a winch arrangement intended for the rapid shifting of aircraft or other wheeled vehicles which incorporate their own braking system and which may be under the control of an occupant during winching , is so constructed as to provide compensation for wide fluctuations in load on the winch due to a possible lack of coordination between operation of the winch drive and the control of the vehicle . the winched arrangement comprises a drive motor , a winch drum assembly coupled to the drive motor by means of a transmission incorporating a reduction gear said transmission being of relatively high inertia , so that it can run on to drive the winch drum and take up slack in the winch rope in the event of stoppage of the drive motor . the transmission preferably includes an eddy current overload coupling . in order to prevent damage to the aircraft or vehicle due to the inertia of the transmission in the event of sudden shocks on the system , the path of the winch rope is deflected by guide means which can yield under load , the yielding of the guide means being controlled by a shock absorbing buffer means .