Rear bike rack stability on a 2019 Micro Minnie

[ebsp]

Hi Everyone,
Who knew owner of a 2019 yellow micro mini 2100 BH. We are a family of seven trying to travel with Bikes. We make choices in life and manage the consequences of those decisions.

We are towing the trailer with a sprinter. 500/5000 pound towing limits. I’m trying to understand the stability limits of the Micro Minnie without directly experimenting with them. I’m think if I want to add bike rack to the back. I know about tongue weight and have a scale being delivered tomorrow.

With the limits of the sprinter I am waking the line being very careful not to step over it. Our last road trip we were 450 pounds under the max load on the last day of our 34 day camping road trip.

This trailer will be going NC to AK next summer or the summer after. I’m not cutting corners. I need solutions that are safe and robust.

so MM owners where is the stability limit with a heavy tow vehicle. I have about the same wheel base as the short super cab F150 but a lot more payload.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Hello and welcome!
I have a 2024 MM2108 FBS and find that adding our 2 bikes on the rear adds a good deal of wind resistance which causes trailer sway, we only do this on short trips locally. I would never put 7 bikes there, a matter of wind resistance, not weight! You could put them on a bike rack on the tongue, not sure they make something for 7 bikes, and that would add a lot to your tongue weight, likely over the rating of your TV.
Better to put them in the sprinter?
Bill

 

[ebsp]

Hello and welcome!
I have a 2024 MM2108 FBS and find that adding our 2 bikes on the rear adds a good deal of wind resistance which causes trailer sway, we only do this on short trips locally. I would never put 7 bikes there, a matter of wind resistance, not weight! You could put them on a bike rack on the tongue, not sure they make something for 7 bikes, and that would add a lot to your tongue weight, likely over the rating of your TV.
Better to put them in the sprinter?
Bill

I appreciate your feedback. What were you towing with?

I fully acknowledge what I’m exploring is ill advised. To that end I’m taking carful measurements building a model that makes designated storage areas, (pass through, front A frame, dinette, rear locker ect.) My rough first pass says adding 350 pounds to the rear bumper 500 in the pass through and 300 in the rear under bunk locker gives me a total weight of 4955# with 514# on the tongue. Or put another way you need at least 250 pounds in the pass through to keep the TW over 10%.

The model doesn’t say this is a good idea nor does it say this is stable only that it’s mathematically possible to hang a bunch of bikes off the back and keep your tongue weight over 10%. If this model verifies, I’m happy to share the HTML code to run in your AI of choice.

My tongue weight scale will arrive on Monday and model validation will commence. I envision system that includes a scale and weight and balance calculations to be performed. Anytime weights over 50 pounds are added or removed.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

I tow mine with Jeep grand Cherokee rated for 7500 lbs.
check the frontage area against your Sprinter specs. I was just at the limit.
For the rear mounted bikes it is not the weight but the wind factor that makes the trailer sway back there, my bikes were not covered though, that might make a small difference.
I believe you need a special bike rack for that rear mounted bikes due to the wind factor there as well.
Very much not recommended!
Also you want to pitch down the nose of the trailer a bit for better tracking, which adds weight to the tongue. I think with full propane, 5 gal fresh water I am generally maxed out on tongue weight. After the first year I found my 750 weight distribution bars were a bit bent, (Maine to Cali trip) and BluOx recomended 1000 lb bars for MM2108 anyway…
Bill

 

[FIRE UP]

"Wind resistance" with bikes on the BACK of a trailer or toad????? Wow, that's a new one on me.
Scott

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Yes! The air flow at the back of the trailer creates sway when it is dragging around the back rather than smooth flow in the rear.

 

[ebsp]

I’d like to try the experiment. Same tongue weight with and without bikes. I don’t think the surface area of the bikes is that great and they probably sit in a low pressure zone if they aren’t too tall or too low.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

That’s what I thought. Go ahead and try but be ready for the unexpected like a truck going by.
You can certainly feel the load. Manageable if you are ready for it. I regularly use it on back of my jeep gc, no problem. Big difference on the rear of trailer, and they make bike racks specifically for rear of trailer, see Etrailer…
See you on the other side!

 

[Morich]

Life is often like Vegas! The small difference is that you often have to lay down the lives of your family instead of chips!
QUOTE:
I fully acknowledge what I’m exploring is ill advised.
This is not a gamble I would consider when in doubt to this point!

 

[CP_Campmore]

I would caution you about your plan of adding a bike rack to rear of your Micro Minnie. Most Micro Minnie's do not have a hitch receiver attached to the frame and only a rear bumper. Other than a spare tire these bumpers are not meant for any additional items attached. You will be leaving these bikes and rack spilled on the side of the road. Even it you have a hitch attached to frame, it's doubtful it will be rated for anything above 150 lbs. In short, leave your bikes home and get the family involved in some real nice hiking trails. It will actually be more fun for all.

 

[ebsp]

Even it you have a hitch attached to frame, it's doubtful it will be rated for anything above 150 lbs. In short, leave your bikes home and get the family involved in some real nice hiking trails. It will actually be more fun for all.

If I weld on a custom hitch it will support 500 pounds. Lol. The family hikes. We just need to give our feet a break. We camped 28 days in ‘25 and 34 in ‘26 no bikes. Trust me we hike

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Why ask for advise if you aren’t even considering to follow it?
It is not the load, MM2108’s are rated for 150 lbs. increasing the load rating to 500 does not change the “rear tail wagging the dog”
Why would they have $1 thou rear racks if they are the same as normal racks?
Some have to fail themselves rather than learn from others.
I stand by my previous statement.

 

[FIRE UP]

Well ebsp,
When all the smoke clears from all the chest pounding and knuckle dragging, oh, and catastrophic wind effects, you have to admit, you're asking a lot of a situation that's gonna be pretty tough to materialize. Specifically, the hauling of SEVEN bicycles is a feat all on its own, much less where and how you do it. We haul TWO and that's plenty. Most travel trailers are built with design and materials that just barely get the job done but have very little to spare when it comes to additional duty or additional structural strength.

The logistics of loading, securing and hauling seven bikes WITHOUT doing any damage to any of them during those process's is going to be at least somewhat complicated.

I've been a welder/fabricator for around 60-65 years and have built more one-off components than I care to admit and in thinking about your situation/scenario, my first thought might be to break the hauling of those bikes up. Maybe some on the front of whatever you're towing with, then maybe a couple on a structure above the tongue on the trailer (seen that many, many times) and maybe a couple on the rear of the trailer and maybe one INSIDE the trailer. This would at least break up the bulk weight of seven into multiple points of two with one left to be hauled inside the trailer.

And not all people are up to the "hiking" task for all kinds of reasons. Age, health, injuries, joint issues and a few dozen more reasons. Biking is a way to get around without a ton of strain. You do what you can.
Scott

 

[ebsp]

Well ebsp,
When all the smoke clears from all the chest pounding and knuckle dragging, oh, and catastrophic wind effects, you have to admit, you're asking a lot of a situation that's gonna be pretty tough to materialize. Specifically, the hauling of SEVEN bicycles is a feat all on its own, much less where and how you do it. We haul TWO and that's plenty. Most travel trailers are built with design and materials that just barely get the job done but have very little to spare when it comes to additional duty or additional structural strength.

The logistics of loading, securing and hauling seven bikes WITHOUT doing any damage to any of them during those process's is going to be at least somewhat complicated.

I've been a welder/fabricator for around 60-65 years and have built more one-off components than I care to admit and in thinking about your situation/scenario, my first thought might be to break the hauling of those bikes up. Maybe some on the front of whatever you're towing with, then maybe a couple on a structure above the tongue on the trailer (seen that many, many times) and maybe a couple on the rear of the trailer and maybe one INSIDE the trailer. This would at least break up the bulk weight of seven into multiple points of two with one left to be hauled inside the trailer.

And not all people are up to the "hiking" task for all kinds of reasons. Age, health, injuries, joint issues and a few dozen more reasons. Biking is a way to get around without a ton of strain. You do what you can.
Scott

I agree they will most definitely need to be split up. The two heaviest will go over the propane tanks. In the trailer for two kids bikes is a possibility.

Most things with a family is seven are unique challenges that require solutions that the average family never even has to consider. Our life is “complicated”. Wouldn’t have it any other way. When you require the searing and payload of a 3/4 ton high roof van to go on a camping vacation you’re in the 1% club.

There is capacity to do what I want to do. FULLY loaded with food for 3 more days the van would have been 50 pounds over its GVWR and 500 pounds under GCWR if I hitched up a 4500 pound trailer with 500 pounds on the tongue. Both axels under their max weight. I’m not wishing’ n hoping’. I’m planning, modeling, and calculating. Tough to do real world testing. But a few miles on the interstate passing/being passed by semi trucks will happen.

I’m looking for data. My xxxxx towed my xxxxx with a TW of xxx and a total weight of xxxx and it was or was not stable. When I put my family in the most dangerous situation (a vehicle) I don’t take chances with safety. It is as safe as I can possibly make it or we don’t go. Bikes on the front of the tow vehicle will interfere with automatic emergency breaking and lane assist and are no go. I’m installing an electronic Tucson active anti sway controller. It’s not that expensive and if it saves just one sway event it’s well worth the cost and time.

The only way to get a rear load is a custom hitch. It’s not simple given the location of all the Huck bolts and the rear cross member and rear lateral supports. I think it’s solvable.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Rent bikes, and live thru it.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

As an engineer with over 40 years of experience I find that calculations are often not the best information. As I got more experience I found that real world experience often overshadows our human attempts to quantify with math and science.

 

[ebsp]

For DIY projects sure. We don’t possess the analytical tools for real engineering. But I think a tape measure and tongue weight scale I can build an accurate enough weight and balance calculator that will tell me if three bikes on the back and two up front is possible and tell me what I should avoid.

 

[FIRE UP]

As an engineer with over 40 years of experience I find that calculations are often not the best information. As I got more experience I found that real world experience often overshadows our human attempts to quantify with math and science.

Oh you got that right. Way back quite a few years ago, I purchased what's called a "Hydralift" to be installed on the back of our motorhome, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP. It was to be used to load and carry our then 2008 Honda Goldwing. The coach is a 36' coach and is NOT a tandem axle coach. When I was going through the install, and relaying pics of the install, Soooooooo many folks did a bunch of calculations and some of them actually told me I'd TEAR THE BACK OF THE COACH OFF with that kind of added weight.

Others stated I'd destroy the hitch mechanism. Others stated the front end of the coach will be DANGEROUSLY LIGHT due to weight transfer. And so on and so on and so on. Well, I proved ALL OF THEM WRONG! That coach rode the EXACT SAME with the Wing on the back as it did without the Wing and the lift. It also SAT in the same exact position, at the same EXACT RIDE HEIGHT with or without the lift and Wing!!!!!! The front end had absolutely ZERO weight loss when the Wing was on the back.

Calculations can be of value, no doubt about it. But as you stated, REAL WORLD experience can often trump calculations. I know, I did it.
Scott