The winch mounted lever is strictly to freespool the winch and pay out cable, with the PTO disengaged. The operator runs the winch from the cab, using the clutch to apply or remove power, and the PTO lever for forward and reverse. Yes, I have a winch, and have used them for years. Winches can be extremely dangerous, please read the TM. You can easily mangle yourself, or get killed using one. I snapped a civvy wrecker cable once, the only thing that saved me was the 4 old tires we had tied off to the cable at 50' intervals just in case that happened. (We were recovering a stuck electric co op truck, and we were pulling hard). The tires arrested the cable, keeping it from whipping back more than 50'.
Please don't take offense when someone points out a safety issue, we are not being b***holes about it. We need all our members alive and in good condition. I have been chided in the past, and have pointed out safety issues to others.
"Get home alive" is my motto.