2026 Forest River Cherokee Timberwolf39DL

The Cherokee Timberwolf 39DL leaves Forest River's factory at 10,778 lbs dry, with a published GVWR of 13,095 lbs and 2,317 lbs of cargo capacity between the two. Cargo capacity is 18% 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 2,317 lbs before anything else is loaded.

Dry tongue weight is 1,095 lbs, or 10% 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, 38 grey and 38 black, 76 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 Cherokee Timberwolf roster this is the 6th of 11 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 7,109 lbs to 12,589 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 10,778 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 11,936 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 13,095 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: “The 39DL features a double loft system for both additional sleeping and massive storage. The bedroom slide out is sized to accommodate an optional king bed. The two opposing rear slides open up the living room and kitchen so there is plenty of space for everyone to be comfortable. This kitchen has a huge residential French door refrigerator with two lower freezer drawers along with two full sized closets and an…” 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.

Timberwolf carries the widest cargo spread of any line in this group: 876 lb at the bottom of the roster and 4,296 lb at the top, a factor of nearly five, on trailers 7,109 to 12,589 lb dry. Two of the eleven published plans are in a separate mini-loft travel-trailer grouping and the other nine are destination trailers. Dry hitch weight stays between 1,040 and 1,614 lb across the whole range, so the hitch figure alone will not tell you which end of the line you are looking at - the cargo number will.

A full 40-gallon fresh tank is about 334 lb of water (water counts as cargo: 49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.2), 14% of the 39DL’s 2,317 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,983 lb. Across 11 Cherokee Timberwolf floorplans the water share runs 8% to 38%, and 6 give up more than this one. Nearest on that share: Cherokee Timberwolf 39HBA at 13% and Cherokee Timberwolf 39DC at 17%. Your own unit’s figure is on the label inside its entry door (49 CFR 571.120 S10.4.3).

Closest sibling: the Cherokee Timberwolf 27MDK, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 7 of the 8 fields both publish (this plan first): length 42 ft 8 in vs 35 ft 11 in; dry weight 10,778 lb vs 10,124 lb; GVWR 13,095 lb vs 11,924 lb; cargo capacity 2,317 lb vs 1,800 lb; dry hitch weight 1,095 lb vs 1,245 lb; grey tank 38 gal vs 40 gal; black tank 38 gal vs 40 gal. They match on fresh tank.

Either side of it by GVWR: Cherokee Timberwolf 27MDK is 1,171 lb lighter (11,924 lb GVWR); Cherokee Timberwolf 39TN is 55 lb heavier (13,150 lb GVWR).

All 11 Cherokee Timberwolf floorplans: Cherokee Timberwolf line hub.

Against the 39DL: the Cascade 39TNC is 45 lb heavier and 2 ft shorter; the Jay Flight 40FKDS is 95 lb lighter and 2 ft shorter; the Momentum 30G is 95 lb lighter and 8 ft shorter.

11 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 39DL. Not published: interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.

Sourcing rules: methodology.