Which Roadmaster Base Plate Kit to Use with 2013 Honda CR-V

Question:

Hello, I have a 2013 Honda CR-V EX I plan to tow behind our motorhome. I am leaning toward the Road Master brand as I like a number of the tow bar options. I see there are two Road Master Base Plate kits available for my Honda. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the two kits? • RM-521567-4 Crossbar-Style Base Plate Kit • RM-521567-5 Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit Then, would you have a recommendation as to which tow bar I should choose? Thank you,

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

The Direct Connect Roadmaster base plate kits are the easier to use and better choice when available. So for your 2013 Honda CR-V I would highly recommend going with the part # RM-521567-5. The big advantage is they don't require the use of a crossbar which allows there to be one less step required when connecting and disconnecting. At one point Roadmaster only offered the Direct Connect style for larger vehicles which is why the Crossbar style is still available but now they offer the Direct Connect for nearly all vehicles which is why there's the two options.

In addition to the base plates, you will also need a compatible tow bar, safety cables, lighting, and supplemental braking to flat tow your vehicle. The most popular compatible tow bar is the Falcon All Terain, # RM-522. This has non-binding arms which makes the setup very easy to connect/disconnect.

For lighting/safety cables, locks, and covers for the tow bar we have the Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain kit part # RM-9243-1 which comes with all of that as one part number. The diode kit that comes with this allows you to splice into the taillight wiring so that your RV controls the vehicle taillights and does not require drilling into the taillight housings. This comes with a round 6-way connector that you will install on the front of your towed vehicle and enough coiled wire to go from there to the RV.

And finally, most states now require supplemental braking in the vehicle being flat towed. The easiest system to set up and use is the Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR, that applies the vehicle brakes in proportion to how much the tow vehicle is braking. This is the safest way to stop and it reduces wear and tear on both vehicles.