Spiral Gold Wheels v's Small High Banker

Just kicking an idea around about gold wheels v's highbakers

Now I think I know that a high banker will process much more paydirt in a given time than a gold wheel, but

I am 70 years old and no longer the silver back that I once was 8.( so weight becomes a major consideration)
It seems the average weight of a high banker is about 15kg's + pump another 10 kg's = fuel 4kg'z ( so somewhere around 40 kg's all up), fargetit, much to much weight for this little old black duck to lug around

Which brings us to a motorised gold wheel, fully self contained ( battery and motor ) and weighs about 15 kg.s ( I can lug that around)

If I went for the wheel and used this https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=541 for classification would it be a viable 1 person operation

cheers Keith

No opinions, or no-one has done this ?

I don't know exactly which product you are talking about but if it is the one I'm thinking of, then they are just used for refining the concentrates, not for general prospecting.
But I'm often wrong.
Can you give a link to the wheel you were thinking of?

Don't forget mate, you can always use a trolley to cart the crap around with, or perhaps conscript a grandson to help?

Occasional_panner said:

I don't know exactly which product you are talking about but if it is the one I'm thinking of, then they are just used for refining the concentrates, not for general prospecting.
But I'm often wrong.
Can you give a link to the wheel you were thinking of?

Click to expand...

http://luckydans.com.au/product/desert-fox-spiral-gold-panning-machine-variable-speed-camel-mining/

http://luckydans.com.au/product-category/spiral-machines/goldminer/

Occasional_panner said:

Don't forget mate, you can always use a trolley to cart the crap around with, or perhaps conscript a grandson to help?

Click to expand...

Grandson is only 8 and slightly autistic more worry about him getting lost or drowning 8.( 8.(

Yeah well even their own video tells you "to add a small amount of concentrates"
I don't think it's going to do what you want mate.

Look into a small banker and setting it up on a trolley, or just be happy with panning, or a sluice?

Maybe look into getting a prospecting mate to help with the lugging/digging/drinking.

Wow 15 kgs for a highbanker? Mate my largest 12 inch wide unit is 14kgs amd thats a beast. A small banker would be the go or a sluice with header unit and bilge pump.

The wheels are not primary recovery units youll do your back classifying and busting up clay before you feed mate.

See if you can knock something up like this mate you can shovel straight in self classifying.
[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/EwPZv1Y3dKg[/video]

I have a fox, and for +/- 30 mesh it is great, and could't pan it out that quick (and recover all the gold) as well as the fox.
but on the smaller stuff (-50/100 mesh) its not so good, takes a lot longer and more fiddling around with, right water flow/angle
you can't just put in 20 mesh and let it do its thing, it requires the different classifications for it to work at its prime.

A small 2000/2800 bilge pump and a small banker should be light ( about 5/7kg) its the battery that has the weight, but if you can mount it on you back, the weight isn't all that much.
the small banker or sluice would be the way to go. Or you will spend most of your day running your pay through screens.
hope this help a little.
Cheers Kane

I use a speed controller for the bilge, if you use a smaller banker you will save battery power by using this(if you don't need full power on the bilge)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/High-Qua...ller-/371541095053?hash=item568193328d&_uhb=1
BTW you can hook up two batteries in series (that's what I do) as it can handle 50v

I have a few second hand batteries from scooters that are still ok I'll give you a 40ah no charge to get the ball rolling.
That combined with the controller you should get 2+ hours, maybe 3 if using a smaller bilge, I run a 3700.

There are efficiency losses running a controller so if you need to run it near to full throttle then the losses from the controller make it less efficient than just hooking it straight to the battery, but if you are needing 0-75% throttle, you'll be conserving power.

Have a look at Angus MacKirk, they do make a highbanker. it is 20 lbs.
You could just add a header & pump to one of their stream sluices. Their stream sluices work well & are light. There is also a Bucket Grizzly to reduce classifying that could be purchased or the idea copied & incorporated into a sluice.

Barry

Food for thought, thanks for all the help and answers. I thought that just the wheel might be too good to be true for processing
cheers Keith

If you just want to crevice, it should be fine. Panning all day is hard even on a young back. But if you just want to scrape out some concentrates and process it, I'ld go the wheel.

If you just want to crevice, it should be fine. Panning all day is hard even on a young back. But if you just want to scrape out some concentrates and process it, I'ld go the wheel.