THE ORIGINAL TRAILER COUPLER/SURGE BRAKE ACTIVATOR ON MY APPROXIMATELY 15 YEAR OLD TWO AXLE BOAT TRAILER (LOADRITE AB 24-4000 WAS PROFESSIONALLY REPLACED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE HYDRAULIC SURGE BRAKE ACTUATION MECHANISM IN THE ORIGINAL COUPLER. THE TRAILER WAS CARRYING ITS USUAL LOAD ' A VINTAGE 1959 LYMAN WOODEN BOAT THAT HAS BEEN CARRIED ON THIS TRAILER TO MANY ANTIQUE BOAT SHOWS AROUND THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THE WEIGHT OF THE TRAILER AND BOAT IS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 4500 LBS. THE NEW COUPLER WAS A TITAN BRAND COUPLER RATED AT 6000LBS AND WITH NO MODEL NUMBER INSCRIBED. THE COUPLER IS UNUSUAL (AT LEAST TO ME) IN THAT IT ENTAILS A KNOB ON THE TOP INTENDED TO BE HAND TIGHTENED TO BRING THE RETAINER PAWLS IN CONTACT WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TRAILER BALL, THEREBY SECURING IT FOR TRAVEL, RATHER THAN THE MORE COMMON LEVER ACTION DEVICE WITH ITS POSITIVE LOCK WHEN, AND ONLY WHEN, THE LOCKING PAWL IS FULLY ENGAGED. THE INSTALLER CONDUCTED THE USUAL TESTS, INCLUDING BLEEDING OF THE BRAKE LINE AND REPEATED TESTING OF THE ACTUATOR MECHANISM. ON JULY 29 I ATTACHED THE TRAILER TO MY USUAL TOW VEHICLE ' A 2011 TOYOTA TACOMA ACCESS CAB 4X4 EQUIPPED WITH AN OFF ROAD SUSPENSION AND FACTORY TOWING PACKAGE. THE TRUCK WAS RATED TO TOW 6500 LBS. THE FIRST 150 MILES NORTH ON INTERSTATES 93 AND 89, VERY FAMILIAR ROUTES, PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY WITH THE BOAT AND TRAILER TOWING WITHOUT DIFFICULTY.
2002 Load Rite Boat Trailer
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › foundation components. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure › Body | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2002 LOAD RITE BOAT TRAILER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MAIN SUPPORT RAILS WERE CRACKED. THE TRAILER WAS TAKEN TO A WELDING SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRAILER WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
I WAS DRIVING WITH MY TRAILER LOADED AND THE FENDER / LEAF SPRING BOLT SHEARED OFF. THIS ALLOWS THE FENDER TO RUB THE TIRE AND HAS BROKEN THE MARKER LIGHT WIRING. 3 OF THESE BOLTS HAVE BROKEN ON THIS TRAILER IN 4 MONTHS SINCE PURCHASE IN APRIL. *TR
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BRAKES WILL LOCK UP WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING. HAPPENDED 3 TIMES. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER. MR
4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Other Load Rite models
All Load Rite models →Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.