Question for Highbanker Users

[BetPlacer]

I'm researching to put together my very first river sluicing outfit. My intention is to go out with shovels and buckets to the Colorado Mountains. I'm currently looking at this unit:

http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/inc/sdetail/highbanker_with_pump___free_shipping_/32796/32721

It's turnkey with the pump and hoses and all, but I feel like I could assemble one for a lot less money. They want $1K USD for this one including a 5.5 hp pump. I feel like this unit is nailing me with an overpriced off brand pump.

Just curious what everyone else is using, and how much you spent on the box, pump, and hoses putting it together.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[HeadsUp]

Cant see what the grizzly is made from. (The mesh in the top feeder box) It could be parallel bars or perforated mesh but whatever they used its better to have interchangeable hole sizes for different areas.
I think you should make one that has a bigger area of grizzly anyway , mine have 2 feet long x 1 foot wide grizzly so you can keep shovelling into the box and adjust the slope to change how fast the rocks and gravel discharge themselves , lay it down flatter if you have lots of clay to break down.

It looks to be Hungarian riffles over nomad mat which will catch coarse gold . (Anything will) little bit old tech IMO , many sluice systems catch the coarse gold but could be losing 50 - 90 % of the fine and superfine gold , there are other systems that also catch superfine gold successfully too .

For a kit with that Chinese pump it wouldnt attract my dollar.

The suction hose strainer is too small , it would block up.

did You compare it to other units ?

What do you do up that way for protection from the grizzly population?

 

[BetPlacer]

Cant see what the grizzly is made from. (The mesh in the top feeder box) It could be parallel bars or perforated mesh but whatever they used its better to have interchangeable hole sizes for different areas.
I think you should make one that has a bigger area of grizzly anyway , mine have 2 feet long x 1 foot wide grizzly so you can keep shovelling into the box and adjust the slope to change how fast the rocks and gravel discharge themselves , lay it down flatter if you have lots of clay to break down.

It looks to be Hungarian riffles over nomad mat which will catch coarse gold . (Anything will) little bit old tech IMO , many sluice systems catch the coarse gold but could be losing 50 - 90 % of the fine and superfine gold , there are other systems that also catch superfine gold successfully too .

Some really good thoughts here. Do you know of any systems that have interchangeable grizzly's depending on conditions? Also I would seek a riffle system that could catch the super fines, all the way up to a couple gram nuggets. I'm assuming that will require a longer sluice where the nuggs are mostly caught at the head and the fines are closer to the discharge end. Otherwise I would always inspect my grizzly tailings for larger nuggets at the end of a run with a detector or even just visually.

Here is a better shot of that riffle system.

http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/...h_wide_equipment_sluice_and_stand/32796/32714

For a kit with that Chinese pump it wouldnt attract my dollar.

My EXACT THOUGHT! I think I'm going to have to piece it together. Ultimately I want to be able to control my pressures and sprays. The thing I want to avoid is getting too powerful or too weak of pump, or one that easily breaks down. Durable in any weather too. In my experience that points to Honda, unless you have another suggestion.

The suction hose strainer is too small , it would block up.

Any tricks for a DIY strainer or a commercial one that will ALWAYS do the trick?

did You compare it to other units ?

Have yet to ever use anything, so I have nothing to compare to. I know I'm going to have a little trial and error in the beginning, but I'm doing as much research as I can in the beginning to hopefully get it right the first time.

What do you do up that way for protection from the grizzly population?

357 Magnum Revolver.

 

[7.62marksman]

Have a look at this one
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1115

 

[BetPlacer]

Have a look at this one
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1115

Nice DIY. It's not quit what I envision though. This one seems likes it's more for fines, or even further classifying more silty gravels. I'm looking for something that can handle rougher and larger river rock. Something with a top hopper that washes and has grizzly's to sluff larger rock out the side or back.