Micro Minnie's Tongue Weight & Water Tank Placement

[Ret.LEO]

Hi All!
I am considering a Micro Minnie probably a 1800BH or a 2100BH. For current owners how does your actual tongue weight compare to stated tongue weights on Wins. page. I know to add 75 Lbs for propane, the batteries won't figure in as Li's only weigh 30 Lbs each. I'm going to use the bottom bunk floor space for them and the rest of the solar equipment. The front passage will be used only for light weight items such a a sewer hose tote, water hose, lawn chair, fishing rods and tackle box. I want to keep the front passage at roughly 100lbs of contents..
I know tongue weight can jump up quickly with tank levels. I want to stay roughly 15 gallons fresh when traveling and roughly 5 gallons each in the grey and black tanks to keep "everything" from pyramiding etc.
I know location of the tanks can have a huge influence, where are the tanks located at on the Mini's?
I have seen videos where when tongue weight is actually weighed it can be waaaay more than stated weights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMMUOHum6I

Thanks all!!!!

[jwiebe]

I've attached a schematic from WGO showing the location of the tanks on the 2100BH. The fresh water tank is located slightly fore of the axles, and the black/grey tanks are near the rear.


FWIW, the hitch weight posted on Winnebago website appears to include full propane and a battery. We weighed ours with full propane and a single group 27 battery and it came to 420lbs (listed at 430lbs on the website). Maybe I just weighed it incorrectly?

[Marine359]

Don’t want to hijack OP’s thread, but I need some help here.

Just returned from trip to Dc, and stopped at a CAT scale to get weighed. I got a problem, and don’t quite know how to solve it. My tv has a GVWR of 6,000#. I’m almost 250lbs over that despite what the ticket says, because I wasn’t in the truck when it was being weighed. I lightened weight in the bed as best I could, transferring it to the pass thru. We didn’t even have our bikes mounted on the crossbars. Well, it seems that all that weight I put in the pass thru increases tongue weight substantially. Due to my tight mountain driveway, I don’t have the option of buying a bigger truck. And we love our 2108ds and don’t want to swap it out. Anyone with suggestions, please chime in. Our fresh tank was only 2/3, so maybe it would help if it were full. Ticket indicates we are well under the trailer GVWR. We’re also well under tow rating of 7,000#.

[backtrack15]

My 2100BH is at about 650 on the tongue thanks to twin 30-lb propane tanks and twin 6V batteries. I also tend to load the heavy stuff at the front.

I don't think the Winnebago dry numbers are all that far off, so the real issue is just how much you think your trailer is going to weigh once loaded. You'll want the tongue at maybe 12% of that total weight just to be on the safe side with respect to sway.

Marine359... Where were you relative to the truck's GAWR values? Even if you weren't in the truck, were you at least standing on the steer axle scale? (That's what I do if I need to get out to reach the button.) I think you know the overall answer though... need to shift some weight rearward provided you don't go too low on the tongue weight for stability. Maybe you have a few things you could toss in the shower while you're traveling? Obviously the farther forward something is, the worse it is for the tongue weight. The fresh tank is likely in front of the axles just a bit, but it's so close that I doubt it makes much difference on the tongue. I'm sorry the scale wasn't more kind.

[Marine359]

Thanks Backtrack
I think I was standing on the scale.
So maybe I’m not way over tv GVWR.
Front axle 3,200
Rear axle 2,800 gawr

Thinking I’m gonna have to put some stuff, like my Blackstone tied down in the trailer, and maybe move some stuff like water jugs into the shower.
Fresh tank just aft of axles.

[backtrack15]

Originally Posted by Marine359

Thanks Backtrack
I think I was standing on the scale.
So maybe I’m not way over tv GVWR.
Front axle 3,200
Rear axle 2,800 gawr

Thinking I’m gonna have to put some stuff, like my Blackstone tied down in the trailer, and maybe move some stuff like water jugs into the shower.
Fresh tank just aft of axles.

Is the rear actually 3800 GAWR (typo above)?

[Marine359]

Sorry,
Rear is 3,500#

[backtrack15]

Originally Posted by Marine359

Sorry,
Rear is 3,500#

That's actually the one I'd be more worried about. You're a touch over on the rear axle capacity even without you in the cab (some of your weight will go that direction). Luckily you're not massively over, and your plans for addressing the GVWR will help with the rear GAWR as well.

Edit: I understand your pain. I was a whisper under my truck's 11500 GVWR with my previous fifth-wheel. Also, Ford will spec the front axle GAWR dangerously close to the unloaded weight. If we're all in the truck (no trailer), a 1-liter soda on the dash could push us over the front axle GAWR. Luckily the Micro Minnie unloads the front axle a bit so we can take some beverages.

[Ret.LEO]

Originally Posted by Marine359

Don’t want to hijack OP’s thread, but I need some help here.

Just returned from trip to Dc, and stopped at a CAT scale to get weighed. I got a problem, and don’t quite know how to solve it. My tv has a GVWR of 6,000#. I’m almost 250lbs over that despite what the ticket says, because I wasn’t in the truck when it was being weighed. I lightened weight in the bed as best I could, transferring it to the pass thru. We didn’t even have our bikes mounted on the crossbars. Well, it seems that all that weight I put in the pass thru increases tongue weight substantially. Due to my tight mountain driveway, I don’t have the option of buying a bigger truck. And we love our 2108ds and don’t want to swap it out. Anyone with suggestions, please chime in. Our fresh tank was only 2/3, so maybe it would help if it were full. Ticket indicates we are well under the trailer GVWR. We’re also well under tow rating of 7,000#.

Do you use a WDH or air bags?

[Ret.LEO]

[QUOTE=backtrack15;3898678]My 2100BH is at about 650 on the tongue thanks to twin 30-lb propane tanks and twin 6V batteries. I also tend to load the heavy stuff at the front.

I don't think the Winnebago dry numbers are all that far off, so the real issue is just how much you think your trailer is going to weigh once loaded. You'll want the tongue at maybe 12% of that total weight just to be on the safe side with respect to sway.

jwiebe and backtrack15 Thank you for the great replies........excellent! Especially the schematic. With the fresh tank where it's positioned I can use it to help achieve a 12-15% tongue weight, probably as close to 15 as possible. The twin 30lb tanks is what I will have as I intend to do extensive boondocking. I won't have the twin 6V batteries so I figure that would knock off roughly 120Lbs off the tongue which really makes for a nice tongue weight.
I am pleased as can be that Win. is being credible with their advertised weight. Adds credibility to all their other claims and statements. Seems to be a lot of "fluff" on how companies advertise.....especially one that advertises R40 in their roofs. According to Owens Corning it would have to be 13 inches thick

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Do you use a WDH or air bags?

Our Husky WDH was on with torsion bars while being weighed.

[jwiebe]

FWIW I weighed our 2100BH fully loaded before we left on a trip last week. Total weight was 3,940lbs with a 400lb tongue.

[backtrack15]

Originally Posted by jwiebe

FWIW I weighed our 2100BH fully loaded before we left on a trip last week. Total weight was 3,940lbs with a 400lb tongue.

Is 3940 the weight on the axles? So 4340 total with tongue included?

[jwiebe]

Originally Posted by backtrack15

Is 3940 the weight on the axles? So 4340 total with tongue included?

No. 3,940 was the complete weight.

[backtrack15]

Originally Posted by jwiebe

No. 3,940 was the complete weight.

That is amazing and bordering on unbelievable. Unless your trailer was nearly empty I’d be real suspicious of that scale.

[RocknRoll]

Originally Posted by backtrack15

That is amazing and bordering on unbelievable. Unless your trailer was nearly empty I’d be real suspicious of that scale.

Agree. If I'm not mistaken, that's more like dry weight.

[jwiebe]

I guess I should mention, there’s no water in the fresh tank as I rarely travel with a full water tank. Other than that it’s full up.

[backtrack15]

Mine weighed more than that on the trip home from the dealer (yes, I had made sure it was bone dry and I did stop at a scale ).

[Ret.LEO]

That is great news! Very workable for us with smaller TV CCC's Can add more weight for other items behind the TV's rear axle and tailgate

[R_Lefebvre]

I recently weighed the TW on my 1800 BH and am surprised it's 550lbs. That is with no batteries on the tongue, but two 170 AH LiFE batteries in the under-bed storage, plus a 60lb inverter, all mounted as far rearward in that compartment as possible.