Thoughts from 2024 Micro Minnie Owners

[Steve_RS]

I currently have an early 2021 2108DS and looking at trading for a new 2024 model. Other than a few minor plumbing leaks (loose fittings) and the fresh water tank falling out the brackets, it has been a very dependable trailer.

I am curious if there have been any significant issues with the 2024 models.
The reason for looking at a new one is the additional drawer storage, 12 volt fridge and tv, convection microwave, built in solar capability, and rear bike rack receiver.

Is it worth looking at a new one or should I just keep what I have or wait to see if there are any significant changes in the 2025 models.

Thanks in advance

Steve

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Honestly, it sounds like you just want a new toy and are willing to throw away a whole bunch of money for virtually nothing.

Sleep on the idea for a month and I bet you'll forget about it.

A 12v fridge (have one) is great, but it'll drain a "normal" AGM battery in 3-5 hours tops. If you ever boondock, you'll have to upgrade to lithium batteries and custom charging setups, more solar, etc. A lot of expenses to go from one working fridge to another working fridge.

Additional drawer storage? Just build whatever storage you want. Heck, hire a cabinet maker if you need to.

TV? Convection microwave? Useless gimmicks.

Bike rack receiver? Go to any fabrication shop and they'll mount one + reinforce whatever needs to be reinforced (10x better than factory) for a few hundred bucks. Or just mount the bikes on the tongue via the myriad of available options.

 

[Marine359]

I agree with Woof. Why would you ever want to trade a perfectly good 2108ds for maybe “a pig in a poke” new one? There’s nothing on new ones you can’t do yourself, except for the FLX series, which you can do most of yourself except for the unique components. My 2108ds was made in September of 2021 and came standard with Dometic 12v fridge. Although we wanted absorption, we came to love the compressor fridge after we did electrical upgrades which we were going to do anyway. A 12v fridge will consume 650-850watt hour per day depending on ambients and orientation to sun. You just have to make sure your electrical system is up to the job with enough power to do everything else.

If you’re just looking to do a 12v fridge, Retrofitting a 12v fridge will be an easy 2 man job. How do I know this? Because my fridge fell out when we were camping off-grid on rough roads. The cabinet the fridge goes in is made for an absorption fridge, which is larger front to back. I’ve posted this along with the repairs. Winnebago didn’t bother with redesigning the cabinet, or even adding reinforcement. It’s just hung on the two front brackets, which gave way and stripped the bolts. I took out the fridge, reinforced the cabinet and re-installed it. There are only a few wires you need to connect because wiring is already there for your absorption fridge. [although you may need to go to a bigger gauge wire]. Cap off the propane lines, connect wiring, re-insert fridge, done. I feel for you having your fresh water tank fall out. Mine fell out too. You may have read my posts on it, and how I repaired.

Crappy build if you ask me, but probably better than other brands. I feel comfort in knowing that the folks that bought our 2108ds have a better built camper than when it came from the factory.

Save your money. It’ll cost you at least ten large to trade for a new one, and you still won’t have an electrical system that can run the fridge. Winnebago sells you a camper that can’t keep the fridge running for even one night. Upgrading your current 2108ds including battery, charger, and fridge will cost less than $3K

 

[TriGuy-WO]

I bought a 2024 2108FBS two months ago. So far it's been good. I think that if you're looking to "upgrade" but staying with the same brand/model then maybe going to the FLX line it may be worth it to you, or maybe not. But to just get the same trailer that's a few years newer doesn't seem worth it.
I installed a 300ah lithium battery in mine. It does not fit in the same location as the 100ah that came with it. I had to build a box for it and a frame that holds it up above the frame rails. It's a tight fit but I feel it was a better option than moving it inside the storage compartment. With the battery and factory solar I ran the fridge for 6 days before it hit 40%. That was during a rainy week in west MI.

 

[Steve_RS]

Thanks everyone for your responses. This was the type of input I was looking for. I visited a dealership yesterday and was able to get a first hand look at 2024 model. Very nice unit but after thinking about it some more, I have decided to hang on to my current trailer.

I have also been giving some serious thought about the changes I would like to make to my current trailer. For now, I am going to leave the fridge alone. It is a 110v/propane and it's working just fine. I'll wait to replace it with a 12v when it dies. That said, here are the modifications I would like to make in the near term that would address the some of the wants/needs that I described earlier.

1. Remove the stove and replace with a cooktop and add few drawers below. We have a large Amish community in the area and believe there are a couple cabinet makers in the group. Just need to find the right cook top w/lid so that it stays flush with the countertop.

2. Replace the stuffing/foam in the dinette seats and jackknife couch with a higher density foam. I do some part time consulting and would like something a little firmer while working a few hours during the day.

3. Start exploring solar options. I do not spend a lot of days off the grid so I think a just couple panels and an upgraded battery will do for now. I will think about the ability to expand when I purchase the components.

One major thing I noticed between my current trailer and the 2024 was the GVWR. My 2021 is 7000 lbs and the 2024 is now 5500 lbs. Not certain why they made the change, but according to the sticker the 2021, you can load with ~2800 lbs of cargo. I don't know if you could fit that much stuff in this trailer, but there is definitely plenty of capacity if someone wanted to do some serious modifications.

Thanks again!

Steve

 

[eatSleepWoof]

One major thing I noticed between my current trailer and the 2024 was the GVWR. My 2021 is 7000 lbs and the 2024 is now 5500 lbs. Not certain why they made the change, but according to the sticker the 2021, you can load with ~2800 lbs of cargo. I don't know if you could fit that much stuff in this trailer, but there is definitely plenty of capacity if someone wanted to do some serious modifications.

This change took place sometime in 2022. My own (2022) trailer is officially at the lower (5500lb) GVWR, yet Winnebago's own brochures from that year state 7000lb. There are similar discrepancies in what the hitch is rated for, in parts that are installed on individual trailers (for example, missing or present stove vent to the exterior), etc.

That was a 'funny' year with a lot of COVID-related supply/parts issues. I believe there were some axle issues, too. My guess is that Winnebago realized they are using axles which, despite their 3500lb each/7000lb total ratings, are not up to the task, and rather than replacing them with new axles, they simply dropped the weight rating and washed their hands of it in the cheapest way possible. (As they consistently do: screwing the customer for their own benefit.)

By and large I'm guessing that the axles on your 2021 trailer and the new 2024 trailers are exactly the same; the difference being when Winnebago realized that they are liable for anything that goes wrong, and that your trailer is still covered under the old rules (warranties/legalities), while newer trailers are not.

--

As far as various storage options go, I've done lots of modifications that you may want to copy. I haven't kept my build thread on this forum up to date, but my thread on Expedition Portal is fairly recent. Flip through it for ideas.

 

[Steve_RS]

This change took place sometime in 2022. My own (2022) trailer is officially at the lower (5500lb) GVWR, yet Winnebago's own brochures from that year state 7000lb. There are similar discrepancies in what the hitch is rated for, in parts that are installed on individual trailers (for example, missing or present stove vent to the exterior), etc.

That was a 'funny' year with a lot of COVID-related supply/parts issues. I believe there were some axle issues, too. My guess is that Winnebago realized they are using axles which, despite their 3500lb each/7000lb total ratings, are not up to the task, and rather than replacing them with new axles, they simply dropped the weight rating and washed their hands of it in the cheapest way possible. (As they consistently do: screwing the customer for their own benefit.)

By and large I'm guessing that the axles on your 2021 trailer and the new 2024 trailers are exactly the same; the difference being when Winnebago realized that they are liable for anything that goes wrong, and that your trailer is still covered under the old rules (warranties/legalities), while newer trailers are not.

--

As far as various storage options go, I've done lots of modifications that you may want to copy. I haven't kept my build thread on this forum up to date, but my thread on Expedition Portal is fairly recent. Flip through it for ideas.

You are likely correct that the axles are the same. I am also guessing this may have been a marketing strategy so that the GCVWR falls in line with the specs for a lot of SUV's.

I had a chance to look at your build thread this afternoon. Thanks for the link. It appears you have some excellent skills as a cabinet maker and finish carpenter. Very nice work and gained some good ideas for changes I would like to make to my unit. I'm more of a "framer/barnyard" carpenter so will likely outsource the finish work in my trailer.

I would be interested to know the model number of your Suburban cooktop. It looks like it may fit right into the space where my current stove resides.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

You are likely correct that the axles are the same. I am also guessing this may have been a marketing strategy so that the GCVWR falls in line with the specs for a lot of SUV's.

I had a chance to look at your build thread this afternoon. Thanks for the link. It appears you have some excellent skills as a cabinet maker and finish carpenter. Very nice work and gained some good ideas for changes I would like to make to my unit. I'm more of a "framer/barnyard" carpenter so will likely outsource the finish work in my trailer.

I would be interested to know the model number of your Suburban cooktop. It looks like it may fit right into the space where my current stove resides.

A marketing ploy could very well be the right answer!

Trailer lists my Suburban cooktop as model "SCNB3B6REB". This looks to be it: https://suburbanrv.com/kitchen-galley/cooktops/slide-in-cooktops/3-burner-slide-in-cooktop/

Note that there's a recall out on these stoves; they say faulty circuit boards (on the LED backlighting under the gas control knobs), but it's actually a risk of a short circuit should liquid get in there. Easy to DIY fix if you're willing to.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Btw, the TV is not a 12vdc unit, it is 115vac and plugged into one of the inverter prepped receptacles
Bill

 

[Thindirtline]

Inverter for TV

I have a 2022 2108 TB and have continually been making modifications. I added a $25 200watt inverter on the wall behind the TV that also has three usb ports and shows the 12v line voltage. I used the wiring that was there for the single usb port under the cabinet. Pretty easy task. I wouldn’t go any larger on the inverter due to the wiring gauge.
I think the 12v/propane fridge is still a good cost effective option for those that boondock. I added a 150amp-hr lifepo battery in the storage area right behind the original battery and replaced the existing battery with two lounge chairs. I added a second 200w Renogy solar panel on the roof. Our boondocking is now primarily limited to fresh, grey, and black water constraints.
These trailers are great for those that are handy or otherwise willing to make some improvements. If you purchase a new one you are likely to find a few significant issues before the trailer becomes reliable. Just my two bits.

 

[Steve_RS]

A marketing ploy could very well be the right answer!

Trailer lists my Suburban cooktop as model "SCNB3B6REB". This looks to be it: https://suburbanrv.com/kitchen-galley/cooktops/slide-in-cooktops/3-burner-slide-in-cooktop/

Note that there's a recall out on these stoves; they say faulty circuit boards (on the LED backlighting under the gas control knobs), but it's actually a risk of a short circuit should liquid get in there. Easy to DIY fix if you're willing to.

Thanks! Looks like this cooktop will fit into the existing opening with little or no modifications.

 

[Rich Davis]

Hey there, I can't really answer your question, but just some general information based on your comment. I've been in the e bike industry for 9 years and you peaked my interest when you said you had a rear bike rack receiver. Bike rack manufacturers do not recommend transporting bikes on the back of a trailer. Hollywood Racks makes on for a 5th wheel, but other trailers it is not recommended. I personally know someone that lost their e bike off the back of a trailer. Apparently trailers create an odd sway that can rock the bike on the back. Just an FYI. Happy Camping.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Hey Rich,
If the rear hitch is not for a bike rack then what for? I believe it is limited to 250 lbs or less on my 2024 MM 2108fbs.
No good for a boat, maybe a spare flat rack to carry stuff?
I have heard about bike racks on trailers being bad, but why then would WNBGO put a hitch there?
Bill