grill and body front panel nor with trimming out the holes required in the grill. He did a great job and overall, it took him two hours. The only hitch was having to drill out two holes slightly larger in the frame for the included bolts to fit. All the other components fit very well. I’m pleased with the look of the unit when dismantled while not in use.
Fantastic fit. Works really great.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
2019 Ford Fusion Energi. A lot more trimming required on the facia than noted in the instructions, but I'll chalk that up to running changes I suppose. I used a combination of a Sawzall with a fine blade and a Dremel tool, both worked well. In the end, it took me about 8 hours (over two days) to install, and had it's challenges. I had to do some pulling and tweaking to get holes to line up, and the already mentioned extensive trimming of the facia. Overall well designed product, and of course etrailer was excellent in shipping.
Side note, adaptive cruise control is not affected when the drawbars are removed. With the bars in and the towbar mounted (it's a Stowmaster car mounted bar) the cruise control works just fine as an old fashioned CC, the adaptive part just doesn't work (it won't slow down for you when a slow car is in front, because it can't see around the tow bar). Basically perfect and what I was hoping would happen.
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
The whole etrailer family has been great to deal with.
Baseplate did not fit vehicle. Apparently it was manufactured icorrectly. All other baseplates for this vehicle were also manufactured improperly so engineering had to come up with new install procedures. Took a week to make that happen. Also, received new Easy Connect modules that are identical to one I already had.
Solid product well make easy install
Installed myself with help of one friend. Assistance with install using the videows was invaluable. The installation on a brand new vehicle brought praise and comments on how clean the install looked. Great job etrailer.
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Larry
3/4/2018
Still performing perfectly after one year.