Loadmaster trailer

[bruceb58]

My current trailer has forward bunks. My last trailer for my previous non Cobalt had forward bunks. Hard to imagine why a trailer manufacturer would build a trailer without forward bunks.

[Snowman8]

Forward bunks definitely make loading easier! But if you somehow miss them with the keel of the boat they will throw the boat WAY off center!

[kas232ca]

Their bunk placement is spot on..
When you do load, make DAMN sure the center bunk grabs the center of the hull as a guide to the bow stop before you proceed to fully load. Go slow. You'll know when it grabs.

Loading is currently our biggest headache currently with our Venture trailer. 50% of the time it is fine, but there tends to be a quartering wind at the ramp, combined with the duo prop fast idle, can make it a challenge. I generally have the boat stop about 3 feet from the bow roller and then just power it up in spurts. Last year, my wife backed in a bit too far with the new truck and I ended up hitting a cross member with the keel, taking out a chunk of the underside. I never would have thought the keel could hit that part of the trailer.

These loadmaster trailers are super easy to load a boat and be straight every time. They have a set of forward bunks that the keel of the boat hits first and that centers the boat. The only time my boat has ever been off center was when one of the dock kids was trying to help by pushing the boat to the side because he thought it was crooked, I didn’t notice he was doing anything but all he was doing was pushing it off center. The marina we use has kids on the docks to help move boat & speed things along, from that day on if one helps me get the boat to the trailer once I start to crank the boat up I make sure they just let go. We boat on a river and we launch and load with current so it’s not really the best conditions. I back the trailer in so the tops of the fenders are right at water level and the boat is always centered and straight. I even ordered my trailer with load guides but after the first time using them I took them off the trailer and hung them in my shed, I don’t need them. My boat was rarely straight on my old EZ Loader trailer and was a bear to get it on straight. Most trailer manufacturers don’t use forward bunks so there are only 4 bunks for the back half of the trailer instead of 6 bunks on a Loadmaster.

I'm looking forward to those forward bunks. Our current Venture only has 2 bunks, so if I miss by a few inches on either side, it drops of one of the chines and ends up really crooked.

[Tuscany]

IMO.
Obviously, be careful the first few times, especially if you use a V-block bow stop instead of a roller. More secure but be careful.
Missing the block could be disastrous on the hull because steel on the side will come in contact. Just get the keel into the center bunks and power up close, like 2-3' from the bow stop. From there, winch it the rest of the way. It's very easy as you get comfortable with your new combo.

I personally recommend pole guides. We load in some very different conditions here. Mine reside permanently on the boat trailer. For some odd reason, some take using them as an ego thing. Not mentioning any names, but it rhymes with Big Block Power.
It seems almost every trailer in these parts use them. You never know when a gust might push you off course when loading the last little bit. The guides come in VERY handy at that point while your manhood is no longer threatened LOL. And if you use a steep ramp, and the boat is secured in the bow stop, they keep the boat on point if the stern is floating.
Just get the keel into the center bunks and power up close, like 2-3' from the bow stop. From there, winch it the rest of the way. It's very easy as you get comfortable with your new combo.

[ajcampen]

My Loadmaster just got completed today!!! Tuscany helped me out with a couple measurements so they could preinstall my v-block as my new to me boat is on a lift in water.

[AsLan7]

That’s a beauty AJC!

[Tuscany]

Another rock solid build from Loadmaster!

[kas232ca]

Picked up our new Loadmaster last Friday. Thank you, Megan and Monica!

It was scheduled to be done in June and I was not sure how I was going to get it back to Arizona if I was going to get it myself, hire a delivery or have one of my employee's brothers who lives in Ohio to bring it out. After looking at the map, I realized that on the way back is Indianapolis. My wife and I try to get to one big race per year somewhere, whether it is NASCAR, F1, Dirt, Offroad, etc. I asked Megan at Loadmaster if they could get it done before the Indy 500 and they said they would try and about 3 weeks ago they said they had started the build.

We flew into Detroit last Thursday night. I had reserved a full size pickup truck from Enterprise. When we got to the lot, they only had 2 Rams, 1 Gladiator, 1 Tacoma, 1 Grand Wagoneer and 1 Expedition. The Rams didn't have a receiver hitch, nor did the Gladiator. The Expedition had one, but that truck was beat with 67K rental miles on it. The Grand Wagoneer had a receiver but would have cost $700.00 more than what I had reserved (about $800.00). So, the pick was the Tacoma and it only had 8K miles on it.

On Friday morning in Dearborn, we went to Harbor Freight and bought a receiver. I also had to buy a ball wrench as mine got taken away by TSA at the airport. Apparently, tools can't be over 7" for carry on and I didn't want to check bags. We then went on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour in Dearborn where they build the F-150. I had been there before, but my wife had not. Unfortunately, we did not have time to hit the Ford Museum as we had to get to Port Clinton, Ohio where Loadmaster is.

On Friday afternoon, we drove to Loadmaster and picked up the trailer. They were super nice there and Port Clinton seems like a nice place to vacation. It was windy and Lake Erie looked really rough. After we picked up the trailer we headed to Bowling Green, OH to see an employee of ours (a remote social media guy), but he and the family had gotten sick so we passed on that. We also discovered that A. The Tacoma rides terrible with an empty trailer B. The Tacoma has no power C. The Tacoma gets terrible gas mileage.

On Saturday morning, we left Bowling Green and headed for Indinapolis. I wanted to hit the Indianapolis Speedway Museum. The museum is in the infield, so we pulled the empty trailer into the museum remote parking lot and found a spot big enough. Several people asked where our boat was.

On Sunday, we dropped the trailer in the hotel parking lot and chained it to a tree. The race was great and we had really good seats. We stayed in Terre Haute that night.

Monday morning we headed out and made it to Amarillo. On Tuesday we made it to Lake Havasu City and dropped the trailer in the garage. I would have liked to move the boat to the new trailer, but didn't feel comfortable pulling the boat with the Tacoma even for a couple of miles. We also have to set the bow stop and have to do that at the ramp.

We had to make a stop at the Harbor Freight in Amarillo to get a short SAE socket set as the U-bolts holding the ladder loosened up and it started leaning and moving on the frame. I noticed quite a few nuts had loosened so I do need to retorque everything.

The trailer pulled really well. The only issue we had was at a gas station where I tried to do to tight of a turn and the ladder hit the Tacoma's taillight and broke it and a small dent in the tailgate. I immediately got my laptop out and ordered a replacement from Amazon which just arrived a couple of hours ago. A 10 minute taillight change and the Tacoma is ready to go back to Enterprise at the airport.

[kas232ca]

A few more photos:

[AsLan7]

Oh man that’s great documentation Kas…. Cool pics too. Enjoy that beauty.