What we pick up
- Nailed wood reels from building wire, feeder and utility cable, usually 36 to 96 in across the flange.
- Plywood reels with through-bolted flanges from cut-to-length counters, usually 24 to 48 in.
- Plastic reels from control cable, data cable and small building wire.
- Steel reels when the maker won't take them back or the program is closed to you.
- Damaged reels: split staves, loose flanges, torn arbor holes. They go to wood recycling, but they still have to leave your yard.
We don't pick up reels with usable cable still on them, cable reel trailers or payout stands, or small thread and craft spools. Those belong with other trades.
What we need to know
The request form asks for the things that decide the truck and the quote. The two that matter most are the reel count and the flange sizes. A rough split is fine: "about 60, mostly 36 and 48, six 72s". After that we want to know how the reels will be loaded, whether there is a forklift on site, a loading dock, or only ground level, and whether this is one load or something you'll have every few weeks.
Photos help more than a long description. One picture of the whole stack shows the count and how they sit. One picture straight at a flange shows the build: cross-plied boards and nails, plywood and bolt heads, or moulded plastic. If you can see the arbor hole, we can usually tell whether the reel goes back into service.
How a date gets set
We route pickups by side of the Metroplex and by the highway the gate is off. A Fort Worth side pickup near Meacham or Alliance usually runs with others up I-35W; a Dallas side pickup in the Stemmons corridor runs with others along I-35E and LBJ. Tell us your gate hours and any site rules, such as a safety induction, a gate pass or a check-in at the trailer, and we plan around them.
| You have | What usually comes | Loading |
|---|---|---|
| A few small plywood reels | Box truck or pickup with trailer | By hand, from ground level |
| 20 to 60 mixed reels up to 60 in | Flatbed | Forklift on site or a dock |
| Large drums, 72 to 96 in | Flatbed with straps and chocks | Forklift needed; tell us its capacity |
| A recurring pile at a branch | Scheduled visits | Dock or forklift, same slot each time |
Plywood reels from a cut-to-length counter stack fine. Send us the stack height and we'll plan the pickup.
On the day
The driver checks in where you tell us, confirms the count with your contact and loads by size. Large reels ride standing on their flanges, chocked and strapped. Small reels go on pallets. If the count or condition on the ground differs from the request, we say so before we leave, and the quote is adjusted on the spot rather than after the fact. Read how a pickup works for the full sequence, and staging reels for pickup to get a yard ready.
Sites we pick up from most
Jobsite laydown yards are the biggest single source: a data-centre or plant job can leave dozens to hundreds of empties behind a chain-link fence, and the general contractor wants the area back for the next phase. Distributor branches come next, with plywood and light nailed reels building up behind the counter after cut-to-length orders. Utility and co-op service centres send fewer but bigger reels, often 72 in and up. Warehouses in the Great Southwest district, around DFW Airport and at AllianceTexas see reels arrive with inbound equipment and want them gone before they block a door. Each kind of site has its own page under industries.
Homes, farms and one-off reels
Not every request comes from a contractor. Homeowners inherit a backyard spool from a previous owner, solar installers leave a few behind, and ranchers end up with drums that once carried fencing wire or irrigation hose. Single reels and small batches are welcome; they're collected when a truck is already working nearby, which keeps the trip affordable for everyone.
Pickup questions
How far ahead do I need to book?
Send the request as soon as you know the reels are empty. Jobsite closeouts usually have a date; tell us it and we work back from it.
Can you pick up from a site with no forklift?
Yes for reels a crew can roll and lift, which usually means flanges up to about 42 in. Larger reels need a forklift, a dock or a truck with a liftgate or winch, so say "ground level, no forklift" in the request and we'll plan for it.
Do you pick up on weekends?
Tell us the site's hours. Many DFW jobsites and yards work Saturdays, and we fit the pickup to when someone can open the gate.
Request a pickup or a quote
Count and flange size are the two things that matter. The rest helps us plan the truck.