2026 Forest River Surveyor Legend205RKLE

The Surveyor Legend 205RKLE leaves Forest River's factory at 5,843 lbs dry, with a published GVWR of 7,655 lbs and 1,812 lbs of cargo capacity between the two. Cargo capacity is 24% 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 40-gallon fresh tank spends 332 lbs of that 1,812 lbs before anything else is loaded.

Dry tongue weight is 655 lbs, or 11% of the dry weight. Ten to fifteen percent is the conventional band for a bumper-pull trailer, and this plan sits inside it as published. Tongue weight is not fixed: it moves with how the trailer is loaded, and weight added ahead of the axles raises it. A weight-distribution hitch is the normal fitment at this tongue load, and the tow vehicle's tongue-weight limit is a separate number from its trailer-weight limit.

Tank capacities are 40 gallons fresh, 40 grey and 30 black, 70 gallons of waste capacity against 40 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 Surveyor Legend roster this is the 9th of 15 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 3,777 lbs to 7,743 lbs. It sits in the middle of the line by weight. 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 5,843 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 6,749 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 7,655 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's own description of this floorplan reads: “This 27' travel trailer features a rear kitchen with a 10 cu. ft. 12V refrigerator and stovetop. The front private bedroom includes a queen bed with dual wardrobes and overhead storage. The living area offers a tri-fold sofa and a versatile Bar 2 Table feature. Exterior amenities include an 18' power awning with LED lights, TrailGate outdoor bar, and pass-through storage.” 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.

Surveyor Legend is the lightest-hitching line in this group by a clear margin: dry tongue weight runs 408 to 860 lb across fifteen published floorplans, on trailers from 23 feet 7 inches to 37 feet 11 inches. Dry weight runs 3,777 to 7,743 lb with 1,497 to 2,798 lb of cargo capacity, and every plan on the roster ties out exactly - dry weight plus cargo equals the published GVWR on all fifteen. Forest River publishes a floorplan description for thirteen of the fifteen, which is unusually complete for this channel.

A full 40-gallon fresh tank is about 334 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.110 S9.3.2), 18% of the 205RKLE’s 1,812 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,478 lb. Across 12 Surveyor Legend floorplans the water share runs 12% to 22%, and 3 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Surveyor Legend 303BHLE at 17% and Surveyor Legend 252RBLE at 20%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.110 S9.3.3).

Closest sibling: the Surveyor Legend 252RBLE, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 5 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 27 ft 0 in vs 29 ft 7 in; dry weight 5,843 lb vs 6,033 lb; GVWR 7,655 lb vs 7,735 lb; cargo capacity 1,812 lb vs 1,702 lb; dry hitch weight 655 lb vs 735 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Either side of it by GVWR: Surveyor Legend 230MDLE is 67 lb lighter (7,588 lb GVWR); Surveyor Legend 252RBLE is 80 lb heavier (7,735 lb GVWR).

All 12 Surveyor Legend floorplans: Surveyor Legend line hub.

Against the 205RKLE: the Coachmen Apex Ultra-Lite 244RBS is 1 lb lighter and 3 ft longer; the Campsite Reserve 23JW is 5 lb lighter and 3 ft longer; the Longitude 255BH is 5 lb lighter and 4 ft longer.

11 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 205RKLE. Not published: interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.

Sourcing rules: methodology.