Reels for wire rope and rigging

Cable and reels this work empties

Where rope reels collect

Crane rental and rigging firms serving the lakefront terminals, steel processors and plants of the Calumet and Northwest Indiana handle a steady flow of rope. Elevator and hoist contractors working on city high-rises replace rope on schedule. Each leaves a few heavy reels at a time, which is why they tend to pile up unnoticed.

Why most go to recycling

Rope lubricant soaks into the drum and staves. That makes the reel a poor choice for cable, which should not pick up grease, and a poor choice for furniture, which bleeds it for months. Clean, dry rope reels from synthetic rope or lightly lubricated stock can be resold; heavily greased ones are broken down and recycled with the steel parts separated.

Handling heavy reels

• Use forks, never roll a rope reel by hand.
• Wear gloves: broken rope wires cut through skin.
• Check for rope tails nailed or clamped to the drum.
• Store away from drains so grease does not wash off.

Supplier reels

Rope suppliers sometimes ship on reels they expect back, especially steel reels and large heavy wood ones. A stencilled supplier name or a reel number usually means a return; call the supplier. We list those for you and take the rest.

Rope reels in a rigging loft

Rigging lofts cut slings and assemblies from long lengths of rope and keep the partly used reels on stands for years. Once a reel is empty it tends to sit in the yard behind the loft. A crane yard does the same with replaced hoist rope. Collecting those every few months keeps them from rotting into the ground. Separate synthetic-rope reels, which are clean and easy to resell, from wire-rope reels, which are greasy and usually recycled.

Mark any reel still carrying a few metres of rope so the driver knows to leave it until someone strips it.

Elevator modernisation crews in Loop towers often bring old hoist rope back coiled and leave the new reel at the machine room; ask the building engineer whether those empties can come down by freight elevator before the visit, because hauling them later means another trip through lobbies, loading docks and permits.

Where we see this work

• Chicago neighbourhoods

  Riggers and crane outfits serving lakefront terminals and steel processors.

• Northwest Indiana

  Crane, hoist and mooring rope at mills, docks and lakefront terminals.

How the pickup runs

1. Count and photo

   Count the reels by flange size and send one photo of the stack and one of a reel tag.

2. Sort by tag and condition

   We read the tags and photos and tell you which reels we buy, which are returnable and which look like recycling.

3. Route each reel

   Every reel gets one exit: buyback, maker take-back, recycling or resupply.

4. Schedule by corridor

   We put you on the next corridor day in your area, or send a truck of its own for a big lot.

5. Load and settle

   The driver checks each reel, loads, and leaves one ticket showing what was bought, recycled and left.

Questions

Do you buy rope reels?

Clean, dry ones in sound shape, yes. Heavily greased reels usually go for recycling.

Can greased reels be burned?

Don't. Burning treated or greased wood gives off harmful smoke. Recycle it instead.

What about steel rope reels?

Steel reels almost always belong to the supplier. They go back on the supplier's terms.

Are synthetic rope reels treated differently?

Yes. They are usually clean and dry, so they are bought like ordinary cable reels when sound.

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.

Traverse

The inside width between the flanges: how wide a layer of cable can be.

Arbor hole

The centre hole a spindle, shaft or payoff bar passes through.

Drive hole

A smaller hole off-centre in the flange that a drive pin uses to turn the reel.

Lagging / staves

The boards nailed around the drum, and the protective boards sometimes nailed across the flanges over finished cable.

Nailed vs bolted

Nailed reels are held together with nails and built for one trip; bolted reels have through-bolts and steel plates for many.

Returnable reel

A reel its maker expects back, usually stencilled or tagged to say so.

One-way reel

A reel nobody is collecting. Once empty, it belongs to whoever holds it.

Reel tag

The label or plate carrying the maker, the reel number and sometimes the return terms.

Payoff

The stand or trailer a reel turns on while cable is pulled off it.