Micro Minnie or Minnie Drop with JGC?

Hi, I currently have a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 with Tow Package (max towing: 6200 lbs, max trailer tongue: 620 lbs).

I am considering purchasing either a Micro Minnie 1706FB (length: 19'2, dry weight: 2980 lbs, dry hitch weight: 300) or a Minnie Drop 170S (length: 20'4, dry weight: 2800, dry hitch weight: 290). Both models have similar floorplans, but the Micro Minnie is a tandem axle trailer with a standard design while the Minnie Drop is a single axle trailer with a retro teardrop profile and slideout.

I have never towed a travel trailer before (only driven Class Cs), so I wanted to get your thoughts on a) which would be an easier trailer to tow for a first-timer and b) if a Grand Cherokee would be a sufficient tow vehicle for either of these trailers. I plan to take the trailer to USFS campgrounds, so I'll be driving into the mountains about once a month.

Thank you!

Best,

Rob

Welcome aboard Rob.

I think the only consideration other than personal preference of floorplan, slideout, aesthetics and the such is single vs. tandem axle. With a tandem axle, every time you make a turn on a hard surface the tires will 'scrub' or move sideways against the tread. This is really hard on the tires and trailer tires are notorious for not lasting very long. And of course with a single axle you only have two tires to keep up with vs. four.

As I ponder this, you need to find out if both axles on the Micro Minnie have brakes - if so that's a big positive over just two braking tires on the single axle Drop.

One other major point - all trailer tires are made in China and are all basically junk. I have a tandem axle Featherlite trailer we haul our Jeep on behind our Horizon and I have spent a small fortune on tire replacement over the last few years. And I'm not buying economy tires, I bought the best I could find. Finally I found Light Truck tires that would fit the wheels and fender wells.

So the point I am making is you want to run Light Truck tires (LT) on the axles - the larger the size the better.

I am facing a similar dilemma as I contemplate the purchase of a Lance 1575, Rockwood MiniLite 1909s, or Winnebago Micro Minnie 2106FBS to be towed by my 2013 Honda Pilot 4WD, with slightly different reasons.  A single axle trailer can pivot whereas a tandem axle has to track itself when backing.  The pivoting piece is nice with very light trailers that can be maneuvered by hand, but that is not the case with either of these 12 coaches.  As to your situation, I'd recommend making your choice by floorplan first, as you can educate and train yourself getting comfortable and gaining experience towing either type of axle, but once you choose your floorplan, you are stuck with your choice.  The floorplans we are looking at are all very similar to each other, with the Winnie at the very very top of the weight ceiling I am willing to consider (3750 lbs), but also the 1st choice among floorplans/interior layout choices.  For weight, I obviously prefer the Lance, but the dinette slideout as opposed to the sofa slideout is our least favorite choice, but the lack of a sink in the bath area is the biggest obstacle in our way (wife's way).  At the end of the day, you can overcome the lack of towing experience, but you can't change the floorplan. Your Jeep will be fine with either trailer using a weight distribution hitch and sway control as long as you don't expect to be driving over 60 mph on the freeway (where I live, Calif max speed limit with all trailers is 55 mph).

larryziegler said:

(where I live, Calif max speed limit with all trailers is 55 mph).

Click to expand...

Something which I believe very few obey, having driven extensively in California!