Guide
How to store and stage empty reels for pickup
To store and stage empty reels for pickup, stand them on edge rather than flat, chock both sides, keep them off the ground on timbers, sort them by size and leave a clear aisle for a forklift.
Good staging keeps reels sellable and makes the pickup quick. Poor staging, reels flat in the mud, mixed sizes, no aisle, turns a one-hour load into a half-day and turns good wood into recycling.
Five rules
- On edge
- A reel standing on its flanges sheds water. A reel lying flat collects it in the bottom flange.
- Chocked
- A reel on edge wants to roll. Wedge both sides with blocks or timber, every reel, every time.
- Off the ground
- Two timbers or a pallet under each row keep the flange rims out of standing water and mud.
- Sorted
- Group by flange size, largest nearest the aisle, so the truck loads in order.
- An aisle
- Leave enough width for a forklift and its tines, plus room to turn.
Returnables apart
Before the visit, pull every reel with return wording, a reel number or a steel plate into its own row with tags facing out. That row waits for its maker. Mixing them into the pickup row causes mistakes and slows the driver down while every flange is reread.
Small reels and spools
Reels under about 30 inches are better stacked flat on pallets, three or four high, and shrink-wrapped or strapped. Loose small reels on the ground get kicked, run over and lost in grass. A pallet of spools loads in one fork trip.
Before the truck arrives
- Pull cable tails, rope ends and staples from drums.
- Clear snow or debris from the aisle.
- Open the gate and tell the site contact the arrival window.
- Have someone who can run the forklift, or say that there is none.
- Keep people and vehicles away from the reels while loading.
Winter staging
Snow hides chocks, and ice glues bottom flanges to the ground. Stage on timbers before the first freeze, mark the row ends with tall stakes, and clear the aisle the day before pickup. Reels frozen to the ground can split when lifted.
How much space to leave
A forklift needs an aisle about as wide as its own length plus the reel it carries, so the driver can turn. For a standard yard forklift and 48-inch reels, plan on twelve feet or more. A flatbed needs a straight run to pull alongside the row, and its driver needs room to walk around the load to strap it.
Questions
How do I stage reels for pickup?
On edge, chocked, on timbers, sorted by size, returnables apart, with an aisle for forks.
How should I store empty cable reels?
The same way: on edge, off the ground, chocked, ideally under cover.
Do I need a forklift?
For reels over about 42 inches, yes, or tell us and we bring a liftgate or plan another way.
Can reels be staged on asphalt in summer?
Yes, but put timbers under them anyway; hot asphalt softens and a heavy reel can dent it.
Reel words on this page
- Flange
- The round side discs that hold the cable in. Flange diameter, edge to edge, is the size a reel is known by.
- Drum (barrel)
- The cylinder between the flanges that the cable winds around.
- Returnable reel
- A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.
- Reel tag
- The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.
Request a pickup or quote
Work order received
- Reference
- Request
Next we read what you sent, sort the reels by tag and condition, and come back with what we buy, where returnables go, and a pickup day for your corridor. If it helps, reply with a photo of the stack and the reel tags.
More reel guides
- What empty reels are worth
Size, build and condition decide it. What gets paid for, and what does not.
- Do supply houses take reels back?
When the counter or the maker behind it takes reels, and what happens to the rest.
- Returnable vs one-way reels
Reading the tag, the stencils and the build to know whose reel it is.
- Which makers take reels back
Published maker return programs, their minimums and their condition rules.
- Reel sizes explained
Flange, drum and traverse, with a size chart from 24 to 96 inches.
- Measuring a reel
Four measurements, one tape and a minute per reel.
- Nailed vs bolted reels
How each is built, why bolted reels make more trips, and how each is handled.
- When a reel can't be reused
The defects that end a reel's working life, drawn and explained.
- Disposing of wooden reels
Four ways out for a wooden reel, with the dumpster last.
- Reel weights by size
Empty weights worked out from the wood, and what each means for loading.
- The reel capacity formula
How much cable fits on a reel, worked through step by step.