Another factor is suspension. In Norm's photo at the top it appears that the rear of his vehicle is being pulled down some by the weight. It may appear worse than it actually is because it looks as though the photo is taken from an uphill position. In contrast, look at the levelness of the Ridge in the photo I posted when we hitched to our tent trailer.
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=857
Norm's truck is about twice as heavy as our trailer. The Ridge is built to handle the weight of Norm's boat. If you were to add another 2300 #s onto that you would be pulling the rear down to the same extent as stacking our trailer onto Norm's boat.
Our Trooper was rated to tow about 3500 #s, if I remember right. When we hitched to it, the rear dipped dramatically even after putting on stronger shocks. It also powered out on hills and we had to fall in behind the slow semis.
With the Ridge we are able to whiz along at freeway speeds. The Rigde was built to easily handle our size trailer and it rides so much better when towing than the Trooper could.
The weight recommendations are there for a reason. It's my advice that you abide by them.