What pump for a 10" highbanker?

[Intensify]

Hello i am fairly new to gold prospecting and have been out a few times panning the whole day. Having some mixed success which i am slowly getting better results.
I have made my own highbanker and have done a bit of research into what i need for a water pump but just confirming what i have found.

Highbanker info:
~10" / 250mm wide
~1500mm long
Miners moss (has solid backing)
Expanded mesh covering the whole length
About 5 riffles covering the first 600mm, the first 2 are larger than the last 3, about 25mm tall to 15mm tall.
The matting setup can be changed for something else (like dream matt) of course but it is a basic low cost setup as i am just getting started. There are a few changes i would like to make to the setup but we will leave that to modifications later (like: Jarvine Riffle, miners moss/ expanded mesh in the top hopper, matt to cover the water to stop bubbles).
I am wondering what water pump would be good for a 10" highbanker?
I have found these to be possibly suitable/ recommended
Thornado 79cc: https://thornado.com.au/product/tho...water-pump-2hp-4-stroke-ohv-gold-prospecting/
Honda wx15: https://justwaterpumps.com.au/honda-wx15-1-5-inch-transfer-pump-flow-240-lpm/
I looked a little into electric bilge pumps but even a 4700gph seemed unfeasible to carry enough battery's/ cost for it even with Li-on's.

The thornado seems to come highly recommended but i am unsure if it has enough output to feed a 10" high banker?
The honda is very expensive but you get what you pay for here, better performance, lighter weight, reliability.
Are there any other pumps worth looking at that are able to feed the 10" high banker and are light weight? The bigger units (gx160 clone size) i think will be to heavy for me to transport into the bush decent distances, i havent found much other than these 2.

 

[Simmo]

Welcome to PA mate.
May I ask where you intend to use the High banker?

 

[user 4485]

Hello i am fairly new to gold prospecting and have been out a few times panning the whole day. Having some mixed success which i am slowly getting better results.
I have made my own highbanker and have done a bit of research into what i need for a water pump but just confirming what i have found.

Highbanker info:
~10" / 250mm wide
~1500mm long
Miners moss (has solid backing)
Expanded mesh covering the whole length
About 5 riffles covering the first 600mm, the first 2 are larger than the last 3, about 25mm tall to 15mm tall.
The matting setup can be changed for something else (like dream matt) of course but it is a basic low cost setup as i am just getting started. There are a few changes i would like to make to the setup but we will leave that to modifications later (like: Jarvine Riffle, miners moss/ expanded mesh in the top hopper, matt to cover the water to stop bubbles).
I am wondering what water pump would be good for a 10" highbanker?
I have found these to be possibly suitable/ recommended
Thornado 79cc: https://thornado.com.au/product/tho...water-pump-2hp-4-stroke-ohv-gold-prospecting/
Honda wx15: https://justwaterpumps.com.au/honda-wx15-1-5-inch-transfer-pump-flow-240-lpm/
I looked a little into electric bilge pumps but even a 4700gph seemed unfeasible to carry enough battery's/ cost for it even with Li-on's.

The thornado seems to come highly recommended but i am unsure if it has enough output to feed a 10" high banker?
The honda is very expensive but you get what you pay for here, better performance, lighter weight, reliability.
Are there any other pumps worth looking at that are able to feed the 10" high banker and are light weight? The bigger units (gx160 clone size) i think will be to heavy for me to transport into the bush decent distances, i havent found much other than these 2.

Assume your highbanking in Victoria (some states like NSW & QLD don't permit the use of water pumps).

The Thornado is rated at 233 LPM (litres/minute)
Max lift head 16m
Max suction depth 6m
Weight 14kg
12 months warranty

The Honda at 240 LPM (litres/minute).
Max total head 40m
Max suction head 8m
Weight 10kg
4 years warranty

Money wise I'd go with the Honda if I could afford it but have seen a lot of people happy with the Tornado at a cheaper entry price.

Wise words from Wal:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...ker-information-and-questions.8476/#post-6440

 

[Intensify]

Welcome to PA mate.
May I ask where you intend to use the High banker?

I am in victoria Ballarat is about 1hr drive away which isn't to bad. Do you need a gps pin of my top secret spot?

 

[Intensify]

Assume your highbanking in Victoria (some states like NSW & QLD don't permit the use of water pumps).

The Thornado is rated at 233 LPM (litres/minute)
Max lift head 16m
Max suction depth 6m
Weight 14kg
12 months warranty

The Honda at 240 LPM (litres/minute).
Max total head 40m
Max suction head 8m
Weight 10kg
4 years warranty

Money wise I'd go with the Honda if I could afford it but have seen a lot of people happy with the Tornado at a cheaper entry price.

Wise words from Wal:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...ker-information-and-questions.8476/#post-6440

Just stumbled across these
https://predatorpower.com.au/zs-products/zs-water-pumps/
The 2" and 1.5" 5hp are only 16kg and spec wise have plenty of flow. Weight wise is only a little more than the units above. 2 year warranty as well seems decent. Obviously a chinese clone of some sort any one know anything of these?

 

[grubstake]

I am in victoria Ballarat is about 1hr drive away which isn't to bad. Do you need a gps pin of my top secret spot?

Simmo's just wanting to make sure you'll be operating without falling foul of mining regulations - NSW and Queensland aren't as tolerant as Victoria.

 

[kev205]

I made a small dry blower approx 250x1500 and made it to have a front wheel and removable handles so it is like a wheel barrow when I want to move around. I just put all the other "stuff" like pans and classifiers on it and wheel away

 

[Jazza]

Hello i am fairly new to gold prospecting and have been out a few times panning the whole day. Having some mixed success which i am slowly getting better results.
I have made my own highbanker and have done a bit of research into what i need for a water pump but just confirming what i have found.

Highbanker info:
~10" / 250mm wide
~1500mm long
Miners moss (has solid backing)
Expanded mesh covering the whole length
About 5 riffles covering the first 600mm, the first 2 are larger than the last 3, about 25mm tall to 15mm tall.
The matting setup can be changed for something else (like dream matt) of course but it is a basic low cost setup as i am just getting started. There are a few changes i would like to make to the setup but we will leave that to modifications later (like: Jarvine Riffle, miners moss/ expanded mesh in the top hopper, matt to cover the water to stop bubbles).
I am wondering what water pump would be good for a 10" highbanker?
I have found these to be possibly suitable/ recommended
Thornado 79cc: https://thornado.com.au/product/tho...water-pump-2hp-4-stroke-ohv-gold-prospecting/
Honda wx15: https://justwaterpumps.com.au/honda-wx15-1-5-inch-transfer-pump-flow-240-lpm/
I looked a little into electric bilge pumps but even a 4700gph seemed unfeasible to carry enough battery's/ cost for it even with Li-on's.

The thornado seems to come highly recommended but i am unsure if it has enough output to feed a 10" high banker?
The honda is very expensive but you get what you pay for here, better performance, lighter weight, reliability.
Are there any other pumps worth looking at that are able to feed the 10" high banker and are light weight? The bigger units (gx160 clone size) i think will be to heavy for me to transport into the bush decent distances, i havent found much other than these 2.

G’day mate,

I have 2 pumps I run with my 10” highbanker, a Honda petrol pump for the easy to get to spots accessible by four-wheel-drive and seaflo bilge pump 3500gph which is my go to when I need to hike through the bush. I run the bilge pump on a slimline 60 amp hour battery.
When it comes to pumps, my two cents for what it’s worth is. It’s definitely worth saving a little bit longer if need be and buying a decent pump rather than something it’s going to break or not give you the flow you require for your spray bars!
Good luck mate!

 

[Intensify]

G’day mate,

I have 2 pumps I run with my 10” highbanker, a Honda petrol pump for the easy to get to spots accessible by four-wheel-drive and seaflo bilge pump 3500gph which is my go to when I need to hike through the bush. I run the bilge pump on a slimline 60 amp hour battery.
When it comes to pumps, my two cents for what it’s worth is. It’s definitely worth saving a little bit longer if need be and buying a decent pump rather than something it’s going to break or not give you the flow you require for your spray bars!
Good luck mate!

Ty for the info the bilge pump setup is interesting indeed. How long will that run for on a 60ah battery?

I got a thornado 79cc 2hp its far to cheap and recommended by most. It runs around 40% throttle and has a nice tone to it that isn't high pitch ir anoying. I like to run the setup a little hot on about 11-12° (use phone app to set). I can't beleive how good this DIY highbanker is working. Its been through some modifications up to version 3.0 right now all ready and its looking to be a absolute beast. Mostly tweeking the hopper to auto feed/ self clear better with little to no interaction from the user.
Photo is of latest updates. Video was a earlier setup and changes been made to fix the issues.

 

[Jazza]

Ty for the info the bilge pump setup is interesting indeed. How long will that run for on a 60ah battery?

I got a thornado 79cc 2hp its far to cheap and recommended by most. It runs around 40% throttle and has a nice tone to it that isn't high pitch ir anoying. I like to run the setup a little hot on about 11-12° (use phone app to set). I can't beleive how good this DIY highbanker is working. Its been through some modifications up to version 3.0 right now all ready and its looking to be a absolute beast. Mostly tweeking the hopper to auto feed/ self clear better with little to no interaction from the user.
Photo is of latest updates. Video was a earlier setup and changes been made to fix the issues.

That’s a great build mate, how heavy is that pump?
I get close to 2hrs run time out of my 60ah battery & whenever I find good ground & think I’ll want longer I take a solar panel and she’ll run all day.

 

[Eski]

https://predatorpower.com.au/product/1-5-fire-pump-single-impeller-mini-carbide-seal-hg15-lc/
this one would be the business but cannot for life of understand why it is 26kg...

 

[Grey Panner]

That’s a great build mate, how heavy is that pump?
I get close to 2hrs run time out of my 60ah battery & whenever I find good ground & think I’ll want longer I take a solar panel and she’ll run all day.

I'm with Jazza. I can run two substantial bilge pumps all day using small 12 volt batteries fed by a solar panel.
Each pump runs a separate circuit, one spraying the paydirt from above and one keeping a constant flood running down the bed of the sluice box.
I hand sieve the dirt to reduce the bulk before feeding it in with a hand trowel.
On dull days or when having to work in the shade, I use a hand operated bailer, made from a plastic 3 litre milk container. On the Tanami I have to carry the water in jerry cans and recirculate it. Keeping the filters clean is a constant job. On some days I get through six cans of water so a substantial vehicle is required as is a camp, within 30km or so, with access to a good water supply.
It is definitely a small scale operation. The word "primitive" springs to mind, but it is very effective.
A WA mining inspector whose advice as to legality I requested was sufficiently interested to contact the Chief Mining Warden in Perth to get permission for me to demonstrate its effectiveness. He claimed that the results obtained were of commercial quality. I had to point out that all the easily worked ground had been worked over with heavy plant years ago and that I was scavenging the crevices for the left-overs so that large scale operation was not possible. I received permission to keep on working the rig.
I find that most mining inspectors are co-operative once they find that you are law-abiding , have a Miner's Right, permission from the mining lease holder and the pastoral lease holder and are on friendly terms with the local Aboriginese.
Unfortunately, with increasing age and decreasing health my doctor has forbidden any more safaris into unsettled areas and my Tanami days are over.