- Lane
- Orange County on the 5
- Freeways
- ZIP codes
- 92780
- 92782
- County
- Orange County
Empty cable reels picked up in Tustin
Yes: we pick up empty wooden reels in Tustin on the Orange County 5 and 405 run, from the business parks along the 55 and Red Hill Avenue to the construction at Tustin Legacy on the old air station. Tustin sits between Santa Ana and Irvine on the lane.
What gets made in Tustin
Tustin's landmark is a pair of enormous wooden blimp hangars built during the Second World War at what became Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. The base closed, and its land is being rebuilt as Tustin Legacy, with housing, offices, a county training centre and business parks. In 2023 a fire destroyed the north hangar; the south hangar still stands.
Older business parks follow the 55 and Red Hill Avenue on the city's west side and south toward the Irvine border, holding manufacturers, distributors, labs and contractors.
Southern California Edison serves Tustin. Redeveloping a whole air base means new substations, feeders and street circuits, with utility contractors staging in the area for years.
Auto dealers along the 5 at the Tustin Auto Center rebuild showrooms and service bays every few years, which adds chargers, lifts and lighting circuits to the city's reel count.
Base redevelopment is the reason Tustin has more large reels than its size suggests. New streets need new underground distribution, and that comes on 60 to 72 inch bolted reels. The business parks add the familiar 24 to 48 inch nailed and plywood spools. Because the city lies between Santa Ana and Irvine on the lane, every 5 run passes. Tell us which phase of the redevelopment your yard serves, since gates move as the work does.
Where Tustin's empty reels come from
- Tustin Legacy construction
- New streets and buildings empty building-wire reels and 60 to 72 inch utility reels.
- Business parks along the 55
- Manufacturers, labs and distributors empty 24 to 36 inch spools.
- Contractors
- Electrical contractors based in Tustin stack mixed reels between jobs.
How the Orange County on the 5 run reaches Tustin
The 5 and 405 run takes Tustin between Santa Ana and Irvine, off the 55 at Edinger Avenue or the 5 at Red Hill or Jamboree. Construction at Tustin Legacy runs on gate schedules; we need the gate, the hours and a contact. Business parks are straightforward.
Other stops on the Orange County on the 5 lane: Santa Fe Springs, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach. Reels from Tustin can share a deck with any of them.
Getting Tustin's reels ready for the truck
Count by flange
Measure across the round end of each reel and group them: 24, 36, 48, 72 inch flanges are the sizes we see most from Tustin. 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 Tustin 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 Tustin
| Flange | How it loads | Empties per 53 ft deck (est.) | Empty weight, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in | Flat, stacked 4 high | 416 | 23 to 24 |
| 36 in | Flat, stacked 3 high | 102 | 64 to 77 |
| 48 in | On edge, two rows | 26 to 30 | 106 to 177 |
| 72 in | On edge, two rows | 20 to 24 | 204 to 592 |
Estimates from published reel and loading charts; method on reels per load.
Nearest areas to Tustin on the grid
Straight-line miles between town centres, not road miles.
Other Orange County areas, by grid square
- Anaheim 92801F7
- Santa Ana 92701F8
- Irvine 92602G8
- Huntington Beach 92646F9
- Garden Grove 92840F8
- Fullerton 92831F7
- Orange 92865G8
- Costa Mesa 92626F9
- Buena Park 90620F7
Tustin pickup questions
Do you collect from construction at Tustin Legacy?
Yes, from contractors' laydown areas with a gate time and a contact.
Is Tustin on every 5 run?
The run passes Tustin whenever it goes from Santa Ana to Irvine, so ride-alongs here wait very little.
What size reels come from base redevelopment?
Utility reels of 60 to 72 inches, plus building-wire reels of 30 to 48 inches.
Are the blimp hangars part of your pickups?
No. We collect from contractors and businesses around Tustin Legacy, not from the hangar sites themselves.