The present invention is a winding apparatus which is installed in one of the crane, hoist and the elevator to lift up and down heavy objects. The winding apparatus comprises a wire rope, a wire drum, an electromagnet, a winding motor, and a speed reducer. The wire rope is fixed to the heavy objects and moves up and down to lift the heavy objects. The wire drum includes a rotary drum around a longitudinal shaft and winds up and down the wire rope over the outer circumference of the drum. The electromagnet installed in the wire drum so that the wire drum becomes magnetic. The winding motor connected to the wire drum rotates the wire drum around the shaft in the longitudinal direction. The speed reducer installed between the winding motor and the wire drum controls the rotary speed of the wire drum by adjusting a driving force applied to the wire drum from the winding motor. The electromagnet is operated when the wire rope does not bear the load of the heavy object as the wire rope falls down from the wire drum. The electromagnet is not operated when the wire rope is wound over the wire drum to move up.