Winch?

[craigboez]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

I don't think you want the dog to be holding all of the energy... you will want some type of ratchet to hold it and then the dog/shifter will release the ratchet.

Typically the dog does hold all the load, and the ratchet is always engaged. Disengaging a ratchet is difficult, especially when under load. The ratchet serves to prevent the loaded system from backdriving the motor, the dog de-couples the system from the ratchet and allows it to free spool. A typical system:

motor --> first stage gear with ratchet --> second stage gear with dog shifter --> output