base plate recommendation

[HHIRON]

I just got a 24 Ford Maverick. I need a recommendation on a base plate for this Maverick.

 

[Laura & Charles]

Welcome to the forums! Lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here!

We’ve used Blue Ox on all three of our toads without any problems. I imagine most folks here have experience with only one brand and can only give an answer like mine. I think they’re all about equal in reliability.

We just replaced our toad and were considering a Maverick hybrid. Will be interested in your thoughts about yours, both as a driver as well as a toad.

 

[Isaac-1]

Here is what I have to say on the subject, probably the 3 big names in base plates are Demco, Roadmaster and Blue Ox, each make base plates that are compatible with their own brand of tow bars, and interchange adapters are available for most of these that allow mixing and matching base plates with other brands of tow bars. When we see message threads about failed tow bars or base plates tearing off cars, it is almost always a Blue Ox base plate, I don't know if Blue Ox out sells these other brands 10 to 1, but by looking at reported failure rates on the various online RV forums, it certainly seems failures of Blue Ox products are reported at least 10 times more often than for these other brands. We have a Blue Ox base plate on my wife's Jeep Cherokee, a Roadmaster base plate on our Toyota Yaris, and currently own a Demco tow bar (previously owned a Blue Ox aluminum tow bar), out of all of these products the Demco appears to be the beefiest and most precisely built, the Blue OX base plate has far sloppier welds, cuts, and holes compared to the Roadmaster, I can't comment on a Demco base plate as I have never looked at one closely in person, but Demco will likely be the brand of Base plate I buy next.

 

[uchu]

I can only speak from my experience. Blue Ox fits the bill in terms of quality and price.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'd buy the baseplate brand that matched my towbar, or the tow bar I intended to buy. Just to avoid using an adapter. But as far as the brand itself, I have no preference among Demco, Roadmaster, or Blue Ox. I've owned and used both Blue Ox & Roadmaster.

 

[Kirk]

Blue Ox and Roadmaster both have excellent reputations. I have owned 3 tow vehicles using Blue Ox but would have no problem with Roadmaster either. The only major failure of a tow-bar that I have personally observed was a Demco, but I don't know that it proves anything since such failures are quite rarely mentioned on any of the forums I visit. I do know that the most common cause of such failures is trying to back with a car attached.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Blue Ox and Roadmaster both have excellent reputations. I have owned 3 tow vehicles using Blue Ox but would have no problem with Roadmaster either. The only major failure of a tow-bar that I have personally observed was a Demco, but I don't know that it proves anything since such failures are quite rarely mentioned on any of the forums I visit. I do know that the most common cause of such failures is trying to back with a car attached.

See! If the car was on a car carrier trailer that wouldn't be an issue.