Hand winch

A hand winch for scaffolds including a pair of cable drums for separately winding a pair of cables used for simultaneously raising one end of a scaffold. A shaft carrying a spur gear is fixed to the winch frame and the cable drums are journalled on the fixed shaft. A planet gear carrier is secured to the cable drums and rotates therewith with one gear of each pair of planet gears meshing with the spur gear. A hand crank is journalled in the frame and on the fixed shaft and carries a member with an internal spur gear thereon which meshes with the other of the pair of planet gears so that the drive provides a 161/2 to 1 mechanical advantage.