As the wind can blow from each direction, the cap must be able to rotate over 360 degrees. For a lot of mills, this is a hard job. The cap with span, shaft and brake wheel weigh about 12000 kg. This job is much easier on d'Olde Zwarver, as it has a british capstan and thus litterally goes on wheels. Tje cap houses the shaft, the break wheel and the "bonkelaar". The shaft has a length of 6.28 m and is a "De Prins van Oranje" manufacture. The brake wheel has 59 cogs. These cogs drive the cogs of the "bonkelaar". The "bonkelaar" has 36 cogs. So the transmission of the span onto the upright king shaft is 1:1.6. A brake system is connected to the brake wheel, called "De Vang" (="the catch"). A so-called Vlaamse Vang is used in d'Olde Zwarver.
