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Old 02-05-2020, 07:51 PM   #1
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Towing a Micro Minnie Fifth Wheel - Lots of numbers in this post

Hello all!

I've been researching motorized RVs for years now, but this is my first time considering a travel trailer or a fifth wheel. My boyfriend has a 2007 Chevy 1500 Classic. I've included the ratings for his vehicle further below according to his VIN. Please help me make sense of them because I haven't researched towing as much as I have everything else RV-related. A dealer will tell me that a Chevy 1500 can tow over 10,000 lbs., prompting me to ask if it can also sprout wings and fly like a unicorn whilst pooping rainbows out of its arse. While we will be upgrading his truck in the future, we need something that works with his existing truck for now.

To elaborate on driving conditions: no snow and no mountains, heck, we don’t even really have hills down here on the Gulf coast. Very flat land, though I will have to drive at interstate speeds of about 65 mph. I won’t be driving more than 2 hours at a time (most weekend trips will be a 45 minute ride to Ponchatoula or 1.5 hours to Bay St. Louis).

I haven't been able to find any travel trailers with floor plans that I like, but I came across the Micro Minnie 5th wheel and I'm in love. The specs for all the floor plans are listed below.

TRAILER WEIGHT:
I do understand that these are the dry weights and don't include cargo. I just can't imagine putting 1200 lbs. of "stuff" in there. These are the weights we will be adding to dry weight for the trailer:
40 lbs. propane
100 lbs. max for water - We will be camping at sites with hookups for all of our trips, so I only plan to fill it up 5-10 gallons for bathroom breaks while we are driving.
300 lbs. of gear - I have actually been accumulating dishes, chairs, beach towels, etc. for the RV for quite some time. I have 3 large boxes in storage that I can lift myself, so they must be 50 lbs. at the most. I doubled that to account for clothes and other stuff I may add later.
100 lbs. for food and drinks since that’s what a good-sized ice chest holds.
This puts the trailer weight at 6320 which is below the trailer GVWR of 7000 and the truck’s max trailering weight of 6800.
The truck can tow 6800 if it’s a 5th wheel, so this puts me at about 93% of capacity. Everyone says don’t tow at full capacity, but if not then how much less; 80%, 70%?

TRUCK WEIGHT:
Curb weight of truck: 4500 lbs.
Full tank of gas = 156 lbs. (26 gallon tank)
600 lbs. for passengers and gear in the truck: boyfriend (190 lbs.), me (135 lbs.), two tweens (200 for both), a 40 lb. dog and a 10 lb. Chihuahua. I figured the kids may bring 25 lbs. of clothes, gadgets and snacks in their book sacks.
This puts the total weight of vehicle, fluids and passengers at 5255 lbs. GVWR for the truck itself is 6200 lbs. I know I didn’t account for oil, transmission fluid, etc. but there is plenty of leeway here.

Am I dreaming because this is too close to capacity, or is this doable, given my very light driving on a flat surface?

MICRO MINNIE 5TH WHEEL SPECS
GVWR (lbs.) 7,000 7,000 7,000
Sleeps9 5 4 4
Axles (lbs.) 2@3,700 2@3,700 2@3,700
Dry Weight (lbs.) 5,740 5,780 5,640
Furnace (BTU) 18,000 18,000 18,000
Hitch Weight (lbs.) 1,140 1,060 1,100


2007 CHEVY 1500 CLASSIC
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Front3600 lbs 3600.0 min 3600.0 max
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Rear3686 lbs 3686.0 min 3686.0 max
Curb Weight - Front2654 lbs 2654.0 min 2654.0 max
Curb Weight - Rear1845 lbs 1845.0 min 1845.0 max
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap6500, 6200 lbs 6200.0 min 6500.0 max
Gross Combined Wt Rating11000, 12000, 9500 lbs 9500.0 min 13000.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.5000 lbs 5000.0 min 5000.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.750 lbs 750.0 min 750.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.6900 lbs 5100.0 min 7900.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.1035 lbs 765.0 min 1185.0 max
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.6800 lbs 6800.0 min 6800.0 max
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.1700 lbs 1700.0 min 1700.0 max
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Old 02-06-2020, 03:53 AM   #2
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I am not good with all the weights and stuff that's out there. The more you read the more confused one gets. If I am reading your info the second to the last line about the truck states max 6800 and the trailer specs you show as 7000 lbs. Again if I am reading that correct you are already over. You also in your figuring forgot the weight of the 5th wheel hitch, those are very heavy.

Heres the way I would go. If you are set on a 5th wheel get a way bigger truck. You will be safer and the folks around you will be safer. I tried a 5th wheel with a small truck once, it was the worst experience I ever had. So I got a bigger truck (1ton dully) and became really happy.

You may also think about going back to the MH way and pull the truck.
I am sure someone well versed in weights ect will come on and give all the details.
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Old 02-06-2020, 05:17 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reply be happy.

I'm not dead set on a 5th wheel by any means, but the travel trailers I have liked are 4200-5500 lbs. dry. Dead hitch max for the truck is 5000 lbs. max, so none of them work. It looks like having a fifth wheel hitch significantly increases the amount that I can tow up to 6800, and it seems like it would be much easier to maneuver than a travel trailer.

I guess a better question is: I have 600 lbs. inside the truck, and I have 600 lbs. of stuff in the trailer/fifth wheel (including fluids). So, what dry weight is my max for a trailer? What is my max dry weight for a fifth wheel? I know I can't tow right up to the limits (5,000 and 6,800 respectively), so what are my "real" limits?

I should also clarify that the reason I don't want to upgrade the truck now is because I plan to get a Class A in the next two years. I want to try out the RV lifestyle first and get an idea of a floor plan before I make an investment that huge. Right now, I'm able to pay cash for a trailer and stick $1,000 a month in savings for the next two years to reach my goal, but I can't do that if I upgrade the truck right now. I'm sure you guys know plenty of people who bought a travel trailer and sold it within a year. I don't want to be saddled with a truck note and a trailer note when the economy tanks in the next two years.
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Old 02-07-2020, 09:07 AM   #4
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GM says their curb weight includes Fuel, so you're at 5100LBS so if you add another 1100 LBS on from the 5th wheel you're at 6200LBS

However.. the equipment to hookup a 5th wheel weighs something, I'm guessing 100LBS, something to consider.

From GM "Curb Weight is the weight of an empty vehicle, without payload or driver, with standard equipment, fuel, coolant, and oil. It is also known as the vehicle weight."


You may want to consider renting a class A until you're ready to buy one as you'll take a beating come selling time on the 5th wheel. just a thought.
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Old 02-16-2020, 05:40 PM   #5
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I'm hauling a 34' Voyage 5th wheel, which is much longer and heavier than a micro-Minnie. I tow it with a Toyota Tundra. It has the large V8, and a factory tow package. It EASILY tows its full capacity of 10,500, though I don't load it quite that much. Does your truck have a decent sized V8? You'll actually get better gas mileage while towing than you would with a 6 cyl.

I just checked one online towing capacity guide, and it rates a Chevy 1500 at between 7,200 and 8,000 lbs, depending on which 1500 you have. You can look things up here: https://www.exploreusa.com/tow-guides

Also, there's a guy here in Wisconsin (Badger Hitches) who makes a really lightweight, extremely efficient and easy-to-use 5th wheel hitch, so that can also keep your total weight down.

All ratings are created with a certain amount of "fudge-factor" built in, though you are not, of course, supposed to push things based on that. I think the "not at full capacity" rule is just people being cautious. Whatever your vehicle is rated for should be safe and comfortable.

BTW, be sure to check the rating on your trailer tires - mine aren't supposed to be driven over 60 mph, so just be aware. Cheers!
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Old 02-16-2020, 05:43 PM   #6
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There's no comparison in terms of handling between a travel trailer and a 5th wheel. The 5th-wheel is MUCH easier to tow, especially if the roads are rough or the wind is high.
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Old 02-17-2020, 06:39 AM   #7
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I think all the duel axle Micro Minnie are rated 7000 lbs GVWR, Our 2020 2106FBS only weighted at 3700 lbs dry, that leave us 3300 lbs of cargo capacity. The dry weight of the 5th wheel MM is at 5640-5740 lbs and will leave you 1260 lbs MAX.


I believe "Don't tow at MAX weight" means the towing capacity of the tow vehicle. We use 2018 F150 Lariat 2.7 ecoboost rated 7600 lbs Max. Our TT should weighted no more than 4500 lbs loaded. We are a couple with one 80 lbs golden retriever and 2 Killer Chihuahua.



We drive at speed limit ,our TT came with 15' S rated LT tire standard.
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Old 02-17-2020, 08:02 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyTink View Post
TRUCK WEIGHT:
Curb weight of truck: 4500 lbs.
Full tank of gas = 156 lbs. (26 gallon tank)
600 lbs. for passengers and gear in the truck: boyfriend (190 lbs.), me (135 lbs.), two tweens (200 for both), a 40 lb. dog and a 10 lb. Chihuahua. I figured the kids may bring 25 lbs. of clothes, gadgets and snacks in their book sacks.
This puts the total weight of vehicle, fluids and passengers at 5255 lbs. GVWR for the truck itself is 6200 lbs. I know I didn’t account for oil, transmission fluid, etc. but there is plenty of leeway here.

Am I dreaming because this is too close to capacity, or is this doable, given my very light driving on a flat surface?

MICRO MINNIE 5TH WHEEL SPECS
GVWR (lbs.) 7,000 7,000 7,000
Sleeps9 5 4 4
Axles (lbs.) 2@3,700 2@3,700 2@3,700
Dry Weight (lbs.) 5,740 5,780 5,640
Furnace (BTU) 18,000 18,000 18,000
Hitch Weight (lbs.) 1,140 1,060 1,100
Maybe I'm missing something here, but doesn't the hitch weight put you over the GVWR of the vehicle? After your passengers you have less than 1,000 pounds less, and the hitch weight is over 1,000 pounds.

Also, I can't answer your question about how close to max tow rating is too close, but my truck is 7,700 and I'm not comfortable over 5,000 for the trailer.
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Old 02-18-2020, 10:00 AM   #9
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Towing Micro Minnie 5th Wheel

We have been towing our Micro Minnie 5th wheel for over a year now with our GMC Canyon Extra Cab Short Bed 4X4 Diesel. We got a slider hitch and have only needed it once when backing into a particularly weird angle. But if you get a short bed, I would suggest it. We get 17 MPG towing and in the twenties when not towing.

We travel highways and the interstate here in Texas so don't run into many mountains, but the "hill country" can have sizable hills and we have pulled it just fine so far. Runs at freeway speeds with no problem.

We needed the shortbed so my husband could put the truck in the garage (his rules) If you didn't need to put it in the garage, I would go with a longer bed.

Regarding models, we have the 2020 RL not the RG. (rear living and not the rear galley. Debated a lot about the choice due to the good and bad of both. RL has NO outside storage almost. One pass through that is so short height wise that we can only fit our two lawn chairs and the sewer hoses in there. We have managed to make the interior storage work although there is not very much available. The theater seats are comfortable and face the TV which is nice.

The Rear Galley has much more storage room inside and out, but the only drawback to that one is that from the couch, you are looking sideways to your right to see the TV. So floorplan choice depends on your preferences.

Wish you all the best in your search.
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Old 02-18-2020, 12:39 PM   #10
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I can tell you that we have a MM 2405RG and we love it. It is lite enough for my truck which is a 2018 Chevy 2500HD and I have no worries pulling the 5th wheel. I previously had a 2106FBS TT. There is a considerable difference in the towing aspects. The 5th wheel is a dream to pull and I could forget that it is there at times. I have the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Gooseneck Mount. I have had it out to the mountains in Colorado and a few places here in Texas. I think that whatever model you decide on you will love it. Good luck!
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Old 02-18-2020, 06:21 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kitsonkt View Post
I can tell you that we have a MM 2405RG and we love it. It is lite enough for my truck which is a 2018 Chevy 2500HD and I have no worries pulling the 5th wheel.
You though have a 3/4 ton truck and the OP a 1/2 ton. I really think payload is the critical issue, not the total weight of the trailer.
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Old 02-25-2020, 09:00 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitewindes View Post
We have been towing our Micro Minnie 5th wheel for over a year now with our GMC Canyon Extra Cab Short Bed 4X4 Diesel
Just to be clear on what truck model you have...Extra Cab has the same bed length as the Crew Cab Long Bed, 6' 2", and only comes in that bed length. The "short' bed on a Canyon/Colorado only comes on Crew Cabs models.
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