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Map of Lancaster in grid square E1, with the Antelope Valley and the 14 laneLos Angeles CountySan Bernardino CountyAntelope ValleySanta ClaritaPalmdaleLancasterVictorvilleOro GrandeHesperiaAdelanto11ABCDEFGHJK123Schematic. Grid squares about 9 by 10 miles; lanes drawn stop to stop.
Square E1Our coverage grid
Lane
Antelope Valley and the 14
Freeways
State Route 1414State Route 138138
ZIP codes
  • 93534
  • 93535
  • 93536
County
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County · grid square E1 · Antelope Valley and the 14 lane

Empty cable reels picked up in Lancaster

Yes, we collect empty cable reels in Lancaster on the Antelope Valley run. Solar farms, utility and transmission work, and the business parks along the 14 produce most of the reels here, and many of them are large.

What gets made in Lancaster

Lancaster is the northern city of the Antelope Valley, where the 14 runs north toward Mojave. Its business parks and industrial land lie along the freeway and around Fox Field, the county's general aviation airport on the city's north-west side. Beyond the city edge, the valley floor is home to some of the largest solar plants in California.

The Antelope Valley Solar Projects total 579 MW on 3,230 acres straddling the Kern and Los Angeles county line, and AV Solar Ranch One adds 230 MW on about 2,100 acres in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Projects on this scale, and the substations and lines that connect them, are built from many thousands of feet of cable.

Solar construction is the biggest single source of empty reels in the valley. A laydown yard during a build can hold hundreds of 48 to 72 inch reels of collection and DC cable, and when the cable is pulled, the reels have to go somewhere. Repowering and repair work on existing plants adds more. Southern California Edison buys output from the large projects and serves the city, so its transmission and distribution work adds big bolted reels too.

Where Lancaster's empty reels come from

Solar construction and repowering
48 to 72 inch reels of collection and DC cable, emptied in large numbers at laydown yards.
Utility and transmission work
SCE work around the valley leaves 72 inch and larger bolted reels.
Business parks and contractors
Local electrical contractors and businesses empty smaller reels.

How the Antelope Valley and the 14 run reaches Lancaster

Lancaster is the north end of the Antelope Valley run. A solar laydown yard full of empties is a full run on its own, often several; a contractor with a dozen reels rides along with it. Solar sites need a site contact, directions from the nearest paved road and somewhere firm for the truck to stand.

Other stops on the Antelope Valley and the 14 lane: Palmdale. Reels from Lancaster can share a deck with any of them.

Getting Lancaster's reels ready for the truck

  1. Count by flange

    Measure across the round end of each reel and group them: 36, 48, 60, 72 inch flanges are the sizes we see most from Lancaster. A phone photo of the stack helps us size the run. The measuring guide shows where to put the tape.

  2. Stage them where a flatbed fits

    Put the reels where a 53 foot flatbed can pull alongside off Route 14, not down a lane it cannot turn in.

  3. Give us a window

    Tell us the hours your gate is open and staffed. Stops on the Antelope Valley and the 14 lane get a pickup window by email once the run is planned.

  4. Say how they get lifted

    A forklift on site loads anything up to 96 inches. Without one, reels up to about 42 inches can be tipped and rolled up a ramp; bigger ones need a lift.

  5. Flag the stencilled ones

    A reel painted with a cable maker's name may be returnable. Tell us and we will say whether it should go back to its owner before we take it.

After the run, sound reels from Lancaster are sorted for resale to contractors, makers and growers who want wooden spools; split flanges, torn arbor holes and rotten staves go to wood recycling. See resale or recycling for how a reel is graded.

Reel sizes that usually come out of Lancaster

FlangeHow it loadsEmpties per 53 ft deck (est.)Empty weight, lb
36 inFlat, stacked 3 high10264 to 77
48 inOn edge, two rows26 to 30106 to 177
60 inOn edge, two rows24 to 28187 to 347
72 inOn edge, two rows20 to 24204 to 592

Estimates from published reel and loading charts; method on reels per load.

Nearest areas to Lancaster on the grid

Straight-line miles between town centres, not road miles.

Other Los Angeles County areas, by grid square

Lancaster pickup questions

Do you clear solar laydown yards?

Yes. Tell us the count by flange size and how they are stacked; a big yard may take several runs.

Can a few reels in Lancaster be picked up?

Yes, as a ride-along on the next Antelope Valley run.

Do you go on to Rosamond or Mojave?

Those are in Kern County, outside our pages. Ask; if a run is passing close, we can say.

Request a pickup or a price

Tell us the count and the flange size; we will tell you if it fills a deck or rides along on the next run. Buying? Tell us the size and how many.

  • Mixed brands, nailed and bolted, part loads: all fine.
  • We answer by email with a pickup window or a price.
  • San Diego County is outside our area.
Pickup and buy requestBill of lading
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Pickup address

Shipper (your details)

An email address or a phone number, at least one.