01 What makes the 2024 38FBRK different
The Pinnacle 38FBRK is one of Jayco's Pinnacle coaches, the flagship of the Jayco towable lineup, above the North Point and Eagle fifth wheels. This page covers one model year of it — the 2024 38FBRK, exactly as Jayco published it — because the numbers that decide whether your truck can pull this trailer are not the same from one year to the next. Jayco publishes it at 8' 6" wide closed and 16' 4" with the slide-outs run out for the 2024 model year, which is the measurement that matters for a site pitch as well as for the road.
For the 2024 model year Jayco published a 18,000-pound GVWR on a 14,995-pound dry weight, 3,005 pounds of published cargo capacity, a 2,940-pound dry pin weight. A pin weight in that range lands well outside half-ton territory: plan on a three-quarter-ton or larger truck, and check the loaded pin against the truck's payload and rear-axle ratings rather than against the tow rating alone. The 2024 coach left the factory on 215/75R17.5'H' tyres; the load range in that code is part of the axle rating and a replacement set has to match it.
This is the earliest 38FBRK model year with a verified factory record in this catalogue. Later years are linked at the foot of the page, each with its own published figures.
A 2024 coach is close to current as of 2026, but section 05 still applies: check it against its build date rather than its model year. Jayco commonly builds a model year well before the calendar year turns, and the tyre date codes have to be read against the build month, not the badge.
02 Full 2024 specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 43' 10"
- Exterior width
- 8' 6"
- Width, slides out
- 16' 4"
- Exterior height
- 12' 10"
- Exterior height (w/ A/C)
- 13' 5"
- Interior height (main)
- 8' 7"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 14,995 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 18,000 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 3,005 lbs
- Dry pin weight
- 2,940 lbs
Running gear
- Tire size
- 215/75R17.5'H'
- Hitch type
- Fifth-wheel (in-bed)
- Model year of record
- 2024
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 75.0 gal
- Grey water
- 87.0 gal
- Black water
- 50.0 gal
- LP / propane
- 120 lbs
- LP / propane, optional
- Not published
Galley & systems
- Water heater
- 16
- Furnace output
- 40000 BTU
- Furnace, auto-ignition
- Not published
- Outside storage compartments
- Not published
Sleeping
- Sleeps
- up to 4
Verified specs, drawn to scale
Original graphics built from this floorplan’s own verified figures.
Loaded weight budget
Size, drawn to scale
Holding tanks
Drawn by this site from the verified figures above, never traced from a manufacturer drawing; a graphic is left out where its figure is not published. Full record: dataset.
What it takes to tow this
Built from this floorplan’s verified weights. We publish the trailer side only.
Truck tow ratings are not listed: one model varies by thousands of pounds across engine, axle ratio, cab and package. The loaded range is the 15–25% pin-weight convention for fifth wheels, applied to this plan’s 18,000 lb GVWR, not a measurement of this unit. Hitch class is not used as a rating (SAE J684 covers trailers to 10,000 lb GVWR); read the rating stamped on your hitch. On this plan the convention band’s low end fell below the published dry figure, so the range starts at the published dry weight instead — loaded is never lighter than dry.
03 What changed for the 2024 model year
2024 is the earliest model year of the 38FBRK that this catalogue has a verified factory record for, so there is no earlier year here to compare it against. The years we do publish run 2024 to 2027; each one is linked below.
| Model year | Dry (UVW) | GVWR | Dry pin | Sleeps | Tire size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14,995 | 18,000 | 2,940 | 4 | 215/75R17.5'H' |
| 2025 | 15,330 | 18,000 | 2,975 | 4 | 215/75R17.5'H' |
| 2026 | 15,448 | 18,200 | 2,940 | 4 | 215/75R17.5'H' |
| 2027 | 15,475 | 18,200 | 3,035 | 4 | ST215/75R17.5'H' |
Every row is that model year's own factory record. The all-years overview for this floorplan, with the family history and the full line, is on the Jayco Pinnacle 38FBRK parent page.
No published field moved
Jayco's published record for the 2024 38FBRK matches the adjacent year field for field.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is read from Jayco's own 2024 model page for the 38FBRK — one source, one model year, no blending. The all-years parent page sets this year beside every other model year we hold, and where the record this catalogue originally profiled disagrees with Jayco's own model page, both figures are published there and neither is adjusted.
Fields Jayco does not publish for 2024
For this model year the factory record omits: Propane Unit (lbs) (Optional), Furnace, Auto-ignition (BTU output), # of outside storage compartments. Those rows read “Not published” on this page. They are deliberately not filled in from an adjacent model year — a neighbouring year's figure is an inference about this one, not a measurement of it.
04 Buying a 2024 38FBRK at 2 model years old
Tyres are the first thing to age out
RV tyres are usually replaced on age rather than tread, at roughly five to seven years from the DOT date code on the sidewall. On a 2-year-old coach the originals (215/75R17.5'H') may still be fitted — read the four-digit date code, not the tread.
Roof and seam sealant is on a service interval
Laminated-wall fifth wheels rely on sealant at every roof penetration and along the front cap. Inspection is typically annual and re-sealing every few years; ask for the service records rather than assuming.
Weigh it before you tow it
Every weight on this page is a DRY factory figure for the 2024 model year. A used coach carries its previous owner's additions, and a fifth wheel puts roughly 15-25% of the load through the truck's rear axle. Weigh the loaded rig at a public scale and check it against the truck's payload, rear-axle and hitch ratings.
05 How it compares — and to its other years
The same floorplan one model year later, with its own published weights.
The parent page for this floorplan: every model year we hold, side by side.
06 Loading it for a trip
This floorplan carries its water comfortably. A full 75-gallon fresh tank is roughly 21% of the 3,005-pound cargo capacity, leaving the 38FBRK with a usable gear budget even when you tow full.
| Weight budget | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo capacity as published (CCC) | 3,005 lb | Everything you add: gear, water, propane, batteries, food, people’s belongings. |
| Fresh tank filled (75 gal × 8.34 lb) | −626 lb | Water is the heaviest thing most owners add, and it is added first. |
| Cargo budget left with a full fresh tank | 2,379 lb | 21% of this plan’s capacity is spent before a single bag is loaded. |
| Per sleeping position, water aboard | 595 lb | A rough share of what is left across the 4 berths this plan sleeps. |
The published dry pin weight of 2,940 pounds is 20% of this floorplan’s 14,995-pound dry weight. Fifth-wheel pin weight rides in the bed of the truck, so it comes off payload rather than off tow rating — and it rises with the trailer as you load it, not in proportion to what you put over the axles.
Nothing above changes the ceiling. Loaded to its 18,000-pound GVWR the 38FBRK is towing 3,005 pounds more than its 14,995-pound dry figure, and that is the number your vehicle has to be rated for — not the brochure weight.
Tank balance is generous here: 75 gallons of fresh against 87 grey and 50 black, so waste capacity keeps pace with supply and the fresh tank is the constraint that ends a dry stay.
07 Where this floorplan sits
| Comparable fifth wheels | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38FBRK | 18,000 | 14,995 | 4 | 43 ft 10 in |
| Cedar Creek 381MUD | 18,000 | 15,429 | 8 | 43 ft 5 in |
| Influence 3003RL | 18,000 | 12,500 | 4 | 34 ft 11 in |
| Montana 3100RL | 18,000 | 14,030 | 4 | 35 ft 11 in |
| Paradigm 375RD | 18,000 | 14,771 | 5 | 41 ft 9 in |
| Puma Grand Mesa 395FKL | 18,000 | 14,929 | — | 42 ft 7 in |
| Bighorn 38RE | 17,995 | 15,275 | 4 | 42 ft 6 in |
Against the 38FBRK: the Cedar Creek 381MUD sleeps 4 more; the Influence 3003RL is 9 ft shorter; the Montana 3100RL is 8 ft shorter. Those are differences in the published numbers only — what they cost, how they are built and how they live are separate questions each of those pages answers on its own terms.
Those are the nearest fifth wheels from other lines by weight — one per line, picked by proximity on that figure and nothing else. They are listed so the same tow vehicle can be checked against real alternatives, not because they are equivalent inside; layout, build and price diverge sharply across that group.
For scale, the Pinnacle floorplans profiled here run 13,645 to 15,870 pounds dry and 40 to 44 feet of exterior length across 11 plans. Where a floorplan falls in that spread usually says more about which vehicle can tow it, and which site it fits, than the layout name does.
Every profiled floorplan in this line, with the full weight table, is on the Pinnacle line hub.
08 Common questions about the 38FBRK
How much does the 38FBRK weigh?
Its published dry weight is 14,995 lb and its GVWR is 18,000 lb, so 3,005 lb separates the empty trailer from its rated maximum. Size the tow vehicle to the 18,000 lb figure, not the dry one.
How much can the 38FBRK carry?
Cargo carrying capacity is 3,005 lb, 17% of the GVWR. Across the 307 fifth wheels on this site that publish both figures, the median share is 19%, so this plan sits 2 points below the median. A full 75-gallon fresh tank is about 626 lb of it (21%), because federal rule counts on-board water as cargo (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2). The yellow cargo-capacity label inside your own trailer’s entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3) states the figure for that unit as delivered, options included, and it is the one that binds.
What is the pin weight of the 38FBRK?
The published dry pin weight is 2,940 lb, 20% of the dry weight. Across the 386 fifth wheels on this site that publish both figures, the median dry pin share is 19%, so this plan sits close to the median. Loaded, it changes with where the cargo sits, and it is carried by the tow vehicle’s payload, not its tow rating.
What size tow vehicle does the 38FBRK need?
A tow rating of at least 18,000 lb, this floorplan’s GVWR, plus enough payload for the pin load, passengers and cargo. The dry pin weight alone takes 2,940 lb of that payload before anything is loaded. Payload is printed on the tire and loading placard on the tow vehicle’s driver-side door pillar (49 CFR 571.110 S4.3); this site lists no truck ratings because they vary by build.
How many people does the 38FBRK sleep?
It is rated to sleep 4. Rated positions include convertible furniture.
What are the tank capacities on the 38FBRK?
Fresh 75 gallons, grey 87 gallons, black 50 gallons. The smallest of the three is the black tank, at 50 gallons. Combined waste capacity is 137 gallons.
How long is the 38FBRK?
Exterior length is 43' 10". Check it against campsite and storage length; the exterior figure includes the tongue or pin box.
How does the 2024 38FBRK differ from other model years?
Set against the published 2025 38FBRK record, 4 figures differ: dry weight 14,995 lb in 2024 against 15,330 lb in 2025; cargo capacity 3,005 lb in 2024 against 2,870 lb in 2025; dry hitch weight 2,940 lb in 2024 against 2,975 lb in 2025; black tank 50 gal in 2024 against 87 gal in 2025. 5 other figures both years publish are identical. This floorplan is profiled for 4 model years here (2024 to 2027).
Every figure in these answers is read from this page’s verified specification table. Where the manufacturer publishes nothing, the question is not answered rather than estimated.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
Named sources publish 13 of the 18 specification fields this catalogue tracks for the 38FBRK (86% complete on the full field set).
Not published for this floorplan: slide count, axle count, awning, refrigerator, air conditioning. Those rows are left blank rather than copied from a sibling floorplan.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
11 NHTSA safety record
This floorplan belongs to the Pinnacle line, and NHTSA holds 18 recall campaigns and 31 owner complaints against that line. They are separate records and are not added together — a recall is a manufacturer-confirmed defect with a remedy; a complaint is one owner’s account, which NHTSA does not verify.
What to look at on a used one. Across the 31 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are suspension (48%), structure (23%) and wheels (10%). That is where owners of this family have had trouble, so it is where an inspection is worth the time.
Recall coverage is not complete — our harvest of NHTSA’s recall API ran 1,556 queries, of which 0 failed and 242 returned an explicit zero. A line can still be under-reported where NHTSA files a roster under a parent name, or where a match rests on the wording of the recall rather than its model field. Complaints come from the complete bulk file but are unverified and self-selected: a high count tracks how many units a line sold at least as much as how well it was built. Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Pinnacle line page.