- Lane
- High desert over Cajon Pass
- Freeways
- ZIP codes
- 92368
- County
- San Bernardino County
Empty cable reels picked up in Oro Grande
We pick up empty cable reels in Oro Grande, the small Mojave River town north of Victorville on old Route 66, where cement and mining operations use heavy cable. It is the northern stop on our High Desert run.
What gets made in Oro Grande
Oro Grande is a small unincorporated community on the Mojave River, strung along National Trails Highway, the old Route 66, north of Victorville. Its name comes from gold-mining days, but its industry for the last century has been cement. CalPortland bought the Oro Grande cement plant from Martin Marietta Materials in mid-2015, and limestone quarrying and cement making continue in the hills around the town.
The Victorville side of the community runs into the logistics airport and its warehouses. To the north, desert and the river stretch toward Helendale and Barstow.
Southern California Edison serves the area. Cement kilns, crushers and quarries draw a great deal of power and use heavy cable throughout.
Heavy industry is the reason Oro Grande has its own page. A cement plant's kilns, mills, conveyors and crushers run on large power cable, and plant maintenance and upgrades leave reels of 60 to 84 inches, often bolted. A quarry and plant clean-out can be a full run on its own, and contractors serving the plant add more. Very few other places on our map produce reels this big this steadily.
Where Oro Grande's empty reels come from
- Cement plant maintenance and upgrades
- Heavy power and control cable on 60 to 84 inch bolted reels.
- Quarry and conveyor work
- Trailing and portable power cable on large reels.
- Contractors serving the plant
- Electrical and mechanical contractors stack mixed reels.
How the High desert over Cajon Pass run reaches Oro Grande
The High Desert run reaches Oro Grande from Victorville along National Trails Highway or the 15 at the D Street exit. Plant sites have their own safety rules and check-in, and reels are often in a laydown yard near the gate. Tell us the procedure and the contact before the run.
Other stops on the High desert over Cajon Pass lane: Hesperia, Victorville, Adelanto, Apple Valley. Reels from Oro Grande can share a deck with any of them.
Getting Oro Grande's reels ready for the truck
Count by flange
Measure across the round end of each reel and group them: 48, 60, 72, 84 inch flanges are the sizes we see most from Oro Grande. 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 15, 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 High desert over Cajon Pass 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 Oro Grande 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 Oro Grande
| Flange | How it loads | Empties per 53 ft deck (est.) | Empty weight, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 in | On edge, two rows | 26 to 30 | 106 to 177 |
| 60 in | On edge, two rows | 24 to 28 | 187 to 347 |
| 72 in | On edge, two rows | 20 to 24 | 204 to 592 |
| 84 in | On edge, two rows | 18 to 22 | 223 to 920 |
Estimates from published reel and loading charts; method on reels per load.
Nearest areas to Oro Grande on the grid
Straight-line miles between town centres, not road miles.
Other San Bernardino County areas, by grid square
- Ontario 91761H6
- Fontana 92335J6
- Rancho Cucamonga 91701H5
- Chino 91708H6
- San Bernardino 92401K5
- Redlands 92373L6
- Victorville 92392K2
- Hesperia 92344K3
- Adelanto 92301J2
- Apple Valley 92307L3
Oro Grande pickup questions
Do you collect from inside the cement plant?
Only under the plant's procedures, with a check-in and an escort. Laydown yards near the gate are easier.
Are 84 inch reels a problem?
No. They load on edge, two rows across the deck; about eighteen to twenty-two fill it.
Do you go to Helendale or Barstow?
Helendale is close on Route 66. Barstow is further; ask with the address and counts.
Is Oro Grande a full run?
A plant clean-out often is. Smaller stacks ride with Victorville stops.