Bill has a very good answer for your questions.
I know you wanted to avoid the discussion of how the WDH affects the Ridgeline, but I think you need to consider how the physics of the WDH is going to affect the unique frame of the Ridgeline.
The WDH, as Bill explains, lifts the truck up like you lift the wheelbarrow up. As he said, you are not changing the total weight, just moving more weight to the front. In a traditional body on frame the WDH lifts up the hitch, which is bolted to the frame. As a result, the frame is lifted up at the rear, placing a little more weight onto the front wheels. Because the body is bolted to the frame through body mounts, any twisting of the frame does not add any undue stresses on the the frame/body connections because they are allowed to flex just a little.
In the Ridgeline frame, which is completely welded to the body, any twisting of the frame will put stresses on the weld joints between the frame and body. Just how much of these stresses can this frame/body system take? I don't know, but the welding does not allow any flex between the frame and body.
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I read some discussion about WDH and the Ridgeline, and some of it suggests Honda doesn't want added weight place on the front axle. But keep this in mind. If you hook up a trailer to the back of your truck, that's like standing on the handles of the wheelbarrow. What does that do to the front wheel of the wheelbarrow? It transfers the weight of the front axle to the legs of the wheelbarrow! You now have potentially reduced steering and braking control of the front axle. Using a WDH should not add significant weight to the front axle but, rather, restore the weight to the front axle.
This is one reason why unibody construction has a lower towing rating than full frame vehicles. The 2020 Explorer improved its towing capacity by going back to RWD, but it's towing capacity is still less than that of my 2008 Explorer in part due to its unibody structure.
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My conclusion is that I don't have a conclusion. I don't own a Ridgeline, but you are right to ask those who have a Ridgeline about towing. If some of them have used WDH, find out how much weight they redistribute. Perhaps you can still use a WDH, but don't equalize all the weight and leave your rig slightly tongue heavy.
Do keep in mind the axle rating of your Ridgeline. You didn't mention that. I actually overloaded the rear axle of my Tahoe with my 2720, yet was still 2000 lbs under the total weight limit. That's when I knew I needed a WDH.
Sorry, this was longer winded than I thought I was going to write!
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