They basically consisted of a long axle which wrapped the rope pulling the load and were either firmly fixed in the radial axle or moveable levers in special sockets for the application of the required drawing force by
the operators. Sometimes they had pulleys, sprockets or even worm gears to further increase productivity.
The ground winches for the lifting rope and the tautening of the balancing ropes were attached to a stably fastened vertical pole while the winches of the scaffolds were placed on horizontal beams with rollers for their easy horizontal shifting.