Forum Discussion

pmlevine's avatar
pmlevine
Explorer
Oct 04, 2016

Nissan Frontier towing Winnebago Micro Minnie TT

In June we purchased a 2016 Winnebago Micro Minnie 2106 FBS trailer trailer, and decided to purchase a 2016 Nissan Frontier as the tow vehicle.
I had some concerns about the ability of the Frontier to safety tow the Mico Minnie, (weight and handling) thus far we have taken 4 trips with this combo, and all has gone well regarding handling and braking. In fact towing has been enjoyable.
The Frontier has a 4 liter engine, crew cab, automatic transmission, is outfitted with an Equalizer 4 point anti-sway weight distribution tow hitch, and an aftermarket electronic brake controller installed in the cab.
We chose the Frontier primarily due to size: when using as a general home vehicle - parking, and my wife has some health issues so vehicle height was an issue.
We knew mpg when towing was going to be poor, but decided we would live with this downside. Upon seeing a hill in the distance, proactively accelerating to build rpm works very well, in fact, when approaching the top of the hill I back off the gas pedal, which seems to work fine, the "rig" pushes itself up and over the hill with the momentum.
Phil


Winnebago Micro Minnie
7 feet wide, 21' 11" long
3705 lbs max dry weight
(360 lbs max hitch weight ? need to confirm this)
dual 3,500 lbs torsion axles
14” nitrogen filled radial tires
NXG frame
3,295 lbs cargo carrying capacity

Nissan Frontier SL 2016
GVWR 5815 lbs
GVWR FR 3296 lbs
GVWR RR 3331 lbs

Equalizer 4 point anti-sway tow hitch

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMg70U1NPnE7sQ9bMHOAgeXfdd-I-8xH_U8fDta
  • Bols2DawaLL's avatar
    Bols2DawaLL
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    hmmm , I must be missing something . As far as I know the max. tow cap. is 3500 lbs ,suitable probably to pull a pop up camper loaded with gear . Am I missing something ?
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    Glad it is working out for you!

    I'd suggest you take your trailer and truck to a scale to see what you are actually towing regarding the weight.

    With a listed dry weight of 4K lbs, I'd bet your tongue weight is more like 600 lbs. That might leave you little room for cargo, depending on the specs for your Nissan.
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    pmlevine wrote:
    I had some concerns about the ability of the Frontier to safety tow the Mico Minnie, (weight and handling) thus far we have taken 4 trips with this combo, and all has gone well regarding handling and braking.


    Regardless of how "well" this combination feels towing there's little doubt you're towing beyond several of your Frontier's ratings, particularly payload. I too tow a small 19' travel trailer that typically averages just 4500 lbs loaded and ready to camp yet experience has shown me I wouldn't tow with anything less than a 1/2 ton truck. Your choice ... but the numbers will tell the true tale. :W
  • camp-n-family's avatar
    camp-n-family
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    A properly equipped Frontier has a max tow rating of 6500lbs and payloads up to 1350lbs. The OP could be well within his ratings with this tt. Don't know without more tv details. Before the weight police jump all over it, maybe they should learn the facts first.
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    camp-n-family wrote:
    Before the weight police jump all over it, maybe they should learn the facts first.


    Or maybe the OP should provide those "facts" :W ... has he actually weighed his truck with a full tank of gas and WD in the back, then done the math so he knows how much it really weighs ready to be hitched to a trailer ... or even more important has he even done the math so he knows how much real world payload he has to work with, not some fanciful number listed by the manufacturer? My bet is no he hasn't, nor has he likely weighed his trailer as it would typically be loaded for camping, nor has he likely measured it's gross tongue weight so he'd know how much of his available payload capacity he's using. Maybe, just maybe, ignornace is bliss because as he's already said "it tows well". :S. Hey, I don't have a horse in this race so I really don't care ... but for myself, I like to know what I'm dealing with ... imagine that. :W
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    Is it possible the OP mistyped the "4000 Lb max dry weight"? Winnebago's website shows the dry weight to be 2980 lbs. That would be in sync with a dry tongue weight of 360 lbs stated.

    BTW, that is a sweet looking trailer. All the conveniences in a small package and it has torsion axles. Some folks may not like those types of axles but I have them and my trailer tracks like it's on rails.
  • gmw_photos's avatar
    gmw_photos
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    The OP will have to chime back in here, but I suspect he may have the 2106DS or 2106FBS. Those are 3700 approx dry.

    I could see those trailers ready to roll at 4500 or so, with something around 600 tongue weight. It is very possible indeed to be within the specs of the Frontier with that trailer.

    I wonder if sound guy has actually driven, towed or pulled across a CAT scale with a trailer behind a Frontier ? He seems mighty confident in his statements. Just wondering if they are based on real world experience with one ?
  • camp-n-family's avatar
    camp-n-family
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    SoundGuy wrote:
    camp-n-family wrote:
    Before the weight police jump all over it, maybe they should learn the facts first.


    Or maybe the OP should provide those "facts" :W ... has he actually weighed his truck with a full tank of gas and WD in the back, then done the math so he knows how much it really weighs ready to be hitched to a trailer ... or even more important has he even done the math so he knows how much real world payload he has to work with, not some fanciful number listed by the manufacturer? My bet is no he hasn't, nor has he likely weighed his trailer as it would typically be loaded for camping, nor has he likely measured it's gross tongue weight so he'd know how much of his available payload capacity he's using. Maybe, just maybe, ignornace is bliss because as he's already said "it tows well". :S. Hey, I don't have a horse in this race so I really don't care ... but for myself, I like to know what I'm dealing with ... imagine that. :W


    Exactly my point. Ask the OP for these details before freaking them out by saying their new vehicle is inadequate when it may actually be a perfect match.
  • gregrc75's avatar
    gregrc75
    Explorer
    Oct 04, 2016
    Congrats on the new trailer and truck. Enjoy it!
    I also towed a 19' 3200 lbs hybrid trailer with a Frontier. It towed it very well.
  • GrandpaKip's avatar
    GrandpaKip
    Explorer II
    Oct 04, 2016
    We are at around 4800 lbs. loaded with a tongue wt. of about 560 lbs. This trip, we are just about at max payload with the generator, extra spare, extra propane, mining gear, and other stuff for a cross country trip. I have weighed our rig many times. We use an Andersen hitch.
    The Frontier has done admirably so far. 10 mpg average. Up mountains, down mountains.
    I do pay attention to weight, probably overmuch. I have a list of all our camping gear that could go in the truck and have weighed each item. When I load the truck, I know how much is going in it.

About Travel Trailer Group

44,029 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025