Pumps for a Highbanker - information and questions

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That's excellent..

So the foot valve is a Clacker or is that Cloaker valve?? :lol:

That's what I needed to hear about the pump though. I am going to order mine pretty soon I think so I can take the Banker out for its maiden voyage after the Anzac day weekend. Now just to finish the legs and get the hose and fittings.

I am getting pumped

Thanks for the replies,

Matt
 
slowflow said:
rubber valve in both my pumps retain the water well. A foot valve is not essential on these pumps.
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I think so.
There can be enough of an air bubble in the suction hose to stop it from pumping.
Each to their own though. LOL
I don't like burning out pump seals or stuffing around when you could be running. :)
 
Sorry if this is a stupid ? but why are you all talking about 2.5hp pumps when others run Highbankers on 12v bilge pumps at 8oo or 1200 gph.
only a newbie so forgive my ignorance is it because you are talking industrial sized mining or what.
 
ace2263 said:
Sorry if this is a stupid ? but why are you all talking about 2.5hp pumps when others run Highbankers on 12v bilge pumps at 8oo or 1200 gph.
only a newbie so forgive my ignorance is it because you are talking industrial sized mining or what.
Click to expand...

Never been a stupid question asked. Different size high bankers and different types of material require different flow rates. Some choose low flow for smaller bankers and material, others are high flow to process larger materials and/or clays, but almost exclusively what you are reading is the equipment used by everyday prospectors. Check out a few of the highbanker posts with videos attached for a sense of scale, most of the highbankers are portable, running the larger pumps can also be to lower the load placed on a pump, or pump water from long distances where water is scarce. Hope that clears it up. Try starting a new thread if you need more info after having a look around the site.
 
ace2263 said:
Sorry if this is a stupid ? but why are you all talking about 2.5hp pumps when others run Highbankers on 12v bilge pumps at 8oo or 1200 gph.
only a newbie so forgive my ignorance is it because you are talking industrial sized mining or what.
Click to expand...

Hi Ace,

Most 12v bilge systems I believe use really only gravity to settle the gold, ie...wash rocks....if there's gold...it should settle more quickly than anything else. The larger petrol pumps say 200lpm + add other dimensions to the catching the gold via "vortices"s created by the faster flow that "keeps the gold pushed down", enabling you to clear more dirt yet still leave the gold. A 2.5hp pump only weighs around 12kg ish so not that big, doesn't require a battery and is therefore highly portable and more effective than most bilges. Particularly in high "clay areas", one really needs to wash and break down the clay to liquefy the material. A petrol pump has this ability whereas a bilge does not...to really spray the material almost like a jet blaster to get the gold particles moving freely. That is why most of us use a petrol pump over a bilge......the bilge just cant work the dirt as well, at least none of the bilges i've used!
 
ace2263 said:
Sorry if this is a stupid ? but why are you all talking about 2.5hp pumps when others run Highbankers on 12v bilge pumps at 8oo or 1200 gph.
only a newbie so forgive my ignorance is it because you are talking industrial sized mining or what.
Click to expand...

Just to add to what Twapster said.

  • Bilge pumps aren't really designed to be run constantly for hours and hours. You can get some electric pumps that are designed for this purpose but they're usually more expensive.[/*]
  • Water pressure can decrease as the battery drains which is not ideal.[/*]
  • Bilge pumps are prone to surging (surges in water flow) which is known to wash gold out of the sluice / highbanker.[/*]
  • Bilge pumps require a deep cycle battery to run which weigh a lot and can be rather pricey.[/*]
  • Batteries require charging which means a charger is now required.[/*]

Those are just some of the things I took into consideration when I was looking at building a low flow recirculating highbanker. Ultimately I decided to foot the bill and go with a small 4-stroke pump and I'm glad that I did.
 
hi guys! i too am totally green to the high banker scene. i nearly brought a 12v 3000gph bildge pump the other day till i seen the prices of the deep cycle batteries. i was more attracted to this option because it may be more desecrate and quiet. maybe not now after reading all these posts. thanks so much for the great advise!
 
I find in certain situations that I either use one or the other.
if I can get close to the creek to wash pre classified material I will use the 2000gph bilde from a 12v 100amp battery, used for 6 hrs straight and had no worries at all.
The Honda WX15 is the ducks nuts for a standard banker and can push 30m head with pressure to break up the material.
By the way I was talking to a elderly neighbour this evening and we got talking gold. About a year ago I tested the bildge on the deep cycle and left it to run while I was out and Arn (the neighbour) was having a bit of a walk by my house and noticed the banker running nicely, he also said he noticed a five foot brown snake taking a interest in the cascading water from the sluice, now this was in the middle of summer and it sorta freaked me out a bit.
He reckons it was interested in the water as browns usually love the water. the next door neighbour confirmed this as a big brown was seen around about the same time.
But back to the subject, both are pretty good for the right application.
Cheers
Brad....
 
The Honda 2.2 fitted with a Aussie QP-105SX or QP-154SX pump works just as well as the Honda WX15 pump. And around $150 cheaper or there about depending on the dealer.
 
PipeclayJim said:
The Honda 2.2 fitted with a Aussie QP-105SX or QP-154SX pump works just as well as the Honda WX15 pump. And around $150 cheaper or there about depending on the dealer.
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Do you know what sort of weight is in the Honda 2.2 / QP combo? just curious.
 
Probably be fine, they run Honda motors.
I doubt they will be much cheaper than the full Honda equivalent though. (WX15, WX10 etc)
 
General rule with high banker pumps is high pressure pumps will be more suited than Transfer pumps. Of the 3 you have shown the first is far too heavy and you don't need the flow rate it produces.

The last one is more of a transfer pump than a pressure pump and would still work for the banker but again 3"outlet and 1000l/m is not needed and requires bushing down to around 1 1/2 " for the average spray system depending on what system you use.

The middle one would be my choice of the three and is both the lightest with plenty of water delivery for the average banker.

Cheers Wal.
 
This has probably been thrashed before but!

My Highbanker is pretty much ready for a pump and was wondering what is the cheapest budget pump that does minimum of 180 litres a minute, is 1.5 inch and is at 20 meters head. Much help appreciated. Thanks. Oh and where can I get some layflat hoses that have camlocks already fitted? :)
 
I liked slowflo's Rato pump up at Eldorado - from memory the guy was doing pump and hose deals back before Christmas that were very reasonable - might be worth a look.

I got mine closer to home; found the real places selling on ebay and saved the postage and 10% commission they pay to ebay by buying in person.
 

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