Reels per load, by flange size
On a 53-foot, 102-inch flatbed we plan on 416 empty 24-inch reels, 189 of 30 inches, 102 of 36, 60 of 42, then 26 of 48, 24 of 60, 20 of 72, 18 of 84 and 16 of 96. Up to 42 inches the reels lie flat in stacks; from 48 inches they stand on edge in two staggered rows, using the low end of Dura-Line's loading chart.
Step by step
Sort the stack by flange size
Measure across the round end of each reel and group them: 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 inch. Round to the nearest group.
Count each group
Write down how many reels of each size there are. Mixed brands and mixed nailed and bolted reels count the same way.
Divide by the deck count
Divide each group's count by the number of empties of that size a deck holds. That gives each group's share of a 53 foot deck.
Add the shares
Add the shares together. Under 25% is a ride-along, 25% to 85% a part load, up to 100% a full run, more than that several runs.
Worked through, one size at a time
The deck is 636 inches long and 102 inches wide. For the flat sizes, the sum is how many flanges fit across, times how many fit along, times how many layers a stack can take. A 24 inch reel fits four across and twenty-six along, and Okonite's 24 inch build is 15 inches wide over the flanges, so four layers stay under our 72 inch stacking cap: 4 × 26 × 4 = 416. A 36 inch reel fits two across and seventeen along, three layers high: 102. A 42 inch reel is two across, fifteen along and two high: 60.
The stack height is our own planning rule, not a law. Seventy-two inches is about as high as a strapped stack stays square and a forklift can reach over the deck rail, and it keeps the load well under the 14 foot legal height.
Why staggering adds reels
From 48 inches up, reels stand on edge in two rows down the deck. If both rows lined up, each pair would take a full flange's length of deck. Staggered, the reels in the second row sit beside the gaps between reels in the first, and the barrel of one reel lies alongside the flange of its neighbour. That is how Dura-Line's chart fits 26 to 30 reels of 50 inches on a single 102 inch wide trailer. Its rows run down to 16 to 18 reels at 96 inches.
Sizes between the chart's rows
Dura-Line's chart is written for its own duct reels: 50, 66, 72, 78, 83, 90 and 96 inches. Our 60 inch figure sits between its 50 and 66 inch rows, and we plan 84 inch reels on its 83 inch row. When a reel falls between our groups, we count it in the larger one. A yard's tape measure, rounded up, is the honest way to plan.
A deck count by ZIP, not just by size
The same deck count applies everywhere we run. What changes by area is how often a truck passes. A stack that is 20% of a deck in Vernon goes out within days on the Alameda Corridor run; the same stack in Adelanto waits for a larger stop on the High Desert lane. The lanes page shows which run reaches you.
Counting a stack in the yard
Walk the stack with a tape and a clipboard. Measure one flange from each obvious group across its widest point, edge to edge, not just the drum. Write the size, then tally the reels that match it. Reels stacked inside each other or half-buried count too; guessing low is what leaves reels behind. Take a photo of each group with the tape across a flange and send it with the request. Five minutes with a tape beats a phone call from the driver asking why there are twice as many 60s as the request said.
What changes the count on the day
Warped flanges, reels with a broken stave and reels whose traverse is wider than standard all take more room than the planning figure allows. So do reels that must be loaded flat because a flange is split. A few bad reels in a big stack make no difference; a stack that is mostly damaged may need a second truck, and we would rather know before the run.
Words on this page
- Flange
- The round end of a reel; its diameter (24 to 96 inches and up) is how reels are sized, sorted and loaded.
- Traverse
- The inside width between the flanges; with the flange size it sets how much deck a reel takes up.
- Drum
- The barrel between the flanges that the cable winds on; its diameter sets how much cable a reel holds.
- Deck
- The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
- Chock
- A wedge under a reel's flange that stops it rolling on the deck.
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Counting questions
Why are small reels laid flat and large ones on edge?
A small reel on edge wastes the space above it and is hard to chock. Laid flat and stacked, it uses the deck height. A large reel laid flat would take the whole width for one reel, so it stands up instead.
Why plan on the low end of Dura-Line's range?
Real stacks are rarely one maker's identical reels. Mixed traverses and a few warped flanges cost space, and it is better to tell a yard there is room left than to leave reels behind.
Can full reels be counted the same way?
No. Full reels are heavy and the limit becomes weight. Dura-Line notes that a truck that carries sixteen to eighteen empty 96 inch reels may carry only twelve full ones. We collect empties.
Does a 48 foot trailer change the counts?
Barely for large reels on edge, which is why Dura-Line's chart treats 48 and 53 foot trucks alike. For small flat stacks, five fewer feet means roughly one or two fewer columns.