01 What makes it unique
Forest River publishes a 18,575-pound GVWR for the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL against a 15,114-pound unloaded weight, and the 3,461 pounds of cargo carrying capacity that leaves is the 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 2,575 pounds.
The 394RKL measures 42' 7" long, 13' 5" tall and 101" wide, and carries a 75 / 78 / 39-gallon fresh, grey and black tank set with a 19' & 19' awning. Height is the number to check first on a trailer this size — measure garage doors, carports and low branches against the published 13' 5" before the first trip. Against its neighbours on the roster, the shorter 393RL runs 270 pounds lighter dry and the longer 395FKL runs 185 pounds lighter 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 394RKL differs from the other two Puma fifth wheels. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.
- Dry weight, 15,114 lb: heaviest of three; next is the 395FKL (14,929 lb).
- GVWR, 18,575 lb: highest of three; next is the 395FKL (18,000 lb).
- Cargo capacity, 3,461 lb: largest of three; next is the 393RL (3,155 lb).
- Cargo capacity as a share of GVWR, 18.6%: largest of three; next is the 393RL (17.5%).
- Exterior height, 13 ft 5 in: lowest of three; next are the 393RL and 395FKL (13 ft 6 in).
- Pin weight, 2,575 lb: second-lightest of three, between the 393RL (2,425 lb) and the 395FKL (2,900 lb).
- Pin weight as a share of dry weight, 17%: second-smallest of three, between the 393RL (16.3%) and the 395FKL (19.4%).
Next to the 395FKL, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 394RKL is 185 lb heavier by dry weight, has a GVWR 575 lb higher, has 390 lb more cargo capacity, has a pin weight 325 lb lighter, stands 1 in lower, has a grey tank 39 gal smaller and has a black tank 39 gal smaller; the two publish the same length and fresh tank.
02 Full specifications
Dimensions
- Exterior length
- 42' 7"
- Exterior height
- 13' 5"
- Exterior width
- 101"
Weights
- Dry / unit base weight (UVW)
- 15,114 lbs
- GVWR (max loaded)
- 18,575 lbs
- Net cargo / payload (CCC)
- 3,461 lbs
- Hitch / pin weight
- 2,575 lbs
Capacities
- Fresh water
- 75 gal
- Grey water
- 78 gal
- Black water
- 39 gal
- Awning
- 19' & 19'
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 (18,575 lb) and the upper loaded pin estimate (4,644 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 biggest cargo margin on the roster
3,461 pounds of CCC is the most of the 3 plans in this tier.
The published figures tie out exactly
Dry 15,114 plus CCC 3,461 equals the published GVWR of 18,575 — no rounding gap.
A 2,575-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' 5" 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 lighter dry on a 2,425-pound pin weight.
-185 pounds heavier dry, 3,071 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), 18% of the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL’s 3,461 lb cargo capacity, leaving 2,838 lb. Across 3 Puma fifth-wheel floorplans the water share runs 18% to 20%, and this plan’s is the lowest. Nearest on that share: Puma Grand Mesa 393RL 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 393RL, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 42 ft 7 in vs 42 ft 4 in; dry weight 15,114 lb vs 14,844 lb; GVWR 18,575 lb vs 17,999 lb; cargo capacity 3,461 lb vs 3,155 lb; hitch weight 2,575 lb vs 2,425 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.
| Puma fifth-wheel plans | This plan | Position, low to high | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVWR (lb) | 18,575 | 3 of 3 | 17,999–18,575 |
| Dry weight (lb) | 15,114 | 3 of 3 | 14,844–15,114 |
| Cargo capacity (lb) | 3,461 | 3 of 3 | 3,071–3,461 |
| Hitch weight (lb) | 2,575 | 2 of 3 | 2,425–2,900 |
| Length | 42 ft 7 in | 2–3 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 575 lb lighter (18,000 lb GVWR).
| Nearest Puma fifth-wheel siblings | Length | Sleeps | Dry (lb) | GVWR (lb) | CCC (lb) | Hitch (lb) | Fresh (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL | 42 ft 7 in | — | 15,114 | 18,575 | 3,461 | 2,575 | 75 |
| Puma Grand Mesa 393RL | 42 ft 4 in | — | 14,844 | 17,999 | 3,155 | 2,425 | 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 394RKL | 18,575 | 15,114 | — | 42 ft 7 in |
| North Point 361RLBH | 18,600 | 15,260 | 6 | — |
| Pinnacle 38FLGS | 18,500 | 15,455 | 6 | 44 ft 5 in |
| Bighorn 40DB | 18,850 | 16,110 | 8 | 43 ft 10 in |
| Seismic 3512 | 18,995 | 14,285 | 7 | 41 ft 7 in |
| Influence 3804DS | 19,000 | 14,800 | — | — |
| Momentum 344M | 19,000 | 15,910 | 6 | — |
Against the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL: the North Point 361RLBH is 25 lb heavier; the Pinnacle 38FLGS is 75 lb lighter and 2 ft longer; the Bighorn 40DB is 275 lb heavier and 1 ft longer.
08 Common questions about the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL
How much does the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL weigh?
15,114 lb dry; 18,575 lb GVWR, the most it may weigh loaded.
How much can the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL carry?
3,461 lb, 19% 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 394RKL?
2,575 lb as published, 17% of the dry weight (median across 406 fifth wheels here: 19%).
What size tow vehicle does the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL need?
A tow rating of at least 18,575 lb, plus payload for the loaded pin weight, passengers and cargo.
What are the tank capacities on the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL?
Fresh 75, grey 78, black 39 gallons. Off hookups, fresh water runs out first.
How long is the Puma Grand Mesa 394RKL?
42' 7" 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 394RKL. 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.