2027 Forest River Cardinal / Wildcat41DUB

The Cardinal 41DUB leaves Forest River's factory at 11,768 lbs dry, with a published GVWR of 14,050 lbs and 2,282 lbs of cargo capacity between the two. Cargo capacity is 16% of the loaded rating, and Forest River's own definition is worth reading before you plan against it: cargo capacity is what remains for fresh water, gear, food, batteries and every dealer-installed accessory. Fresh water alone is 8.3 lb per gallon, so filling this trailer's 60-gallon fresh tank spends 498 lbs of that 2,282 lbs before anything else is loaded.

Pin weight is 2,050 lbs, which is 17% of the dry weight. That figure lands on the truck's rear axle and comes straight off its payload rating - not its towing rating, which is the number most often quoted and the wrong one for this decision. Pin weight rises as the trailer is loaded, and a fifth wheel loaded toward its cargo capacity will put substantially more than 2,050 lbs over the bed. Read the payload figure on your own door sticker rather than a brochure maximum for the model.

Tank capacities are 60 gallons fresh, 76 grey and 38 black, 114 gallons of waste capacity against 60 gallons of supply. The ratio is what governs how long the trailer can sit off hookups: waste capacity exceeds fresh, so the fresh tank is the binding constraint and refilling extends the stay. Forest River publishes these three figures per floorplan, and they are the factory's numbers rather than a segment average.

Against the rest of the Cardinal roster this is the 6th of 9 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 9,688 lbs to 12,033 lbs. It sits in the heavier third of the line. Comparing floorplans inside one line is more reliable than comparing across brands, because every figure here comes from the same factory channel on the same day.

A useful way to read the pair of weights is to stop planning against the dry figure. Nobody tows a trailer at 11,768 lbs: that is the weight before water, batteries, propane, bedding, food, tools and anything the dealer bolted on. Load half the published cargo capacity, which is modest for a family trip, and this plan is already near 12,909 lbs on the road. Compare that number against the tow vehicle, not the dry weight, and leave margin on top of it - the published GVWR of 14,050 lbs is a limit rather than a target.

Every number above was captured twice from Forest River and checked against itself before it was published. The line listing and the individual floorplan page are two separate factory renderings of the same trailer, and this plan's 4 shared figures agree exactly on both. Dry weight plus cargo capacity also equals the published GVWR exactly, which is the arithmetic check this site runs on every profiled floorplan. Where a figure is missing from this page it is because Forest River does not publish it in this channel, not because it was hard to find - and the row says so rather than being quietly dropped.

Forest River publishes no floorplan description for this plan in the channel this page is built from - only the numeric specification block. Rather than describe a layout from the floorplan code, which would be a guess dressed as a fact, this page carries what the factory publishes and says where it stops. 41DUB is a Cardinal designation and this site does not decode it into a layout claim.

How the 41DUB differs from the other eight Cardinal floorplans. Most distinctive first. Each rank counts only the siblings that publish that field, and a figure most of them share is left out.

• Length, 45 ft 2 in: second-longest of nine, between the 36FL and 38DEN (44 ft 5 in) and the 42MASTERS (45 ft 4 in).
• Cargo capacity, 2,282 lb: third-smallest of nine, between the 36FUN (2,062 lb) and the 35CRIB (2,352 lb).
• Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 16.2%: third-smallest of nine, between the 36FUN (14.6%) and the 35CRIB (16.4%).
• Dry weight, 11,768 lb: fourth-heaviest of nine, between the 38DEN (11,638 lb) and the 35CRIB (11,953 lb).
• GVWR, 14,050 lb: fourth-lowest of nine, between the 42MASTERS (13,955 lb) and the 37GALLEY (14,080 lb).
• Pin weight, 2,050 lb: fourth-lightest of nine, between the 42MASTERS (1,955 lb) and the 37GALLEY (2,080 lb).
• Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 17.4%: shared with the 36FUN; of nine, one smaller and six larger, nearest the 42MASTERS (16.3%) and the 33CHEF (17.9%).
• Exterior height, 13 ft 4 in: shared with the 36FL, 38DEN and 42MASTERS; of nine, two lower and three taller, nearest the 32CHILL and 33CHEF (13 ft 3 in) and the 36FUN and 37GALLEY (13 ft 5 in).

Next to the 38DEN, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 41DUB is 130 lb heavier by dry weight, has a GVWR 185 lb lower, has 315 lb less cargo capacity, has a pin weight 185 lb lighter, is 9 in longer and has a grey tank 38 gal larger; the two publish the same exterior height, fresh tank and black tank.

Next to the 35CRIB, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 41DUB is 185 lb lighter by dry weight, has a GVWR 255 lb lower, has 70 lb less cargo capacity, has a pin weight 255 lb lighter, is 2 ft 6 in longer, stands 2 in lower and has a black tank 38 gal smaller; the two publish the same fresh tank and grey tank.

Cardinal is Forest River's extended-stay fifth wheel, aimed at people who live in the trailer for long stretches rather than long weekends, and for 2027 Forest River publishes the same nine floorplans, with the same figures, under a second badge: Wildcat. Every one of the nine ties out exactly - dry weight plus cargo capacity equals the published GVWR on all nine, under both badges. Pin weights run 1,765 to 2,305 lb.

A full 60-gallon fresh tank is about 498 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 22% of the 41DUB’s 2,282 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,784 lb. Across 9 Cardinal floorplans the water share runs 15% to 26%, and 2 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Cardinal 35CRIB at 21% and Cardinal 36FUN at 24%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).

Closest sibling: the Cardinal 36FL, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 45 ft 2 in vs 44 ft 5 in; dry weight 11,768 lb vs 11,283 lb; GVWR 14,050 lb vs 14,235 lb; cargo capacity 2,282 lb vs 2,952 lb; hitch weight 2,050 lb vs 2,235 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Either side of it by GVWR: Cardinal 42MASTERS is 95 lb lighter (13,955 lb GVWR); Cardinal 37GALLEY is 30 lb heavier (14,080 lb GVWR).

All 9 Cardinal floorplans: Cardinal line hub.

Against the 41DUB: the Wildcat 37PUB is 2 ft shorter; the Eagle 370FB is 50 lb lighter and 5 ft shorter; the Avenue 32RLS is 55 lb lighter and 10 ft shorter.

11 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 41DUB. Not published: interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.

Sourcing rules: methodology.