Tongue weight in Europe is around 7%

TomG2 wrote:
Lots of factors involved, some have been mentioned. Consider the average weight of the European trailer compared to the weight of the tow vehicle, for another. I doubt that there are many cases where the trailer outweighs the tow vehicle. Americans are told that their 6,000 pound pickup can tow 10,000 pound trailers without a problem. Also, what is the wheelbase of the European tow vehicles compared to trailer length. We tow thirty foot trailers with twenty foot tow vehicles. My point is, when the tow vehicle is larger and heavier than the trailer, good things happen.

Very good point. My truck probably has a curb weight of around 6,500 lbs (not sure of precise figure), my Jayco trailer has a dry unloaded weight of 7,395 lbs and a GVWR of 9,000 lbs. I tow this using a Hensley hitch, which I really like, and I feel safe. The trailer is much heavier and much longer than my truck and I feel safe because of the Hensley. I must say my trailer tows much better with a full load of water in its tank, which sits just forward of the front axle, concentrating the center of mass into an area just forward of the axle.
This trailer is a beast, and now that my kids have gone to college it is just my wife and myself now. We don't need such an enormous trailer. We would be happy in a large size A-frame trailer, towed mostly with our truck but on rare occasion with our Subaru Outback. The GVRW of the trailer we would downsize to would be LESS than the curb weight of our Outback!