Reel pickup in Wheeling

Plants and parks by the airport

Wheeling's industrial land wraps around Chicago Executive Airport and stretches along its main roads, with manufacturers, distributors and contractor shops in buildings of every size. Plants rewire and expand; contractors bring reels back from jobs across the northwest suburbs. The result is a steady flow of 30 to 60-inch nailed reels, with plywood control-cable reels mixed in.

Wheeling sits at the northwest end of the North Shore day, between Northbrook and the O'Hare corridor, so it can also be added to an O'Hare corridor run when that day is closer. Next step: send the count by flange size and your dock or yard details.

Restaurants along Milwaukee Avenue rebuild kitchens on a cycle, and those rebuilds leave small reels behind as well. They usually sit by a back door, waiting for someone to take them, and a quick photo is enough for us to plan.

Wheeling floods in places near the Des Plaines River after heavy storms. Keep any outdoor reels raised on timbers, out of the low spots.

Strip-mall electricians in Wheeling usually call in batches, after several jobs end at once.

Reels that arrive on the dock

Some Wheeling plants receive wire or cable as raw material and empty those reels on the line. If the supplier runs a return program, those reels belong to the supplier; if not, they pile up. We sort them on the first visit and agree with you which supplier's reels stay for the supplier's truck.

After that, a recurring pickup keeps the dock clear without calls. Most plants pick a weekly or monthly visit depending on how fast they empty reels.

Welding cable and small rope reels

Wheeling's machine shops and fabricators use welding cable and small wire rope on short reels. Those reels are heavier for their size than a cable reel, with thick flanges and sometimes a steel arbor. If a rope or welding-cable supplier runs a return program, its reels go back; most small shops' reels are one-way.

Send a photo of the flange face and any stencil. We tell you which reels are returnable before the truck comes.

Pickup notes for Wheeling

• Forklift on site? Then a 100-reel pickup is a short stop.
• Reels stored outside should stand on edge on dunnage, not lie flat in water.
• Airport-adjacent buildings are reached from Palatine Road and Milwaukee Avenue.

Before the truck comes

1. Count the reels by flange size, outside edge to outside edge.
2. Photograph the stack, plus one tag or stencil up close.
3. Stand each reel on edge and chock it; never stack them flat.
4. Leave an aisle wide enough for forklift tines, or a clear path to roll.
5. Keep maker-tagged returnables in their own row.

What the driver checks on each reel

Flanges

Boards whole and flat, not warped, split or cupped.

Staves

Lagging mostly intact on the drum, without rot or gaps.

Arbor hole

Round and solid, so a spindle or payoff bar fits.

Drive holes

Not torn out or elongated by a payoff stand.

Markings

Any maker's stencil, returnable tag or reel number.

Leftovers

Cable ends, staples and banding removed or noted.

The rest of the North Shore day

Wheeling shares a run with these stops:

• NorthbrookSky Harbor Industrial Park, Tri-State to Edens
• GlenviewNorth Shore: Willow Road, Waukegan Road and The Glen
• SkokieEdens Expressway and the village's light industrial streets

Where Wheeling reels go

• Buyback: one-way wooden reels with sound flanges and staves are paid for at the stop, priced by size and condition.
• Maker take-back: anything tagged or stencilled as returnable is listed for its owner's own collection.
• Recycling: split, rotted or warped reels are broken down, the wood recovered and the hardware separated.
• Resupply: checked reels go on to buyers who need them for rewinding, storage or projects.

Questions from Wheeling

Is Wheeling on the North Shore day or the O'Hare corridor day?

Usually the North Shore day. It can also join an O'Hare corridor run when that comes sooner.

Can a Wheeling plant get a monthly reel pickup?

Yes. Recurring pickups run on a set day, with returnable supplier reels left staged for the supplier.

Do you take small wire rope reels from Wheeling shops?

Yes, when no supplier claims them. Send a photo of the flange face and any stencil and we say which are returnable.

What if our Wheeling dock only opens early?

Tell us the hours. The North Shore run can start in Wheeling at opening time, since it sits at the north-west corner of the route, and then work its way south and east toward Skokie through the rest of the morning.