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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.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (875 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.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.)
Heavier than the base plates for my 2015 Ram 1500 which really surprised me.
I haven't installed it yet so I can't talk about ease of instillation.
We have the best experience with this company every time with do business with them. Yes we are repeat customers.
Fast deliveries.
Courteous communication.
Quick responses.
Will continue to do business with this great company.
Very Happy Customer
As usual very professional and on time. Thank you again for being so supportive of reshipping the Bracket. Will try and get some pic's of the installation for you.
instructions were very good, product fit well
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unfortunately first set was defective from Roadmaster. Etrailer sent another set and return label which installed correctly, eTrailer was great to work with.
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.
So far so good. It arrived sooner than expected. Very pleased. Installing it tomorrow. I’ll try to update later.
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
great kit to add a baseplate to my 2019 jeep wrangler. It takes several hours for one person to install, but if you follow the instructions and watch the video it's straight forward and easy to install.
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