Micro Minnie Thread

[raytwntrvlr]

Originally Posted by Jokaj

Mayhem is when your outside bins open while you’re cruising down the freeway. Happened to me twice with different bins. Apparently when the trailer 2225rl is level it’s tight but when off level and flexing it opens….at least for me. I installed some thumb cams. Don’t want to be that guy on the freeway.

Twice, now, I have pulled over while underway to re-close a bin. Been blaming myself for not properly shutting it but now I'm not sure what the problem might be.
I may have to add some latches just for safeties sake.

[Jokaj]

Originally Posted by raytwntrvlr

Twice, now, I have pulled over while underway to re-close a bin. Been blaming myself for not properly shutting it but now I'm not sure what the problem might be.
I may have to add some latches just for safeties sake.

I thought the same thing when I had to pull over and re-close the bin. The second time I stopped at an angle and was able to pull the bin open even though it was closed completely.

[rstraz]

Originally Posted by Marine359

Mayhem is when the fridge falls out of the cabinet surround. Mine did, and if you have a 12v Dometic fridge, yours is likely to fall out too. Problem is WBGO did not design in any support structure for the fridge. It fits in the same space as the absorption fridge but is much less deep than the absorption fridge, so it w doesn’t rest on the backers next to the sidewall. The entire weight of the fridge is borne by two metal screws that screw into the top of the fridge through the top bracket. Over time these screws work their way out and the fridge collapses into the back of the cabinet. Fortunately no serious damage done, but there could have been if we didn’t catch it early and perform some field surgery. WBGO claims no responsibility, and hasn’t provided any assistance other than to offer to send me new brackets. I will attempt the repair on my own. So, beware. I’m sure WBGO knows about this problem but won’t admit it. If you have a 12v fridge, you may want to call WBGO customer service and inquire whether this issue was fixed on your VIN#.

I suggest you replace the current hardware with toggle bolts to spread the load over a much larger surface area.

[Marine359]

Thanks, that’s a good idea.

I’ve decided to go with drilling 4 holes through the top bracket and using tapping screws through the bracket and into the top of the fridge. I’m also screwing three 1x1 stock onto the back wall braces and covering them with foam pipe insulation. That will keep the fridge from falling backwards if the taping screws fail. Funny though, I got an email from WBGO customer support indicating that Dometic specs leaving a 43” space for depth of fridge. That would be about right if you didn’t have a cabinet surround where the fridge has to be mounted such that the door can swing open. There is no danger to having support structure as a stand off on the back wall. I think WBGO has gotten this wrong, and they probably have made some ECOs to correct this problem.

[tinglett]

Originally Posted by Marine359

I’ve decided to go with drilling 4 holes through the top bracket and using tapping screws through the bracket and into the top of the fridge. I’m also screwing three 1x1 stock onto the back wall braces and covering them with foam pipe insulation.

Jim, bummer to hear you've had to go through this. Other than this fiasco, how are you liking the 12v fridge? What have you been measuring for typical daily power usage? I'm just curious.

[larcat]

It seems like the 2022s in general haven't come with range hoods.

For those of you without them, what are you doing when cooking stuff indoors that isn't just heating etc?

[Bigbird65]

Suggestion: Go to Google and type this in: Range hoods for RVs. Quite a few there.

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by tinglett

Jim, bummer to hear you've had to go through this. Other than this fiasco, how are you liking the 12v fridge? What have you been measuring for typical daily power usage? I'm just curious.

Todd,
The fridge has been working great for our needs. We’ve adapted to life without absorption. It uses 35-50 ah/day on our Feb/Mar 6,000 mi trip which was mostly cool weather with cold nights. In the high heat of summer, we’ve seen it use up to 60 ah/day. Wasn’t an issue on this last trip because on drive days, the tv alternator can keep up with the fridge draw, and our 120w portable panel can produce more than the fridge needs. Last year during hottest part of summer, we had to run the generator to top off battery. I think adding a single 200w roof mount panel will solve all fridge consumption issues without use of gennie. If we depart with a full battery charge, we can get in a full 2 days of dry camping, because I’ve off-loaded my cpap usage and phone charging onto a 300wh power station. DW likes the huge 10.3 cuft, the fast cool down, and it’s ability to keep the freezer really cold. It cools down so fast that we don’t need to turn on the fridge until departure day. I still like the trailer. I’m just disappointed in WBGO’s half-hearted response and hemming and hawing over their design/production screw-up. Only owners who boondock on BLM or go off-road are likely to encounter the problem.

[Marine359]

On our last trip, our fridge fell out of its cabinet surround mounting and back into the cabinet. The poorly engineered mounting system which consists of just a couple of taping screws through a bracket into the top of the fridge had worked itself loose and bored out the taping holes. Of course Winnebago was no help at all claiming the fridge was installed to Dometic spec. But in reality they tried to put a much smaller depth fridge into a hole made for a deeper absorption fridge. Anybody who goes off-road or on BLM roads will suffer this problem, as the fridge definitely shake itself out of the cabinet surround.

In case you ever need to perform this surgery, the pictures below show my fix. I screwed in cross members covered with foam pipe insulation to reduce the distance between the back of the fridge and the outside wall. Now the fridge fits snugly in the space. Then I drilled five holes in the top bracket, and screws in five taping screws, so the top bracket is no longer likely to fail. If you have to do this, be careful not to foul the wires hen reinstalling the fridge.

Hope it doesn’t happen to you.

[tinglett]

Looks like a nice fix for the 12v fridge. And it also looks like a sneaky way to run wires from under the cabinets up to the roof of the rig? You just got me thinking a bit, though I have the absorption fridge which would probably be a lot more work to pull out for such a task.

[Marine359]

Yeah Todd,
There is very little space between the cabinet under the tv and the fridge as it’s being pulled out. Takes two people with strong backs. The absorption fridge is 2 inches deeper, which would make it a real PITA To pull all the way out. But good news is that the absorption fridge has removeable panels on the sidewall. So, if you wanted to run some wires behind the fridge, you could pull it out a foot or so, and fish your wires with your hands in the sidewall cutouts.

[Marine359]

Took a while, all the while WBGO denying they had a bad design or production process on my 2108ds, which cased my fridge to fall out of the cabinet surround. After I sent them pictures (above) of my repair, they agreed to reimburse me $18.52, which was the cost of materials I purchased to fix the compartment and fridge so it couldn’t shake itself loose again. Gee golly, I’m so tickled, they coughed up the dough after telling me my MM problem was not covered by warranty, and insisting, they didn’t have a problem. I think I burned up more than $18:52 of their customer service time. A Pyrrhic victory for me.

[reiberc]

Originally Posted by backtrack15

This modification may have been posted here but I didn't notice. My wife found it on FB and requested that I do it as well. It's been a great modification.

It's simply a hinge that allows the storage area to be opened without fighting the back cushion. The whole wooden panel can be removed as always ("fixed" side is not screwed into place). It does have a 1x2 glued to the underside of the panel to provide support for the long span (runs directly under the "fixed" part of the hinge) .

There is also a 3/4" notch in the far corner so the panel misses the window-shade guides when you open it.

closed


open

I did this mod & my wife is VERY HAPPY!!

[eagene]

Hello, new member.
does anyone know the part # for the 2021 2108 FBS slide out (in-out) switch. Mine is faulty and needs replacement. but it isn't marked with a manufacturer or part #. it is a 6 pin rocker switch'

[Marine359]

Have you tried calling WBGO customer support. Usually, if you give them your VIN#, they can give you a part number, which you can order from a dealership, or maybe find one trailer.com.

[Bcborn]

There a pretty standard switch, any RV dealer will have a replacement

[Bcborn]

Originally Posted by Amazonica

The old shower in my 2019 Micro Minnie 2108DS had faucet levers that rotated downward to start the flow. After a trip where I found the hot water lever had rotated open and let the contents of the hose flow onto the stuff I had stored in the shower for travel, I decided I would upgrade it and the shower head. Never been a fan of the weak flow of the original showerhead, nor having to squat down to rinse my shampoo. I also added an extra shutoff valve to the faucet.

Super simple upgrade. Just peeled off the caulk around the faucet wall mount plate, unscrewed the old, screwed in the new. I used PTFE tape on all of the connections. Hint, if you're adding the extra shutoff valve, attach it BEFORE screwing the new faucet onto the wall mount plate. I recaulked the wall mount plate, leaving the bottom uncaulked, and added caulk around the showerhead mount.

Photos:
Old hardware on left, New hardware on right.
View inside the wall.
Comparison of old (left and New (right) depth.

I got an Oxygenics Showerhead with two spray settings:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Shutoff valve:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dura Valve Single lever Faucet:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looks like the new shower head is higher up. Assume you filled the old holes if any where the old shower head mount was.

[Amazonica]

Yes, The new shower head is higher, and one of the old mounting holes is visible beneath the base plate. I only had clear caulk but if I had white it probably wouldn't even be noticeable. The new one could have been installed directly over the old holes but I wanted it higher.

[Grizz]

Hello! New to this forum. I/we have really been considering a Micro Minnie for nearly 6 months and are a “little” on the fence with trying to decide. We really like the 2108 ds model as well as the 2108 tb. I’m recently retired and looking at getting something that would hopefully be good at definitely weekend trips but also cross country trips and just taking it out to the mountain farm too. Just curious if there are any suggestions/recommendations? I’ve read where these models don’t pull well and also where they have issues with a few other things. Again, just curious if there are any suggestions/recommendations with this type of RV? Also if there are negative responses I’m curious what RV is recommended? Thanks in advance if you respond!!

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by Grizz

Hello! New to this forum. I/we have really been considering a Micro Minnie for nearly 6 months and are a “little” on the fence with trying to decide. We really like the 2108 ds model as well as the 2108 tb. I’ve read where these models don’t pull well and also where they have issues with a few other things. Again, just curious if there are any suggestions/recommendations with this type of RV? Also if there are negative responses I’m curious what RV is recommended? Thanks in advance if you respond!!

Welcome Grizz,

We bought new and have had our 2108DS for about 18 months and have about 12,000 miles on the road with it. I don’t know where you might of heard that Micro Minnies don’t tow well. On the contrary, these trailers are among the best towing trailers you could buy. They all have tandem axles, they’re all 7ft wide, all low height, and they’re all very light weight for their size. The width cuts way down on air resistance, and the dual axles add a lot of lateral stability. We tow very comfortably with a mid-size pickup with WDH/anti-sway, as do thousands of owners with mid-size and half ton trucks. We needed overall length to be under 25ft, and this was one of the few trailers that short with dual axles. For a trailer this small, the 2108 offered a very comfortable and spacious living quarters with the slide out. With the slide in, it’s a tight squeeze getting to the bathroom, and you can’t fully open the fridge.

On whether the DS or TB is better: it’s a matter of personal choice. The DS is the most popular floorplan, and we chose it so there would be someplace to sit when the Murphy bed is up. You’re not supposed to sit in the dinette while the slide is in. The DS mattress is a split foam one that’s very hard, and not too comfortable without a topper. And, It’s hard to get up to go to the can in the middle of the night. In retrospect, both my spouse and I agree that the Twin bed model would have been the better choice for us. But either way, we’ve never felt cramped even on trips of over 8 weeks. We do most of cooking outdoors because the trailer is small enough that it will heat up fast when cooking on the range. The quality of build is better than most anything in this segment except for airstream, ORV, and the molded fiberglass brands. But they are for the most part heavier, and require a bigger truck. Sure, there have been some quality issues, but nothing that we couldn’t fix ourselves. But we think those problems were far less than what you could expect from most other brands.

We chose to perform a lot of upgrades that have made the trailer much more comfortable and useable for longer trips. There are a lot of owners on this forum who will help with virtually any upgrade you want to DIY. We boondock about 50%, and had a problem with the fridge mount after traveling down a lot of BLM FS roads. If you plan to boondock a lot, and you buy a model with the 12v compressor fridge, you’ll be forced to upgrade your batteries. If you just stay at campgrounds with hookups, you’ll be ok with stock configuration. The fridge uses 50ah per day, which will exhaust the stock OEM Marine Deep Cycle in a day. At first we didn’t like the idea of a compressor fridge, but we’ve come to love it because it cools down in just an hour, stays really cold, and it’s huge inside with big freezer; over 10cf.

Good luck in your travels. Ask in this forum all the questions you might have.