To be honest I would rather spend the money on equipment to help reduce the chances of getting stuck in the first place (e.g. better tyres), and use common sense to avoid being in a situation where self recovery is necessary!
In fact, the only time i've thought to myself "a winch would be really useful right now" was pulling dead trees out of a hedge at the campsite
Agree entirely. My own approach is always if in doubt, reverse!
If it is important, I go and get my tractor, if it isnt, I wait til it dries up.
When you are working, anyone getting stuck is a total and expensive pain in the butt. Seen a swing shovel go down in the marsh, they had to get another, and a huge winch tractor, to recover. Only just got it before it was swamped. All the machines were over 100k value.
It was the contractors problem, if it had been ours, the driver would not have worked for us again.
Another occasion someone got a forestry tractor so bad we had to get a crane. 60 tonne AT, over 1k a day!
The other thing that makes me die about the winch lot, the way they all get right in there round the stuck vehicle, and mess around with little ropes strops and shovels, someone will get killed!
We attach big chains, get the best drivers in the cabs, everyone else retires to a safe distance to watch.