- Lane
- Orange County on the 5
- Freeways
- ZIP codes
- 92701
- 92703
- 92704
- 92705
- 92706
- 92707
- County
- Orange County
Empty cable reels picked up in Santa Ana
We collect empty cable reels in Santa Ana, the Orange County seat, on the 5 and 405 run through the middle of the county. Most stops are in the south Santa Ana industrial area around Dyer Road and the 55, and along the railroad on the city's east side.
What gets made in Santa Ana
Santa Ana is the county seat and one of the most densely built cities in Orange County. Its civic centre and old downtown are in the middle; its industry is mostly south and east. South of Warner Avenue and Dyer Road, between the 55 and the Santa Ana River, a large industrial and business district reaches down toward John Wayne Airport, with manufacturers, distributors, printers, food processors and electrical contractors on long blocks of low buildings.
East of downtown, the railroad and the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center anchor another band of older industrial lots along Grand Avenue and Fourth Street, where machine shops, auto businesses and building suppliers work out of smaller buildings.
Southern California Edison serves Santa Ana, and its distribution work runs through these districts as well as the neighbourhoods around them.
Spray booths, ovens and compressors in older plants are often rewired when a business changes hands, a common source of mixed reels.
A typical Santa Ana stop is small: a manufacturer with eight or ten 30 inch reels from a production line, or a contractor with a mixed stack behind the shop. That is exactly what a ride-along is for. The truck is already on the 55 or the 5 most times it runs the middle of the county, and a short detour into the Dyer Road district costs very little.
Where Santa Ana's empty reels come from
- Manufacturers and distributors
- Production lines and warehouse fit-outs empty 24 to 36 inch nailed and plywood reels.
- Electrical contractors
- Shops on the east side store mixed reels from commercial jobs across the county.
- Utility distribution work
- SCE cable replacement adds occasional larger reels at staging yards.
How the Orange County on the 5 run reaches Santa Ana
The 5 and 405 run usually reaches Santa Ana between Garden Grove and Tustin, leaving the 5 for the 55 and taking the south industrial area off Dyer Road or Warner Avenue. Older east-side lots can be tight for a 53-foot trailer, so tell us if the gate opens onto a narrow street; we may send a shorter deck.
Other stops on the Orange County on the 5 lane: Santa Fe Springs, Garden Grove, Tustin, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach. Reels from Santa Ana can share a deck with any of them.
Getting Santa Ana's reels ready for the truck
Count by flange
Measure across the round end of each reel and group them: 24, 30, 36, 48 inch flanges are the sizes we see most from Santa Ana. A phone photo of the stack helps us size the run. The measuring guide shows where to put the tape.
Stage them where a flatbed fits
Put the reels where a 53 foot flatbed can pull alongside off Interstate 5, not down a lane it cannot turn in.
Give us a window
Tell us the hours your gate is open and staffed. Stops on the Orange County on the 5 lane get a pickup window by email once the run is planned.
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.
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 Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana
| Flange | How it loads | Empties per 53 ft deck (est.) | Empty weight, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in | Flat, stacked 4 high | 416 | 23 to 24 |
| 30 in | Flat, stacked 3 high | 189 | 39 |
| 36 in | Flat, stacked 3 high | 102 | 64 to 77 |
| 48 in | On edge, two rows | 26 to 30 | 106 to 177 |
Estimates from published reel and loading charts; method on reels per load.
Nearest areas to Santa Ana on the grid
Straight-line miles between town centres, not road miles.
Other Orange County areas, by grid square
- Anaheim 92801F7
- Irvine 92602G8
- Huntington Beach 92646F9
- Garden Grove 92840F8
- Fullerton 92831F7
- Orange 92865G8
- Costa Mesa 92626F9
- Tustin 92780G8
- Buena Park 90620F7
Santa Ana pickup questions
Do you pick up near John Wayne Airport?
Yes. The business districts on the Santa Ana, Irvine and Costa Mesa sides of the airport are all on the run.
My lot is small. Can a flatbed get in?
Tell us the gate width and street. If a 53-foot trailer cannot turn, a shorter deck can.
Is Santa Ana on the 5 lane or the 91 lane?
The 5 and 405 lane, though stops on the north edge can ride the 91 and 57 run through Orange.
What do Santa Ana manufacturers usually have?
Thirty inch nailed reels from production lines, and a few plywood spools from control wiring. Count them by flange and send a photo.