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I’ve heard that roadmaster requires significant modifications. Blue Ox requires less modifications. Are these the only 2 companies offering base plates for the maverick?
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Does anyone know which is the best base plate for flat towing?
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Here's a review about Demco
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...e-new-demco-baseplate-for-flat-tow-yet.39287/
HRG
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...e-new-demco-baseplate-for-flat-tow-yet.39287/
HRG
Member "BradnChristine" has done extensive research, review, install, and consultation on this subject. His recommendation is indeed a third vendor, Demco. I see HotRunrGuy has already posted the link to the discussion. I strongly suggest you take a look and follow BradnChristine's postings.
DEMCO is the only viable option, when all is said and done. You are right, Roadmaster poses risks as it DESTROYS the lower active shutter system. Ask @realshelby and others about Blue Ox and bending/broken welds.
I have posted a lot about the Demco, having lots of contact with them as I installed it. Search my username and I've posted lots of pictures of my Demco install. I've towed the Maverick 2622 miles so far, in the last 70 days, after self-installing it. I plan on keeping the truck and the Roadmaster destruction was unacceptable to me.
And I don't have any financial interest in DEMCO. I think I and another MTC member caused them a lot of frustration as we constantly bothered them as we went throuigh the self-installs. Now I can truly say it was an easy install, once all was figured out.
There are a couple of tricks to getting the fascia off and back on easier, but nothing difficult. I'll provide any needed help, as MTC has been an extremely helpful group to me.
~Brad
There are a couple of tricks to getting the fascia off and back on easier, but nothing difficult. I'll provide any needed help, as MTC has been an extremely helpful group to me.
~Brad
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Please search posts by myself "dhershey3772" and "realshelby" for reports on failed Blue Ox base plates.
There are 3 manufacturers currently offering base plates for the Maverick. Blue Ox, Roadmaster, Demco.
In my opinion the Blue Ox is not fit for service on a Maverick ( they have a great reputation, but NOT with the Maverick base plate design).
Both the Demco and Roadmaster have traditional spacing between the mounting tabs. Both have substantial crossbars holding the mounting tabs. The Blue Ox has a tab spacing of 41", not the industry standard of around 24-28". This causes the tow bar to be spread too far apart. This causes extreme lateral loads on the base plate. Since there is NO substantial crossbar supporting the mounting tabs on the Blue Ox, that cannot support the mounting tabs under this extreme lateral loading ( like when braking hard). That is proven by two owners having the Blue Ox base plate FAIL in normal use. There may be others....
The Demco is the least "complicated" to install. Less trimming and what is trimmed could easily be replaced with a new part should it need to go back stock. This is the only brand that you can say that with. The Roadmaster involves extensive cutting of the shroud around the lower radiator area. All the lower louvers need to be removed. Both of these brands are well engineered and will function safely.
I would surely recommend the Demco over all others. I have owned the Blue Ox, and I installed a Roadmaster to replace the failed Blue Ox. I did cut a lot of stuff out to make that fit. But I don't have a problem with that personally. The Demco....was not available at the time I needed the replacement. Also, as it stood at that time, the Demco was going to be about $200 more than the Roadmaster. So, it may come down to availability and pricing.
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Based on all of your extensive work with Demco to get theirs ready for primetime (of course manufacturing consistency on Ford's part would have helped but my 30 year aerospace career demonstrated repeatedly that 'as built' is seldom 'as designed') I keep waiting for the Demco site to say I can actually order their baseplate. Do you recommend calling someone in particular to secure one?DEMCO is the only viable option, when all is said and done. You are right, Roadmaster poses risks as it DESTROYS the lower active shutter system. Ask @realshelby and others about Blue Ox and bending/broken welds.
I have posted a lot about the Demco, having lots of contact with them as I installed it. Search my username and I've posted lots of pictures of my Demco install. I've towed the Maverick 2622 miles so far, in the last 70 days, after self-installing it. I plan on keeping the truck and the Roadmaster destruction was unacceptable to me.
Also will be towing with our LTV Wonder RL, and trying to get ready to travel more in the early spring.
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Thank you all for the info! I will continue reading. Looks like demco is the way to go to a base plate.
Does anyone have experience with the demco towbar? I’m using a roadmaster with my current toad and loving it, so simple to hook up and much more forgiving in distance between toad and RV than the Blue Ox!
Does anyone have experience with the demco towbar? I’m using a roadmaster with my current toad and loving it, so simple to hook up and much more forgiving in distance between toad and RV than the Blue Ox!
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I had recently purchased a Roadmaster Falcon2 towbar to use on my C-Max to replace an old heavy Roadmaster Stowmaster used for previious vehicles. Roadmaster makes an adapter (RM-034) to let the Falcon 2 fit my DEMCO baseplate. I think DEMCO makes an adaptor as well, but it was TWICE the price of the roadmaster adaptor. https://www.amazon.com/Roadmaster-34-Adapter-Bar/dp/B003VAVZQ4/
There are a couple of sellers on AZN, but this is the lowest, and where I bought mine. You REMOVE the end pieces from the Falcon2 and replace them with these, new bolts included. They are much eadier to use than the original ends for the C-Max application, as you say, more "forgiving".
EDIT: Lost my train of thought. The Falcon2 is what I towed my Maverick with...along with the adaptor and DEMCO baseplate.
Exactly what I am towing with: A 2021 LTV Wonder RL. GREAT package.
As far as DEMCO ordering, send them a message. That is what I did, and I ended up buying from them. The price I paid with shipping was the same as I would have paid eTrailer with its free shipping. I had no idea I was an "early adaptor. Kevin at Demco is who I worked with. They were a bit (a lot) frustrated by having to struggle due to Ford's variances. After dealing with the 2 of us, he said he was leaning toward no direct sales, as installers would be easier for them.
They sent me a baseplate that had the holes about 3/4" too wide, and they were small holes. They sent me a second baseplate according to my dimensions and with larger holes to accommodate the variances. It was easy to install once they made that adjustment.
There is an odd bump that seems to be a spot-weld of some sort on the Ford bar that the baseplate bolts to. I used a grinder on the BASEPLATE to accommodate the thing, since I did not know why it was there and didn't want to harm the Maverick.
As you can see, there is a raised boss on each bolt location. Ford's sloppy welds (for the bosses) are no issue, as the welded support on the baseplate is not that wide. The nuts that are welded onto the inside to catch these bolts are NOT centered, which is where the variances all come from. The DEMCO bar has a plate welded on between the bolt holes so that the bar fits flush. Driver's side does not have the dot:
These 4 bolts are the main connections for the baseplate (2 on each side). There is another bracket that stabilizes the top of the baseplate. Sorry, I didn't get a picture, but it is easy.
Here is a picture of the baseplate on the floor with the removed shroud behind it. The shroud is simple to remove so you can cut it. The DEMCO install shows you what to remove. Rather than take it all off, I just cut a slit in the rubber edge (about an inch or so) and then used a dremel to cut the hard plastic out of the way of the baseplate bar. This way, I pushed the bar into place and still had the rubber shroud looking intact.
That picture also shows the active shutter slats as I found them. As you can see, there are 5 slat locations on each side. The second-from-the-bottom is the one Ford removed as part of its heat concern recall/TSB (removed a slat, made holes in the plastic). That was the subject of a recall for early models. My 1/12/23 build came that way.
I removed 2 more slats above the missing slat on each side. One is directly behind the baseplate bar, and the other was resting on top of the baseplate and prevented from being able to fully close. I did not want to risk damaging whatever activated them, so I followed the Ford TSB guideline as to how to remove them WITHOUT DAMAGING anything.
One DEMCO installer reported that he did not have to remove them. That either comes from 1. Not realizing that they were pressing against the bar, or 2. a variance in Ford's assembly. I really think it was #1, because there is not a lot of room left in the area once the fascia is replaced.
Should I ever want to delete the baseplate, I could simply remove it, replace the vanes, and buy a new plastic/rubber shroud and it would be just as delivered.
This is a good place to stick all of the other relevent pictures from the install.
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I have installed the Roadmaster base plates on my 23 Lariat Hybrid. It sounds like Demco would be fine for the situation. However, I have been using Roadmaster systems for many many years on many different vehicles, and I'm not changing my towing setups now. I also have the Roadmaster base plates on my F-150 and can switch back and force as needed. I will agree that the installation on the Maverick was a bit complicated. However, they all are. So that is just part of the cost of doing business. I would never attempt to tow any vehicle without a charging wire to keep the toad battery charged. I was told I didn't need it on my F-150, so i didn't add it at first. That just cost me a new battery in the F-150. Because it killed the battery with one day of towing. I am very pleased with how the Maverick installation turned out. I can't see any negative issues with the bottom set of shutters being removed, the top shutters still work as intended and I can't see any difference in the operation of engine temps.
I agree that the Roadmaster install is SAFE, and while engine temps aren't a big deal, it is the risk of a Ford dealer denying any heat-related warranty claim that was the issue for me.I have installed the Roadmaster base plates on my 23 Lariat Hybrid. It sounds like Demco would be fine for the situation. However, I have been using Roadmaster systems for many many years on many different vehicles, and I'm not changing my towing setups now. I also have the Roadmaster base plates on my F-150 and can switch back and force as needed. I will agree that the installation on the Maverick was a bit complicated. However, they all are. So that is just part of the cost of doing business. I would never attempt to tow any vehicle without a charging wire to keep the toad battery charged. I was told I didn't need it on my F-150, so i didn't add it at first. That just cost me a new battery in the F-150. Because it killed the battery with one day of towing. I am very pleased with how the Maverick installation turned out. I can't see any negative issues with the bottom set of shutters being removed, the top shutters still work as intended and I can't see any difference in the operation of engine temps.
The DEMCO baseplate can be completely removed and the 4 vanes returned to their positions, should that be desired/needed. As you know, once you install a Roadmaster baseplate, there is no going back and restoring what had to be cut out to do the install. The DEMCO install, by the way, is very simple. Even fascia removal/reinstall wasn't as hard as it first looked.
I have an 8 year Ford ESP warranty on my Maverick and do not want to risk a warranty struggle down the road when I could avoid it with DEMCO. $49.95 takes care of converting a Roadmaster Falcon2 to mate with the DEMCO baseplate. I have been a Roadmaster fan for over 20 years...until they came up with this Maverick baseplate.
And I absolutely agree with the need for a chargewire! This is the one I added:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RCXB8A
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