Abstract: A web rewind apparatus includes an interior rider roll unit moving with a turret and engaging the winding roll during winding and particularly during indexing to move a new core in place and remove the winding roll. The rider rill is pivotally mounted within the roll support, rotates with the rewinding roll and engages the roll during rewinding or during indexing only. In another form, the rider roll is mounted on the turret by a linear slide and a counterweight member. A coupling connects the rider roll unit and the counterweight member to create an essentially zero gravity force by the rider roll unit. A pistonless cylinder is coupled to the counterweight to apply a constant surface force on the rider roll and thereby on the winding roll. The rider roll is mounted on the slide unit in a suitable bearing unit with the axis of the rider roll parallel to the winding axis. Adjustable bearing units mounted to the slide and permit skewing of the rider roll relative to the winding axis.