01 What makes it unique
Forest River publishes a 17,999-pound GVWR for the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL against a 14,844-pound unloaded weight, and the 3,155 pounds of cargo carrying capacity that leaves is the second largest on the 3-plan fifth wheel roster. Dry weight plus CCC equals the published GVWR exactly, so the three figures are internally consistent rather than rounded against each other. The published pin weight is 2,425 pounds.
The 393RL measures 42' 4" long, 13' 6" tall and 101" wide, and carries a 75 / 78 / 39-gallon fresh, grey and black tank set with a 19' & 15' awning. Height is the number to check first on a trailer this size — measure garage doors, carports and low branches against the published 13' 6" before the first trip. Against its neighbours on the roster, the longer 394RKL runs 270 pounds heavier dry.
Equipment for this plan is published as 2 named packages on its factory floorplan record — the “River Package (mandatory)” and the “Ranch Package (mandatory)”, listing 34 items and 27 items respectively. The first package opens with 6 Point Hydraulic Leveling System, 8000 LB Axles, 2-Tone Aluminum Wheels and H Rated Tires w/J Rated Spare. Package inclusion on any given unit is not asserted here and Forest River publishes no MSRP for this tier, so confirm delivered equipment and current pricing with a dealer.
How the 393RL differs from the other two Puma fifth wheels. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Dry weight, 14,844 lb: lightest of three; next is the 395FKL (14,929 lb).
- GVWR, 17,999 lb: lowest of three; next is the 395FKL (18,000 lb).
- Pin weight, 2,425 lb: lightest of three; next is the 394RKL (2,575 lb).
- Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 16.3%: smallest of three; next is the 394RKL (17%).
- Length, 42 ft 4 in: shortest of three; next are the 394RKL and 395FKL (42 ft 7 in).
- Cargo capacity, 3,155 lb: second-smallest of three, between the 395FKL (3,071 lb) and the 394RKL (3,461 lb).
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 17.5%: second-smallest of three, between the 395FKL (17.1%) and the 394RKL (18.6%).
Next to the 395FKL, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 393RL is 85 lb lighter by dry weight, has a GVWR 1 lb lower, has 84 lb more cargo capacity, has a pin weight 475 lb lighter, is 3 in shorter, has a grey tank 39 gal smaller and has a black tank 39 gal smaller; the two publish the same exterior height and fresh tank.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 42' 4"
- Exterior height
- 13' 6"
- Exterior width
- 101"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 14,844 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 17,999 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 3,155 lbs
- Hitch / pin weight
- 2,425 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 75 gal
- Grey water
- 78 gal
- Black water
- 39 gal
- Awning
- 19' & 15'
Running gear
- Hitch type
- Fifth wheel (pin box)
- Axles
- Not published by source*
- Axle rating
- Not published by source*
- Wheels & tires
- Not published by source*
Systems — factory packages, as published
- Factory package 1
- River Package (mandatory) — 34 published items
- Factory package 2
- Ranch Package (mandatory) — 27 published items
Layout
- Sleeps
- Not published by source*
- Slides
- Not published by source*
- Entries
- Not published by source*
How these published figures sit against the rest of the catalogue: fifth wheel pin weight and payload; fresh, grey and black tank sizes; camper trailer size chart.
Drawn to scale
Weight budget
Size, with end view
Holding tanks
Axles, wheels and nose shape are schematic; not a floorplan. Data: dataset.
Towing it
Check your vehicle. Enter the ratings from your owner’s manual and the door-pillar placard.
Compares your figures with this page’s published GVWR (17,999 lb) and the upper loaded pin estimate (4,500 lb, a rule of thumb). Your vehicle’s placard and the trailer’s own weight label govern.
Loaded range: 15–25% of GVWR on the pin, a rule of thumb, not a measurement of this unit. No truck ratings or hitch classes (why; NHTSA, DOT HS 809 433).
03 The Puma Grand Mesa roster
Puma Grand Mesa is the fifth wheel tier of Palomino’s Puma family — 3 floorplans filed by the factory under “Fifth Wheels”, sold under the parent Puma line and rostered on the Puma hub’s Puma Grand Mesa section. Per this site’s family policy a factory sub-roster lives under its parent hub rather than taking a hub of its own.
04 Notes on this floorplan
The published figures tie out exactly
Dry 14,844 plus CCC 3,155 equals the published GVWR of 17,999 — no rounding gap.
A 2,425-pound pin weight
Pin weight lands on the truck bed, not a hitch ball — check the truck's payload rating, not just its tow rating, and confirm the bed and hitch are rated for it loaded.
13' 6" of height
Measure garage doors, carports, awnings and low branches against this figure before the first trip.
Sleeps, slides and axles are not published
Forest River publishes no sleeping capacity, slide count, entry count, axle count or rating, or tire size for this tier — confirm the layout and running gear on the unit itself.
Weigh the loaded trailer
Dry weight is a factory estimate for a base unit; options, water and cargo all add to it. Weigh loaded and confirm against your tow vehicle's ratings and the unit's weight sticker before purchase.
05 How it compares
270 pounds heavier dry, 3,461 lbs of CCC.
Forest River’s own fifth-wheel roster in the class above.
06 Loading it for a trip
A full 75-gallon fresh tank is about 622 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 20% of the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL’s 3,155 lb cargo capacity, leaving 2,532 lb. Across 3 Puma fifth-wheel floorplans the water share runs 18% to 20%, and 1 gives up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL at 18% and Puma Grand Mesa 395FKL at 20%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).
07 Where this floorplan sits
Closest sibling: the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 42 ft 4 in vs 42 ft 7 in; dry weight 14,844 lb vs 15,114 lb; GVWR 17,999 lb vs 18,575 lb; cargo capacity 3,155 lb vs 3,461 lb; hitch weight 2,425 lb vs 2,575 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.
| Puma fifth-wheel plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 17,999 | 1 of 3 | 17,999–18,575 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 14,844 | 1 of 3 | 14,844–15,114 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 3,155 | 2 of 3 | 3,071–3,461 |
| Hitch weight (lb) | 2,425 | 1 of 3 | 2,425–2,900 |
| Length | 42 ft 4 in | 1 of 3 | 42 ft 4 in–42 ft 7 in |
| Grey tank (gal) | 78 | 1–2 of 3 | 78–117 |
| Black tank (gal) | 39 | 1–2 of 3 | 39–78 |
Either side of it by GVWR: Puma Grand Mesa 395FKL is 1 lb heavier (18,000 lb GVWR).
| Nearest Puma fifth-wheel siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puma Grand Mesa 393RL | 42 ft 4 in | — | 14,844 | 17,999 | 3,155 | 2,425 | 75 |
| Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL | 42 ft 7 in | — | 15,114 | 18,575 | 3,461 | 2,575 | 75 |
| Puma Grand Mesa 395FKL | 42 ft 7 in | — | 14,929 | 18,000 | 3,071 | 2,900 | 75 |
All 29 Puma floorplans: Puma line hub.
| Other lines, nearest by GVWR | GVWR (lb) | Dry (lb) | Sleeps | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puma Grand Mesa 393RL | 17,999 | 14,844 | — | 42 ft 4 in |
| Cedar Creek 381MUD | 18,000 | 15,429 | 8 | 43 ft 5 in |
| Influence 2903RL | 18,000 | 12,100 | — | — |
| Momentum 325G | 18,000 | 12,603 | 6 | — |
| North Point 383FLRB | 18,000 | 14,840 | 6 | — |
| Paradigm 375RD | 18,000 | 15,300 | — | 41 ft 9 in |
| Bighorn 38RE | 17,995 | 15,275 | 4 | 42 ft 6 in |
Against the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL: the Cedar Creek 381MUD is 1 lb heavier and 1 ft longer; the Influence 2903RL is 1 lb heavier; the Momentum 325G is 1 lb heavier.
08 Common questions about the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL
How much does the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL weigh?
14,844 lb dry; 17,999 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL carry?
3,155 lb, 18% of its GVWR (median across 238 fifth wheels here: 18%). A full fresh tank uses 622 lb of it.
What is the pin weight of the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL?
2,425 lb as published, 16% of the dry weight (median across 406 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL need?
A tow rating of at least 17,999 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
What are the tank capacities on the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL?
Fresh 75, grey 78, black 39 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL?
42' 4" overall, tongue or pin box included.
From the figures above.
09 What this page publishes, and what it does not
11 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the Puma Grand Mesa 393RL. Not published: interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.
Values marked with an asterisk are arithmetic on published figures or come from a single source; the flag travels into the downloadable spec sheet.
Sourcing rules: methodology.
10 Manuals & documents
Sources: forestriverinc.com (linked below); the full source note is at the foot of the page.
11 NHTSA safety record
NHTSA holds 21 recall campaigns and 38 owner complaints (model years 2005 on) against the Puma line (a recall and a complaint are not the same thing).
What to look at on a used one. Across the 38 complaints filed on this line the most-reported components are tires (26%), structure (21%) and equipment (16%).
Recall coverage here is not complete, and complaints are owners’ unverified reports (how this record is built). Check a specific VIN at NHTSA before you buy. Full tables are on the Puma line page.