Abstract: A dual-handled manual winch has a ratchet wheel meshing constantly with a pawl and which is automatically frictionally locked to a drive pinion for the winch drum when the drum starts to overrun. The drive pinion is threaded into a drive shaft on the ends of which the handles are mounted in diametrically opposite relation and on which the ratchet wheel and a pair of friction washers are sleeved to be engaged between the pinion and the ratchet wheel, and between the ratchet wheel and a stop collar on the shaft, responsive to axial movement of the drive pinion in the shaft toward the ratchet wheel.

Abstract: A low noise, self-locking winch with a cylindrical cable drum having a cable wound around its periphery. The drum is rotated by a drive wheel which is fixedly mounted on a drive shaft. A latch wheel, having a smooth outer periphery, is slidably mounted on the drive shaft adjacent the drive wheel with a layer of frictional braking material positioned therebetween such that axial pressure on the latch wheel with respect to the drive shaft causes the latch and drive wheels to rotate as a unit. A crank is threaded onto the end of the drive shaft adjacent the latch wheel so that rotation of the crank in a winding direction forces the latch wheel against the drive wheel to rotate the cable drum. A pivotally mounted latch lever is resiliently biased against the smooth outer periphery of the latch wheel in a manner that causes the latch lever to cam against the latch wheel as the drum rotates in an unwinding direction thereby locking the winch.