Abstract: A manual winch which includes two manually operable release levers for the ratchet mechanism both of which must be manually held in retracted position in order to enable free unwinding of a cable from the winch drum. Specifically, a latch structure is provided for the drum ratchet release lever and a pin is provided to hold the retrieving ratchet release lever disengaged thereby enabling an operator to unwind cable from the winch drum without hand holding the release levers in released position. The winch includes a handle for manually winding a cable on a drum with a storage arrangement being provided for the handle to retain it in stored position when not in use.