2026 Forest River Salem Villa / Salem Grand Villa / Wildwood Lodge / Wildwood Grand Lodge40FDEN

The Salem Villa 40FDEN leaves Forest River's factory at 10,574 lbs dry with 886 lbs of cargo capacity. Forest River publishes no GVWR for this line, so the loaded rating is not quoted on this page and is not computed from the other two figures. What the cargo number covers is defined by the factory: fresh water, gear, food, batteries and every dealer-installed accessory come out of it. Fresh water is 8.3 lb per gallon, so filling the 40-gallon fresh tank spends 332 lbs of the 886 lbs before anything else goes in.

Tongue weight is 1,260 lbs, 12% of the dry weight as published; it rises as the trailer is loaded and counts against the tow vehicle’s tongue-weight and payload limits (tongue weight by size).

Off hookups: 80 gallons of grey and black capacity against 40 gallons of fresh water, so fresh water runs out first (tank sizes by length).

Against the rest of the Salem Villa roster this is the 2nd of 12 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 9,234 lbs to 14,404 lbs. It sits in the lighter third of the line.

Plan the tow on loaded weight, not the 10,574 lbs dry figure: half the published cargo capacity brings this plan to about 11,017 lbs. Forest River publishes no loaded rating for this line, so the ceiling is the one on the trailer’s own weight label (how to read trailer weights).

Forest River’s line listing and this floorplan’s own factory page agree on all 4 shared figures. No GVWR is published for this line, so dry plus cargo has no rating to check against. A missing row means Forest River does not publish that figure (how figures are verified).

Forest River's own description of this floorplan reads: “The Salem Villa 40FDEN is an open floorplan that maximizes space for a residential cottage look and feel. The panoramic windows and front slide combine great campsite views with lots of elbow room, while the kitchen and dining area are equipped with residential appliances and custom decorator touches. The large king bedroom provides plenty of storage and optional washer/dryer hookup, with the bathroom offering a…” That is the factory's marketing copy rather than a specification, and nothing in it is treated as a verified field on this page - layout descriptions, sleeping arrangements and feature claims in factory copy are not carried into the spec table unless the factory also publishes them as specifications.

How the 40FDEN differs from the other eleven Salem Villa floorplans. Most distinctive first. How these ranks are worked out.

• Cargo capacity, 886 lb: smallest of twelve; next is the 42DL (1,136 lb).
• Tongue weight, 1,260 lb: lightest of twelve; next is the 353FLFB (1,335 lb).
• Dry weight, 10,574 lb: second-lightest of twelve, between the 353FLFB (9,234 lb) and the 42DMS (11,484 lb).
• Tongue weight as a share of dry weight, 11.9%: fifth-smallest of twelve, between the 42QBQ (11.3%) and the 40RLB (12.5%).
• Length, 42 ft 5 in: fifth-shortest of twelve, between the 42QBQ (42 ft 4 in) and the 40RLB (43 ft).
• Grey tank, 40 gal: smallest of twelve, level with the 353FLFB and 42ICE; next is the 42DMS (70 gal).
• Exterior height, 12 ft 8 in: lowest of twelve, level with the 353FLFB, 40RLB and two others; next is the 42DL (13 ft).

Next to the 353FLFB, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 40FDEN is 1,340 lb heavier by dry weight, has 1,415 lb less cargo capacity, has a tongue weight 75 lb lighter and is 4 ft 8 in longer; the two publish the same exterior height, fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Next to the 42DMS, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 40FDEN is 910 lb lighter by dry weight, has 1,105 lb less cargo capacity, has a tongue weight 215 lb lighter, is 1 ft 5 in shorter, has a grey tank 30 gal smaller and has a black tank 40 gal smaller; the two publish the same exterior height and fresh tank.

These are destination trailers - towed to a seasonal site, levelled, and largely left there - and the numbers only make sense read that way. Fourteen floorplans run 9,234 to 14,404 lb dry against cargo capacity of just 886 to 2,446 lb. On a touring trailer that ratio would be a warning; here it is the design, because the trailer is not being loaded for a trip. What it does mean is that the fit-out a seasonal site accumulates eats the margin quickly, and 886 lb is not much once a screen room, a grill and a season of furniture are aboard. All fourteen are bumper pull, with 1,260 to 1,855 lb on the tongue - for a tow most owners make twice a year, which is why so many of these are delivered rather than towed by the buyer. Forest River splits the roster into a standard group and a Grand group, and the split is real: the six Grand plans start at 12,209 lb dry where the six standard plans start at 9,234 lb. Fresh water is 39 to 40 gallons across the whole roster, which is a plumbed-site number rather than a boondocking one and tells you plainly what these are for.

A full 40-gallon fresh tank is about 332 lb of water, 37% of the 40FDEN’s 886 lb cargo capacity, leaving 554 lb. Across 12 Salem Villa floorplans the water share runs 14% to 37%, and this plan’s is the highest. Nearest on that share: Salem Villa 42DL at 28%.