Yeah, I've seen something like that before. I remember seeing something like that sold thru the old JC Whitney catalogs, long before the internet. Do a quick search, and you can see a few ancient examples. It's a simple idea, but it has a few drawbacks.
One, unless you have a locking differential, you must use two winches. This means setting up for two hub winches and setting two anchor points.
Two, this type of winch cannot be used when pulling at an angle. There is no guide that allows the line to wrap onto the drum, and the edge of the capstan is rather shallow. The anchor points must be directly inline with the drum, or the rope will jump off the capstan or get wedged between the rim and capstan.
Three, It's pretty low to the ground. This means the line is probably going to be submerged in mud or water, where it can't be seen or the line could be forced to cut into the terrain, such as pulling over an edge.
Four, it's only for you. If your buddy's truck is hopelessly stuck, you cannot really use the hub winch on your truck to recover his truck, unless you bolt the system to his truck.
Other than that, it's a simple back up plan if a real winch isn't available or has failed, and unlike a high lift, it doesn't require physical effort or resetting the winch every four feet.
Ed
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
