[Dan.Tyler]

It sounds to me like they are using the motor/gearbox to turn the ratchet itself. I.e, taking the place of your hand if you were to use it as a hand tool.

And then using the lever to disconnect the motor/gearbox from the winch. The ratchet is acting as both the ratchet/pawl and the "shift into neutral" options.

To relieve the load on the lever, you simply need to drive the motor slightly forward, then actuate the clutch lever on the ratchet while releasing the motor. It will relieve any load the ratchet is holding momentarily (long enough to flip the switch) while changing directions/freespinning back the partial tooth distance.

To ensure disengagement, power on whatever you're using to flip the switch, then pulse the winch motor several times at 5-10 hz, full power, for a couple milliseconds each time. So effectively a very slow pwm at low power. It should sound like the motor/gearbox is clicking. You may have to play with your on vs off times and frequency to get it to work every time.