Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
(1500 reviews)
Price: $485.00
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Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms
Item # RM-524430-5
Retail:$527.60
Our Price: $485.00
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Roadmaster Base Plates - RM-524430-5
- Removable Drawbars
- Roadmaster
- Twist Lock Attachment
Designed for use with motor-home-mounted tow bars, the direct-connect brackets are virtually invisible, easy to mount and remove, and they eliminate the need for a quick-disconnect crossbar on your tow bar. Installs on your vehicle's frame.
Features:
- Direct-connect brackets provide attachment points for your motor-home-mounted tow bar
- Streamlined design creates supremely clean look
- No obtrusive quick-disconnect crossbar
- Hidden brackets sit even farther back than standard brackets
- 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
- Compatible with Roadmaster motor-home-mounted tow bars only
- Instructions and mounting hardware included
- Made in the USA
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
Note: Roadmaster direct-connect base plates will only work with Roadmaster tow bars that slide into a trailer hitch, such as the Sterling, Blackhawk, Blackhawk 2, Falcon, or Falcon 2. These base plates will not work with tow bars that require a hitch ball.
The drawbars, or front arms, on this 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 each arm, simply tug the built-in pull pin to disengage the lock, twist the arm back and pull it out of the bracket. 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.
524430-5 Road Master EZ-5 Base Plate Kit
Installation Details
This Product Fits The Following Vehicles
- 2012 - 2014 Ford Focus non-ST models - without Adaptive Cruise Control
Customer Reviews
Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms - RM-524430-5
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (1500 Customer Reviews)
Designed for use with motor-home-mounted tow bars, the direct-connect brackets are virtually invisible, easy to mount and remove, and they eliminate the need for a quick-disconnect crossbar on your tow bar. Installs on your vehicle's frame.by: Joel08/18/2020
I purchased this baseplate system for a 2014 Ford Focus. Just finished installing it. Excellent instructions and online video. Make sure you watch it and follow the paper instructions. Let me inform anyone attempting this on your own it is a process. You need to remove the entire front fascia and headlights. The undercarriage plastic air dams also have to come off. This is not difficult if you are a decent mechanic/collision person. If you plan on tackling this yourself allow 3-5 hours if you are a capable individual. If not, take it to a shop you trust. I personally have a shop and all the jacks and tools required. It took me approximately 4-1/2 hours start to finish. But I had a/c, lights, music and my dog kReaping me company. The most frustrating part was drilling the two access hole in the frame. Not sure what that metal alloy is but a dulled my drills and ruined a perfectly good high end hole saw. I ended up using a pnuematic cut off Grinder.
I am very satisfied with the end result. Take your time. Don’t let yourself get aggravated and the install should go smooth. Save a bunch installing it yourself. Good Luck. Thanks RoadMaster and etrailer.
Comments
One year later. Product held up perfectly. Towed this vehicle 1000’s of miles. Hope this helps.
Joel - 08/19/2021by: Michael05/06/2022
This product was everything it is claimed to be. etrailer was quick an priced fairly, a hard to find trait these days.
by: Martin S06/17/2020
Fits perfectly, took some time to assemble and it involved a good amount of dissambly on the car but its well made and seems to hold up very well. My towed vehicle has been all around the country with no issues.
by: Roger 04/23/2021
Fit perfectly, easy installation with good instructions. Used over 10000 miles with 0 prooblems.
by: Paul M02/05/2020
Installed and worked well on our 5000 mile jaunt over the summer.
by: Gary09/01/2020
This worked great . Made hookup very easy .
by: Perry 03/12/2021
by: Dave08/18/2021
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
etrailer.com site was easy to use and place my order, plus it arrived on time.
The base plate fits perfectly on my 2021 Nissan Versa. I had the Road Master Falcon 2 set up on my motor home towing a 1999 Toyota Solara and it was time to get a new Toad. After a lot of searching we settled on the Versa and I will say that the base plate fits perfectly and looks great with and W/O the "ready to tow" set-up installed. I would recommend Road Master to anyone looking for a cost effective 4 wheel down set-up.
Comments
Still working great. The only thing I wish I could get is “plugs or covers” that go in the holes on the “baseplate” that are exposed after you remove the tow setup components.
Dave - 08/19/2022by: Kevin09/27/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Installers beware! I had a very difficult time with this base plate kit because of a mid-2022 redesign by Roadmaster that makes it very challenging to install.
Roadmaster added a tang on top of each base plate to supply additional bracing of the unit against the bumper core. It requires installing two additional bolts and spacers on the upper mount in an area where there isn't easy access due to bracing. This has not been reflected in the picture of the part on etrailer nor is it included in any of the installation videos. The Roadmaster instruction text says to remove the existing bolts from the bumper horn and then reinstall them but with the needed spacers and the set-back of the upper mounts on the redesigned base plate the bolts aren't long enough. I guess to compensate RM supplied two new bolts as seen in the drawing. The problem is, the supplied bolts aren't the correct thread pitch. The RM supplied bolts are metric 1.5 but the welded nut on the Cherokee is 1.25 thread pitch thus requiring a trip to the hardware store to get the proper bolts. Then, when trying to install them you don't have clear access due to bracing. You're trying to hold a spacer in place, using an extension with a universal joint and the socket to get the bolt started. To make matters worse, the upper mount bolt holes on one of the base plates didn't align with the jeep because the tang wasn't at the right height. I had to use a crow bar and a lot of effort to slightly bend up the heavy steel tang to get it to mate up. To top it all off one of the arms was locked in the receiver and wouldn't budge. I had to resort to using a breaker bar inserted in the arm end and a mallet to slowly get the arm to even rotate in the receiver. After much effort I eventually got it to rotate as it should in the receiver and then managed to extract it. When I got it out it was badly scored from the rough welding detritus way down in the receiving tube (see photo attached). I used a file to clear the tube and now it works properly but you have to ask where was the quality control when this arm was inserted in the receiver tube? It had to be obvious that it wasn't going in properly.
All in all I was extremely disappointed with the amount of effort and time I had to put into what should have been a straightforward installation. The redesign makes the job take at least twice as long as it should have.
by: John11/09/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
I bought and self installed this on my 2021 GMC Sierra Duramax 1 year ago. Install took about 5 hours and wasn't difficult...I could problty install it in 2-3 hours after leaening the tricks. Weve towed the truck all over the USA since then (over 10,0000 miles) and it works great! I've used other brands and highly recommend Roadmaster tow systems over the competition.
by: David09/19/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
It was great that there was a video for my specific application, and I watched it several times. The kit also came with detailed step by step instructions that followed the video and those were helpful during the installation. The instructions and video covered each step, so the installation was straightforward by simply following them. Removing and then reattaching the nose piece would be easier with 2 people. I had to do this alone so for me the reattaching of the nose piece was the most difficult part. The photos I included are the finished product and I think it looks very clean and blends right in with the front grill, without the arms of course. I travelled over 2000 miles and it worked great.
by: Thomas09/22/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
This particular base plate requires drilling 2 holes in the bumper and expanding 2 holes already there. Expanding the holes was not that much of a problem but the 2 new holes was a major pain. Had to go through 6 different drill bits. I would get the other base plate that only requires expanding 2 holes. But once I got those holes drilled out it went better. Plus one of the shims was a little long and had to grind it down to fit.
by: David12/02/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
They look great. Very easy to install great directions and the DIY video made it simple to install. With a twist the tow arms can be added or removed for storage when not in use.
Very satisfied
by: Darralyn11/10/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Just got done installing them by myself. They are super easy to install. The only thing hard about it was taking off and putting back on the stuff on my car. ?? haven't towed with it yet!
by: Joseph05/07/2021
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Installed the baseplate myself. Just followed the directions and it went well. Have used it for about 4000 miles. Easy to connect to the tow bar. Great produce.
Comments
I installed the product myself two years ago. Installation instructions were detailed and easy to follow. I have towed the car approximately 8000 miles over the past two years and it has been solid to use and easy to connect to each time.
Joseph - 05/09/2022by: Frank04/25/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Regards base plate installation 2021 mini cooper
I like to thank you for all your help, everyone at etrailer was very helpful. The quality of the part are excellent and the instructions are right on. One important task before starting is to check all the hardware included in the Kit, on mine was one 1 “ pipe spicer missing which I only noticed during the installation and lost some time with this. One other suggestion in regards to the horn installation mounting it directly to the support bracket will bend the connection clip. I made a little bracket to create more space. Everything else went very smooth. Great product and service.
by: Sam J04/14/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Everything installed perfectly and the instructions where clear. I didn't care for the instruction to cut up the metal rock guard for the crossbar, but otherwise am pleased with the installation result.
We have since travelled 1,200 miles with this set up connected to a Nighthawk tow bar, and are 100% happy with the performance, and are especially pleased with the ease of connection and disconnection.
by: Randall08/11/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
The baseplate kit was very easy to install and a perfect fit! Unless you look close it’s hard to notice the factory tow hooks are not there.
by: Terry09/09/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Installation was very simple. Instructions were easy enough to follow. I have an aftermarket Quadratic bumper and they look great. I had to do a little of my own measuring to cut the steel. But easy to install.
by: Michael11/28/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
I had this base plate on my car. It got bent when I was rear ended on the interstate doing 65MPH. The car stayed with me
by: Alan04/27/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
This base plate is for the 2021 Lincoln Navigator. I have a 2022 and it fits fine. The instructions are nearly the same. Use Roadmaster Wiring Kit W Smart Diodes For Led Bulbs and splice into the stop light.
by: Stephen04/18/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Was delivered quickly and I was able to install the baseplate assembly relatively easily after having watched a few of the etrailer videos. I did watch multiple different videos as my 2022 Grand Cherokee WK had slight variations from the videos. I did not have previous experience doing this type of automotive work so I will admit to some trepidation along the way but all ended perfectly. My wife was not too happy about me taking the bumper off of her new car with just 100 miles on it but she has regrouped. The only thing I used the written instructions for was to get the parts all organized and to get the correct torque for the bolts
by: William10/08/2020
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
I have a 2019 GMC Denali and this product from Roadmaster is fantastic. Installation was easy with out having to remove the grill or valance or bumper. There was no trimming on the Plastic. The baseplate installed from the rear with a little push and nudge. there was one bolt just a tad long but this was fixed with a washer. If this is your model of vehicle and you don't want to trash the front get this base plate.
Comments
update product review I have had no issues with the product it is easy to use and I feel very safe with it.
William B - 10/11/2021by: 02/24/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
The Roadmaster Base Plate and All Terrain Direct Connect Tow Bar worked perfect for my 6-Speed Subaru CrossTrek. Looking forward to exploring and traveling later this spring.
by: Don07/23/2022
Review from a similar EZ5 Base Plate in Base Plates
Instructions were great however the passenger side required that I spend some time widening some holes as they didn't line up. I read another buyer had the same issue. Thankfully I was able to make it work. I also have a block heater which apparently isn't supported but I made it work.
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See what our Experts say about this Roadmaster Base Plates
- Base Plate Kit Needed to Tow 2013 Ford Focus Using Falcon 2 Tow Bar with No CrossbarYou can just install one of the Direct-Connect base plate kits on your 2013 Ford Focus so that it is compatible with your Roadmaster Falcon 2 # RM-520 Tow Bar. If your Focus is an ST model then you need part # RM-524442-5 but if you have a non-ST model (without the Adaptive Cruise Control) then you need part # RM-524430-5. From the picture you sent in I think you have the original Falcon tow bar, but the base plate kits will work regardless. For a complete flat towing setup you will need...
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- Using Roadmaster Base Plates with a Blue Ox Tow Bar on a 2012 Ford Focus SEThere are adapters to connect Roadmaster base plate kits with Blue Ox tow bars. It depends which tow bar you end up having whether they're compatible but most likely they will be. The adapters work with most Blue Ox tow bars but there's some exceptions if the tow bar is older. Let me know which tow bar your friends have offered you and I'll confirm for sure. I've also linked a help article that lists compatibility between tow bars and base plate kits you can reference if you like. There...
view full answer... - Using Supplemental Brake System On 2012 Ford Focus With Battery DisconnectedWhen flat-towing your 2012 Ford Focus, you can still use the Roadmaster Even Brake Portable Proportional Braking System, part # RM-9400. I recommend using the Roadmaster 12 Volt Outlet Kit, part # RM-9332. This attaches to your battery and will provide the power needed for the # RM-9400. Because of the hassle of disconnecting the battery by unhooking the cables, you can use the Roadmaster Automatic Battery Disconnect for Towed Vehicles, part # RM-766. This automatically cuts the power...
view full answer... - Recommended Parts Needed For Flat-Towing 2012 Ford Focus With Automatic TransmissionThe base plates I recommend for your 2012 Ford Focus are part # RM-524430-5. These are only able to be used on models that are NOT STs and that DO NOT have adaptive cruise control. Adaptive Cruise Control systems use a radar or laser sensor mounted in the front of vehicle that automatically adjusts cruise control to slow down when it detects a vehicle ahead and accelerate again to preset speed when traffic allows. These feature the EZ Twistlock system that make the brackets nearly invisible...
view full answer... - Base Plates and Other Equipment Needed to Tow 2012 Ford Focus Titanium Behind an RVThe Roadmaster # RM-524430-5 Base Plate Kit would work fine for your 2012 Focus Titanium model. The only fit exclusions are the ST model and models with the adaptive radar-based cruise control. Since your Focus is a Titanium with a regular mechanical-type cruise control, the base plate will work great for you. To complete your Flat towing system, in addition to the Falcon 2 tow bar you already have, you'll need safety cables, a wiring solution for the vehicle, possibly a high-low adapter...
view full answer... - Base Plate Kit Recommendation for Flat Towing a 2014 Ford Focus SEFor a base plate kit the Roadmaster kit part # RM-524430-5 would be a confirmed fit that would work well on your 2014 Ford Focus SE as it is a confirmed fit. It will also work with the Roadmaster Sterling # RM-576 that you currently have too. For supplemental braking 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...
view full answer... - Recommended Components To Flat-Tow A 2014 Ford FocusWhen you want to flat-tow your 2014 Ford Focus, there are 5 things you will need. You will need base plates, a tow bar, safety cables, lighting for the towed vehicle, and most states now require supplemental brake systems. Some of the items are fairly easy to install, but there may be some trimming or cutting required to install some of the components. I recommend having a certified mechanic complete the installation for you. This way you will know everything is set up properly. The...
view full answer... - Roadmaster Base Plate Recommendation for a 2012 Ford FocusWe do carry the Roadmaster EZ Base Plate Kit, # RM-524430-5, for your 2012 Ford Focus as long as it does not have adaptive cruise control because adaptive cruise control uses a forward facing radar that detects other vehicles in front of the vehicle and adjusts the speed accordingly. These base plates will not work with ST models. If you do not already have a tow bar, then I would recommend using the Falcon 2 Tow Bar, # RM-520. This tow bar includes the disconnects needed to attach the...
view full answer... - Can Automatic Transmission 2012 Ford Focus Be Flat TowedI did some checking and it looks like the automatic transmission 2012 Ford Focuses can be flat towed as long as you keep it under 70 MPH. I would still recommend checking the owners manual for recommendations on this as well. For a base plate kit you would want the part # RM-524430-5 which is a confirmed fit for your vehicle. See install video. 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....
view full answer... - Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2012 Ford Focus Behind a Motor HomeThere are 5 components needed to flat tow your 2012 Ford Focus and those are a tow bar, base plate kit, safety cables, tow bar wiring and a supplemental braking system. The base plate for your vehicle is the Roadmaster EZ5 Base Plate Kit, # RM-524430-5. You will also need safety cables, # RM-645, as they are required by law when flat towing a vehicle. You should not have a problem, but check your tow bar and make sure it is compatible with EZ5 style base plates. If it is not compatible,...
view full answer... - Recommendations For Flat-Towing A 2014 Ford Focus With Manual TransmissionI did some research and according to the owner's manual for your 2014 Ford Focus, it appears you do not have to disconnect the battery when towing if it has a manual transmission. The only reference I was able to find said to release the parking brake, and place the vehicle in neutral. It also states not to tow above 70 mph. There are 5 items you need when considering flat-towing your Focus. You need base plates, a tow bar, safety chains, wiring to provide lights for your towed vehicle,...
view full answer... - Parts Needed When Flat Towing A 2014 Ford Focus Behind RVIn order to flat tow your 2014 Ford Focus, you will need several items. Most tow systems require some sort of hitch accessory to either raise or lower the tow bar to the appropriate height. The safe zone for a motor-home-mounted tow bar ranges from 3 inches above or below level. RoadMaster high-low adapters will provide you with the necessary drop. Simply flip the adapter over to achieve the desired level. I have linked you to a product page for high-low adapters. One of the first things...
view full answer... - Recommendations When Flat-Towing 2014 Ford Focus With Automatic TransmissionThere are 5 main items you need when you are planning on flat-towing your 2014 Ford Focus. You will need base plates, a tow bar, safety cables, lighting on the vehicle, and most states now require supplemental brake systems. For your Focus I recommend the Roadmaster EZ5 Base Plates, part # RM-524430-5. When you are not towing your Focus and you remove the front arms, the system is nearly invisible. The tow bar I recommend is the RoadMaster Falcon 2 Tow Bar, part # RM-520. This tow bar...
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Test Fit:
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