2027 Prime Time Tracer255DS

The Prime Time Tracer 255DS leaves Forest River's factory at 6,213 lbs dry with 1,487 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 42-gallon fresh tank spends 349 lbs of the 1,487 lbs before anything else goes in.

Tongue weight is 815 lbs, or 13% 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 42 gallons fresh, 68 grey and 34 black, 102 gallons of waste capacity against 42 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 Prime Time Tracer roster this is the 4th of 6 floorplans by dry weight, in a line that runs from 4,743 lbs to 7,578 lbs. It sits in the heavier third of the line. 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 these figures is to stop planning against the dry weight. Nobody tows a trailer at 6,213 lbs: that is the weight before water, batteries, propane, bedding, food, tools and anything the dealer bolted on. Load half the published cargo capacity and this plan is already near 6,957 lbs on the road. Because Forest River publishes no loaded rating for this line, the ceiling has to come from the trailer's own weight label rather than from this page, and the comparison you make against the tow vehicle should use the loaded figure.

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. There is no published GVWR on this line, so the usual arithmetic check - dry plus cargo equals the rating - has nothing to test against here. 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 Tracer 255DS is a unique and compact option for couples and solo campers alike. The modular design of the kitchen dinette allows for it to expand into more countertop space or seating for 4. You also get washer/dryer prep and a desk in a package under 30 ft!” 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 255DS differs from the other five Prime Time Tracer floorplans. Most distinctive first. Each rank counts only the siblings that publish that field, and a figure most of them share is left out.

• Cargo capacity, 1,487 lb: smallest of six; next is the 185JH (1,500 lb).
• Dry weight, 6,213 lb: third-heaviest of six, between the 230BH (5,963 lb) and the 280IK (7,408 lb).
• Tongue weight, 815 lb: third-heaviest of six, between the 230BH (700 lb) and the 290QB (850 lb).
• Length, 30 ft 4 in: third-longest of six, between the 230BH (28 ft) and the 280IK (33 ft 10 in).
• Tongue weight as a share of dry weight, 13.1%: shared with the 185JH; of six, three smaller and one larger, nearest the 230BH (11.7%) and the 280IK (13.4%).
• Grey tank, 68 gal: largest of six, level with the 230BH and 290QB; next are the 185JH, 220RS and 280IK (34 gal).

Next to the 230BH, the nearest lighter floorplan by dry weight, the 255DS is 250 lb heavier by dry weight, has 250 lb less cargo capacity, has a tongue weight 115 lb heavier and is 2 ft 4 in longer; the two publish the same exterior height, fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Next to the 280IK, the nearest heavier floorplan by dry weight, the 255DS is 1,195 lb lighter by dry weight, has 513 lb less cargo capacity, has a tongue weight 175 lb lighter, is 3 ft 6 in shorter, stands 3 in lower and has a grey tank 34 gal larger; the two publish the same fresh tank and black tank.

Twelve 2027 Prime Time Tracer floorplans with a full factory record, read from Forest River on 22 Oct 2026. They run 4,743 to 8,008 lb dry on lengths of 22 feet 11 inches to 37 feet 9 inches, with hitch weights of 555 to 1,125 lb and cargo capacities of 1,487 to 2,000 lb. Forest River publishes no GVWR for these plans in this channel, so none is shown and none is computed.

A full 42-gallon fresh tank is about 349 lb of water, 23% of the 255DS’s 1,487 lb cargo capacity, leaving 1,138 lb. Across 6 Prime Time Tracer floorplans the water share runs 17% to 23%, and this plan’s is the highest. Nearest on that share: Prime Time Tracer 185JH at 23%.

Closest sibling: the Prime Time Tracer 230BH, nearest on the published figures. It differs on 4 of the 7 fields both publish (this plan first): length 30 ft 4 in vs 28 ft 0 in; dry weight 6,213 lb vs 5,963 lb; cargo capacity 1,487 lb vs 1,737 lb; hitch weight 815 lb vs 700 lb. They match on fresh tank, grey tank and black tank.

Either side of it by dry weight: Prime Time Tracer 230BH is 250 lb lighter (5,963 lb dry); Prime Time Tracer 280IK is 1,195 lb heavier (7,408 lb dry).

All 6 Prime Time Tracer floorplans: Prime Time Tracer line hub.

Against the 255DS: the Jay Feather 27BHB is 3 lb lighter and 3 ft longer; the Imagine 2300MK is 5 lb heavier and 4 ft shorter; the Salem & Wildwood 28VBXL is 5 lb lighter and 3 ft longer.

10 of the 18 fields this catalogue tracks are published for the 255DS. Not published: GVWR, interior height, sleeps, slide count, axle count, tire specification, refrigerator, air conditioning.

Sourcing rules: methodology.