A portable, remote racking device that is controlled by a remote control. The remote racking device includes a drive that fits into a corresponding crank access hole formed in a front panel of a cradle housing a circuit breaker installed into a switchgear. The drive turns a mechanism inside the cradle that causes the circuit breaker to be racked into or out of the switchgear. The remote racking device includes an actuator pin that abuts a corresponding button arm protruding through the front panel. The remote control includes a control for depressing the button arm and another control for causing a motor to rotate the drive. The actuator pin detects when the button arm pops out of the panel, and a circuit in the remote racking device briefly reverses the motor to bring it and the circuit breaker to a sudden stop, preventing the mechanical linkages of the mechanism from locking-up or becoming damaged and avoiding over-torquing the motor.