I'm wondering why anyone would consider a WDH a bad idea.
not a bad idea as such
just that when you do the maths & physic's involved (basically, the downward forces because of distance to axle, ball weight, distance to Van axles etc) it is a lot of force being applied to the rear of the tow vehicle to lift it up and transfer the weight to the front (in a nut shell).
on a standard vehicle,
if it is monocoque chassis, this will put a lot of strain on the rear..... a lot of strain... primarily around the wheel arch area (Prado/Pajero/D3+D4)
over a given lifetime (warranty) this can do damage
if it is a separate chassis, it also puts strain on the chassis near the wheel arch area, but usually bend suspension parts (spring hangers in Nissans / shocky mounts in Cruisers) which are the weakest link
however, once you have done any suspension work away from Factory standard
"SNIP"
I tow my 17.56-2 OB with a 2005 Prado with upgraded suspension that levelled out the ride height nicely
you have decreased the likelihood of any damage
they are a good "general" safety item
but the can mask many dangers if not used correctly
I once watched a guy loading up his bar & chain type WDH at a Van park in Kal, we were talking about them, as I was not sure if I needed one or not, as he was setting it up, he said (words to the effect) "hmmmm seems to need an extra link today............."
did not think anything of it, as he said he had been using this setup for a couple of years (his car & Van)
I met him again in Esperance, no car.............
"what happened?" said I
"cracked chassis............." said he
"WTF.............?" said I
he said, "I got to Esperance, stayed a couple of days, was moving off to Albany and when setting up I noticed again, that I needed another link to get it to sit level, it was playing in the back of his mind all the way to Ravensthorpe, when he went over a bit of a dip in the road...... didnt feel right, so he turned around and headed back to Esperance.
when he got there, he took his car (monocoque chassis) into a suspension place, and found there was a nice big crack in the chassis part just behind the back wheels on both sides
so he was waiting for a specialist engineer to have a look and see if it was a write off or fixable
his car was as standard as it came out of the factory
like I said, I always say
I can see the need on some Vans, I always tell people if ts over 18' or 2000kg best to try with as well as without
at that size and weight, it starts to get equal to or heavier than the tug..........