Help choosing a towing vehicle for a Micro Minnie 2100BH

SSAA2020 · 10-09-2020, 03:51 AM

Hi all,

We just purchased a Micro Minnie 2100BH and are really excited about it. We are also buying a vehicle to tow it and have been struggling with what to choose. Initially we wanted to do the Palisade as it has a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs but found out from our RV dealer that that car could not handle the tongue weight of the MM2100BH. Now we are looking at the Nissan Pathfinder with a tow capacity of 6,000 lbs and a tongue weight capacity of 600 lbs. However, I am wondering if we will struggle with maintaining speed and handling sway with the pathfinder. We have two young children so trucks are not really on the list for us. What would you all suggest? A Chevy Tahoe perhaps? What do you tow your Micro Minnie with?

A little context. We are presently living internationally and are coming home to the US in a week. We will be flying into Boston and then picking up the new car and trailer to tow back home to the West Coast. Essentially we need a car that is really reliable and can handle the tow weight when we get to mountain states like Colorado, Washington, and California.

Thank you all in advance for your wisdom!!! We are super grateful for your help.

BobC · 10-09-2020, 06:27 AM

I'm not sure why trucks are out. I have a Nissan Titan crew cab that's a super comfortable ride with plenty room for kids, but, assuming your mind is set, I recommend you consider its SUV companion vehicle, a Nissan Armada. It may seem like overkill for your needs but it's not, especially with all the extra stuff you'll be taking with two kids. Keep in mind that vehicle tow ratings are based on a driver and a tank of gas and don't include passengers or any cargo.

In general, your trailer weights should be in the range of 80% of your tow vehicle's rating.

And, when you decide you'd like a bigger trailer, you won't have to invest in a new tow vehicle.

hank857 · 10-09-2020, 07:39 AM

here is a link from a site with 3 pages of answers to your question. No I did not read all:

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...d/30151872.cfm

DesertRatt · 10-10-2020, 12:05 PM

IMHO, 'tis far better, safer, more comfortable to have MORE TOW CAP than you need. But, my context is the West, where climbing up 8,000 feet and then back down 8,000 feet over 7% grades many miles long in summer heat is common and unavoidable for all good destinations.

More tow capacity means better brakes, better transmissions, better suspension, bigger motors, heavier vehicles, bigger tires and so on.

Just me, but the greatest asset I can have while towing is CONFIDENCE in the tow vehicle.

Good luck!

Old Navy · 10-10-2020, 01:39 PM

All of what DesertRatt said. When someone cuts you off, you have to brake hard in a sharp downhill turn, or some other unexpected event occurs, "just enough tow vehicle" might come up short. Also, I would consider a body on frame tow vehicle, unless you are going with something a good bit larger. Unibody designs frequently recommend against weight distribution hitches, and on something as small as the Pathfinder, you probably want one.

Like BobC mentioned, the Crew Cab truck can be pretty roomy. My Ram actually seats 5 adults pretty comfortably. Having room in the bed for bikes, generators, coolers and other gear is a big plus. Of course, here in SoCal, rain is rarely an issue.

DavidM · 10-10-2020, 01:58 PM

Your trailer has a dry weight of 3,700 lbs and a GVWR of 7,000 lbs probably because it has tandem axles but you will never reach that max weight, maybe 5,000 lbs.

I tow a 4,000 lb trailer with the Pathfinder. It tows ok, well maybe better than ok but not great. If I had a trailer of your weight I would want a tow rating of at least 7,000 lbs and a hitch rating of 750 lbs.

It will take a full size SUV to hit that rating; a Dodge Durango, Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, etc. all with V8s.

David

**creativepart** · 10-10-2020, 02:27 PM

A Tahoe is a good tow vehicle, but it's short wheelbase can be an issue if you want to get a larger travel trailer in the future. We towed 25' Arctic Fox (5200lbs) with a Tahoe and never felt totally comfortable. We traded in the Tahoe and got a Ford Expedition EL - the long wheelbase version. The EX EL is basically a F150 (with a better suspension) with the EcoBoost turbo v6 and it towed GREAT.

In it's upper level trims it's a wonderful family SUV. A great everyday driver and a very capable tow vehicle up to 7000+ lbs.

gurroz · 10-10-2020, 03:02 PM

IMHO, you need A 1/2 ton truck or equivalent SUV.

BobC · 10-10-2020, 05:17 PM

You'll never regret getting a vehicle with a larger tow/load capacity then absolutely necessary but you'll definitely regret going too small.

And, as others have mentioned, the shorter wheelbase of smaller SUVs is problematical.

Topsail · 10-11-2020, 06:03 AM

You probably already are aware of this but just make sure that the trailer hitch is rated for your tow weight. My Chevy 1/2 ton is rated for 7500 pounds. The class 3 hitch that was on the tow package is only rated for 5000 lbs. This is a commonly overlooked item when the brochures boast about the max tow rating. I know some class 3 hitches go up to 6000 lbs with a tongue rating of 600 lbs. Trust but verify.

Bughawk · 10-14-2020, 09:04 AM

I have a 2108DS MicroMinnie and I tow it with a Ford F150 and have not had any problems. The truck was built for me specifically to tow a trailer. I have the 2.7 liter V6 Ecoboost with the tow package, off road package and trailer assist, which I love. The max. towing capacity for my truck is 8000 lbs so with my trailer I am well below that max. towing capacity. The dry weight on the trailer I believe is 3700 lbs and with a full tank of fresh water, food and other things in the trailer like clothes, supplies, etc... the trailer does not weigh in at more than 5000 lbs, if that.

One advantage of a truck over an SUV is the carrying capacity of the bed of the truck. If you have wet or messy things you really don't want to put into your SUV you can simply throw them into the bed of the truck with out any problems. I have a cap on my bed so that adds a bit of security for the items I put back there.

Good luck on finding your tow vehicle.

gurroz · 10-14-2020, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bughawk

I have a 2108DS MicroMinnie and I tow it with a Ford F150 and have not had any problems. The truck was built for me specifically to tow a trailer. I have the 2.7 liter V6 Ecoboost with the tow package, off road package and trailer assist, which I love. The max. towing capacity for my truck is 8000 lbs so with my trailer I am well below that max. towing capacity. The dry weight on the trailer I believe is 3700 lbs and with a full tank of fresh water, food and other things in the trailer like clothes, supplies, etc... the trailer does not weigh in at more than 5000 lbs, if that.

One advantage of a truck over an SUV is the carrying capacity of the bed of the truck. If you have wet or messy things you really don't want to put into your SUV you can simply throw them into the bed of the truck with out any problems. I have a cap on my bed so that adds a bit of security for the items I put back there.

Good luck on finding your tow vehicle.

SSAA2020, This is an excellent case study to help you determine your tow vehicle. Bughawk has a similar trailer to yours and indicates he carries a 1300lb payload. So take the dry weight of your trailer, add 1300lbs and make sure your new tow vehicle can tow that and then some. Safe travels!

Bughawk · 10-14-2020, 09:31 AM

One more thing to consider is not how much your vehicle can tow but can your vehicle safely stop with the trailer attached. I am no expert on towing but it has become very clear that when you have a trailer attached your vehicle it takes longer to safely stop the tow vehicle and trailer than it takes to stop the tow vehicle alone. Just remember you not only have to pull the trailer but you also have to stop it.

Rick 99037 · 10-14-2020, 09:48 AM

No way around it, a vehicle like a truck, is the best long-term tow vehicle. Everything is built for harder work, so longer life. The trade off is lower MPG, than a lighter vehicle, when not towing.
An added benefit that I have seen with a truck is the available covered truck bed, be it with a canopy or cover; that then carries all the stuff you end up wanting when you get there.
Cramming it in the trailer leaves you crawling over it, at an interim stop, and you dragging the stuff out at the site, sticking it all around the trailer outside, or shoved in the seating in your vehicle, so you can use your trailer, but not the car. The older your family gets, the more added space you will need. And this is why you see tow vehicles with add-on roof carriers truck on them.

Bughawk · 10-14-2020, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

No way around it, a vehicle like a truck, is the best long-term tow vehicle. Everything is built for harder work, so longer life. The trade off is lower MPG, than a lighter vehicle, when not towing.
An added benefit that I have seen with a truck is the available covered truck bed, be it with a canopy or cover; that then carries all the stuff you end up wanting when you get there.
Cramming it in the trailer leaves you crawling over it, at an interim stop, and you dragging the stuff out at the site, sticking it all around the trailer outside, or shoved in the seating in your vehicle, so you can use your trailer, but not the car. The older your family gets, the more added space you will need. And this is why you see tow vehicles with add-on roof carriers truck on them.

Excellent point Rick. Filling up your trailer with things better suited for the bed of your pick up is not something you will want to do more than once. Having access to essentials like the bathroom and refrig/kitchen when traveling is something to consider. It is very nice to be able to pull over, open up the trailer, use the bathroom and get something to eat or drink without having to climb over bikes, coolers, luggage, etc... Just one thing to think about when choosing a tow vehicle.

As for mpg issues with a truck. My F150 gets around 20-22mpg most of the time when I am not towing and about 15-16mpg when I am towing in areas with lots of hills. On the open fairly flat interstate it is more like 16-18mpg. The 2.7 V6 Ecoboost might be a small engine, but it so far has performed well.

golden13 · 10-14-2020, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSAA2020

Hi all,

We just purchased a Micro Minnie 2100BH and are really excited about it. We are also buying a vehicle to tow it and have been struggling with what to choose. Initially we wanted to do the Palisade as it has a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs but found out from our RV dealer that that car could not handle the tongue weight of the MM2100BH. Now we are looking at the Nissan Pathfinder with a tow capacity of 6,000 lbs and a tongue weight capacity of 600 lbs. However, I am wondering if we will struggle with maintaining speed and handling sway with the pathfinder. We have two young children so trucks are not really on the list for us. What would you all suggest? A Chevy Tahoe perhaps? What do you tow your Micro Minnie with?

A little context. We are presently living internationally and are coming home to the US in a week. We will be flying into Boston and then picking up the new car and trailer to tow back home to the West Coast. Essentially we need a car that is really reliable and can handle the tow weight when we get to mountain states like Colorado, Washington, and California.

Thank you all in advance for your wisdom!!! We are super grateful for your help.

If you get a pickup with an extended or double cab, it's not particularly different from a regular passenger car inside. Although we have a bigger, heavier rig (Winnebago 5th wheel) I wouldn't want anything other than my Toyota Tundra.

The interior is the same as a regular sedan, although a bit higher off the ground. It has all the comforts you'd expect from a late-model vehicle. My kids are all grown, but you could easily fit a family of 5-6 people quite comfortably.

I did an extensive amount of research before buying the Tundra. I checked on Consumer Reports, which had a comparison chart for RV tow vehicles. Most American-made cars had fairly mediocre scores for things like customer satisfaction, durability, ease of repair, cost of repair, etc. The Tundra was MUCH better rated than all the other possibilities, and it comes with a factory tow package (extra gears, pre-wired, etc.) It has a towing capacity of 10,500#, and it rides quite smoothly for a bigger vehicle.
As must be obvious, I highly recommend the Tundra, but it's probably important to get the V8 version for towing.

The main thing I want to point out is that you need to make absolutely certain you have enough towing capacity, or your driving experience will be miserable and dangerous. You will also burn out your engine and transmission if you overload it.

I encourage you to test drive a Tundra and see how you feel about it! Happy trails!

Advtwindad · 10-14-2020, 01:00 PM

I did basically the same drive (Philly to Seattle) with the exact same trailer and with 3 year old twins in a 2016 chevy Silverado crew cab 1500 Z71. I got 10mpg there and back and it was more than enough truck-even through the Colorado Rockies and Northern Cascades. Good luck! It was an amazing trip. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Bughawk · 10-14-2020, 01:33 PM

One more thing to consider is your hitch set up. A weight distributing hitch can be something that you may want to consider. I have one and it does take a little bit more time to set up but I believe I have much more stability when towing and helps to distribute the weight from the trailer tongue to the vehicle and trailer axles. For most half ton trucks I believe these types of hitches are required when you are towing anything over 5000 lbs, but I could be mistaken about that weight. I do know that in my case, I feel much more secure when I have my weight distributing hitch connected.

Your RV dealer should be able to make some suggestions as to which type of hitch would be best for your vehicle.

Advtwindad · 10-14-2020, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bughawk

One more thing to consider is your hitch set up. A weight distributing hitch can be something that you may want to consider. I have one and it does take a little bit more time to set up but I believe I have much more stability when towing and helps to distribute the weight from the trailer tongue to the vehicle and trailer axles. For most half ton trucks I believe these types of hitches are required when you are towing anything over 5000 lbs, but I could be mistaken about that weight. I do know that in my case, I feel much more secure when I have my weight distributing hitch connected.

Your RV dealer should be able to make some suggestions as to which type of hitch would be best for your vehicle.

Yes! I agree! We use Blue ox, which we are happy with, there are several brands out there. Safety is never overkill in my opinion! And if you upgrade down the road to a larger trailer, the set up moves with you, though you’ll probably need to change your distribution bars to a larger weight class.