A system where the winding drum is replaced by a large wheel or sheave. Both cages are connected to the same rope, which passes around some 200 degrees of the sheave in a groove of friction material. The Koepe sheave may be mounted on the ground adjacent to the headgear or in a tower over the shaft. The drive to the rope is the frictional 1721 resistance between the rope and the sheave. It requires the use of a balance rope. It is often used for hoisting heavy loads from deep shafts and has the advantage that the large inertia of the ordinary winding drum is avoided. The system has been widely used in Europe for many years, and some large projects in Great Britain are being equipped with winders of this type.