Yabby pump attachment for loaming and crevicing

Made an attachment for my yabby pump whilst I was in Bunnings yesterday. Got a few odd looks from the plumbing folk in the store as I grabbed various bit and pieces and put them together to see what would work. I was running back and forth between the various bins of plumbing parts trying this and that as I went. In the end I had something that resembled a large pistol so I got more odd looks from the plumbing folk. In the end curiosity got the better of one of the staff and he asked me what I was making as he said it looked like some sort of breather. I said it was for my yabby pump and he said oh I don't know anything about fishing and left. It was also a nightmare for the checkout lady as she tried to scan all the bar codes off the completed device. . I finished it off when I got home by cutting the long pipe in two to make two nozzles for it with a 45 degree angle on the end of each.

I wanted to achieve two things with this attachment:
1) I wanted to have a better way of sampling as I had seen the gold getting dropped out the end of the unmodified yabby pump before I could get it to the pan so I needed to add a trap to catch the heavy material; and
2) I wanted a better way to fill buckets whilst crevicing that didn't involve bending down too much as I have a lower back problem.

I think I have achieved those goals but only time will tell as I am yet to test this in a creek bed.

Here is the short nozzle version for loaming with the small sampling pot attached. The sampling pot can be extended if needed but I just wanted to collect enough to fill a loaming pan. The pot has a strainer on the end so I am not collecting the water just the heavies. Once full the sampling pot can be removed and tipped into the pan.





Once a likely spot is identified the sampling pot can be swapped out and a longer nozzle attached. This Long nozzle version is for crevicing and has a hose and bucket attached instead of the sampling pot.

The hose is attached to the lid to allow for swapping out buckets once they are full. The hose tends to tip the bucket over so I will have to put a large rock or water in the bottom when I set it up. I use the buckets handle to keep the lid in place.

I wanted to reuse the hose off my Highbankers pump as I figure I won't be running both at the same time so I had to add a few reducers from the 50mm pipe to get down to the 32mm required for the hose attachment. I may end up getting another hose if I find I do want to run both together.











Once I test this out in the field I will let you know how it goes.

I have the same sort of hose on the in take of my pump for my highbanker. It is corrugated on the inside. I hope a few shakes and pumps while the hose is laying flat happen so the gold doesn't get stuck in the low spots.

Hay Gcause,
Do you have any check valves in your rig?
I have been thinking of building one myself very similar but I think to get a positive one way flow to the bucket you will need 2 check valves in there somewhere.
These are the same valves used in the Gold-N-Sand sucker I think, but the freight is the killer.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/140990707296?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

These are a lot cheaper but I'm not sure if they are able to be disassembled in case of blockage.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331047157064?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Cheers
Mick

Hey Gcause the mod looks absolutely brilliant.
Look forward to see how it goes !!

Thanks guys.

Mick you may be right there is no check valve in there but I am hoping the 45 degree angle on the Y piece will be enough to grab the heavies with the yabby pump action providing sufficient pressure to drive it into the bucket. Only time will tell I will let you know how it goes.

Bunnings does sell those check valves I saw them yesterday.

Nice build gcause.
Well thought out.
Hope it works well for ya.

gcause said:

Thanks guys.

Mick you may be right there is no check valve in there but I am hoping the 45 degree angle on the Y piece will be enough to grab the heavies with the yabby pump action providing sufficient pressure to drive it into the bucket. Only time will tell I will let you know how it goes.

Bunnings does sell those check valves I saw them yesterday.

Click to expand...

Which check valves do bunnings have? All I have seen there are the huge white polly ones.

Hey Mick here's the ones I saw they have a spring inside them with a flap attached.

http://www.bunnings.com.au/holman-20mm-in-line-check-valve-_p4790027

Looks great but I think you will need the check valves to stop material escaping back out the nozzle on the empty stroke & also stop material from being sucked back up your hose attachment on the fill stroke.
It may work ok but the check valves would make it far more efficient both for obtaining the material & also directing it into your hose/bucket attachment. The check valves could be made with some insertion rubber & fittings to make a simple flap type check valve that is set in the opposite direction depending on inlet or outlet. This is something I have been meaning to play around with as I have one from the US with the hose/bucket attachment that has these type of flapper check valves. I was going to play around with making some up as spares but haven't used it enough to wear them out yet. When I have used it worked well but you would end up with an arm like popeye if you were to use it all day :lol:

mbasko said:

Looks great but I think you will need the check valves to stop material escaping back out the nozzle on the empty stroke & also stop material from being sucked back up your hose attachment on the fill stroke.
It may work ok but the check valves would make it far more efficient both for obtaining the material & also directing it into your hose/bucket attachment.

Click to expand...

Hey mbasko you may be right but I figured since gold is 19.3 times heavier than the equivalent water volume which would be going into the yabby pump along with the materials that it would fall out of solution into the trap and I would rely on gravity to do the work for me as when I am standing the hose is always higher than the bucket.

I am only trying to capture the heavies so I don't mind the lighter stuff going back out on the empty stroke as I am using it as a way of classifying the materials. The first level of classification is the nozzle as I have gone from 50mm on the opening of the yabby pump down to 20mm. The second level of classification is the gravity trap for the heavies. The third level is done by my Highbanker.

It's a prototype so we will have to wait to see if there is drawback on the fill stroke I am sure there would be some but I am hoping the material will be far enough down the hose that it won't matter. I think drawback is going to be more of a concern when I am using the short nozzle and the sampling pot but again I am hoping gravity will do its thing for me there.

I will let you know how I go, hoping to get a chance to try it out in a creek bed on the weekend.

Great job Gcause, you should have looked at my one. has a list of parts you need...

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1101

Down load and print the PDF and your on your way.. I do like the hose extension, I have done a similar thing with mine..

Good luck with it. very good for getting to the bottom of deep crevices and holes..

Cheers, Tone

Hey Tone, thanks for the link, that is a really nice build.

I took the lazy way out as I already had a yabby pump I use for loaming

The yabby pump cost $30 from a fishing / bait supply store and I have added about $50 in new plumbing parts so it's still cheaper than importing one of those American made gold sucker sticks. That is assuming it works though

Danielkrupski said:

I have the same sort of hose on the in take of my pump for my highbanker. It is corrugated on the inside. I hope a few shakes and pumps while the hose is laying flat happen so the gold doesn't get stuck in the low spots.

Click to expand...

this sort of hose isn't corrugated its high pressure intake hose, it has wire wrapped inside the rubber with a smooth finish it wouldn't hold gold.

gcause said:

Thanks guys.

Mick you may be right there is no check valve in there but I am hoping the 45 degree angle on the Y piece will be enough to grab the heavies with the yabby pump action providing sufficient pressure to drive it into the bucket. Only time will tell I will let you know how it goes.

Bunnings does sell those check valves I saw them yesterday.

Click to expand...

its a great build mate and good use of another tool which barely gets used (yabby pump) I made a similar setup my best adize i can give you is drill a very small whole inside your pickup tube abd place a nail small screw though because the flat rocks can get rally jammed in there when your poking around. goog luck on the colour mate

gcause said:

Hey Tone, thanks for the link, that is a really nice build.

I took the lazy way out as I already had a yabby pump I use for loaming

The yabby pump cost $30 from a fishing / bait supply store and I have added about $50 in new plumbing parts so it's still cheaper than importing one of those American made gold sucker sticks. That is assuming it works though

Click to expand...

Hey Grant
Mate I really don't get how you can you a yabby pump for loaming???
Can you explain what you do?? true "Loaming" involves scraping the surface, digging a pothole & collecting the dirt from said hole to pan out.
Interested to see what your doing.
cheers
Lee

G0lddigg@ said:

I made a similar setup my best adize i can give you is drill a very small whole inside your pickup tube abd place a nail small screw though because the flat rocks can get rally jammed in there when your poking around. goog luck on the colour mate

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Golddigg will see how it goes out in the field, it's all press fitted together no glue so I can tear down and reassemble it quickly if needed.

rc62burke said:

Hey Grant
Mate I really don't get how you can you a yabby pump for loaming???
Can you explain what you do?? true "Loaming" involves scraping the surface, digging a pothole & collecting the dirt from said hole to pan out.
Interested to see what your doing.
cheers
Lee

Click to expand...

Hey Lee, my form of loaming with the yabby pump is different and is only useful in creek beds where water is present.

I walk the creek and take three samples at each spot, one from the left side, one from the middle of the creek bed (usually on the back of any large rocks present) and one from the right side. I take the sample with the yabby pump as it gets me down to the bedrock and put it straight into the pan. I pan each of these samples then and there and count the colours if any. I then move on a few metres and repeat the process until I have fully investigated the area I am interested in and hopefully found a patch to set up the Highbanker on.

I made this attachment for the yabby pump as one day I noticed when I did find gold some of it was dropping out before I could get it into the pan. I was lucky it landed on a rock and I saw the glint so I was able to collect it.

Most of the creeks I go to are shallow and are more seasonal creeks so don't have water in them all year so when they do I take the opportunity to investigate them as the ground is usually a hard conglomerate of clay and rock. To give you an idea of how shallow they are I only wear gumboots and they don't ever get over my boots. Some dry out really quickly so only have pools of water left along their course so I use these.

The rest of the year I use the loaming method you mentioned but it can be back breaking work which is why I prefer to wait for the water to come and soften the ground. I'm just a lazy old git

gcause said:

rc62burke said:

Hey Grant
Mate I really don't get how you can you a yabby pump for loaming???
Can you explain what you do?? true "Loaming" involves scraping the surface, digging a pothole & collecting the dirt from said hole to pan out.
Interested to see what your doing.
cheers
Lee

Click to expand...

Hey Lee, my form of loaming with the yabby pump is different and is only useful in creek beds where water is present.

I walk the creek and take three samples at each spot, one from the left side, one from the middle of the creek bed (usually on the back of any large rocks present) and one from the right side. I take the sample with the yabby pump as it gets me down to the bedrock and put it straight into the pan. I pan each of these samples then and there and count the colours if any. I then move on a few metres and repeat the process until I have fully investigated the area I am interested in and hopefully found a patch to set up the Highbanker on.

I made this attachment for the yabby pump as one day I noticed when I did find gold some of it was dropping out before I could get it into the pan. I was lucky it landed on a rock and I saw the glint so I was able to collect it.

Most of the creeks I go to are shallow and are more seasonal creeks so don't have water in them all year so when they do I take the opportunity to investigate them as the ground is usually a hard conglomerate of clay and rock. To give you an idea of how shallow they are I only wear gumboots and they don't ever get over my boots. Some dry out really quickly so only have pools of water left along their course so I use these.

The rest of the year I use the loaming method you mentioned but it can be back breaking work which is why I prefer to wait for the water to come and soften the ground. I'm just a lazy old git

Click to expand...

Hi Grant
Mate no offence intended here,
In recent times on a number of "Forums" there has been a discussion on "Loaming", I feel that there a many people using this term incorrectly.
The method you mentioned above is not true "Loaming" what you are doing is "Stream Sediment Sampling" or "Alluvial" sampling as it is focused on determining the "Gold Values in the Alluvium".

True "Loaming" is conducted external to the boundaries to any creek, on the slopes the aim of "Loaming" is to determine the location of "Gold" shedding down a slope (steep or flat) & to follow the gold till it leads you to the point where it is shedding out of the ground there for finding the "Source" or gold deposit/ reef.

In my opinion these 2 terms should be used in the correct context to help newbies understand what is being done.
Yes Grant "Loaming" is bloody hard work but the rewards are great.

Once again please don't take offence as none is intended, I felt I needed to make this point.

BTW I think you will definitely require the check valves.
cheers
Lee

mbasko said:

Looks great but I think you will need the check valves to stop material escaping back out the nozzle on the empty stroke & also stop material from being sucked back up your hose attachment on the fill stroke.
It may work ok but the check valves would make it far more efficient both for obtaining the material & also directing it into your hose/bucket attachment. The check valves could be made with some insertion rubber & fittings to make a simple flap type check valve that is set in the opposite direction depending on inlet or outlet. This is something I have been meaning to play around with as I have one from the US with the hose/bucket attachment that has these type of flapper check valves. I was going to play around with making some up as spares but haven't used it enough to wear them out yet. When I have used it worked well but you would end up with an arm like popeye if you were to use it all day :lol:

Click to expand...

Hay Mbasco,
I think you said some time ago you have a gold n sand sucker, is that what you have?
I think you posted some pics of the valve but they were very blurry from memory.
Are these the same valves as on your sucker? if they are I think I'll order a couple, au$42.20 delivered.



Cheers
Mick

rc62burke said:

Hi Grant
Mate no offence intended here,
In recent times on a number of "Forums" there has been a discussion on "Loaming", I feel that there a many people using this term incorrectly.
Once again please don't take offence as none is intended, I felt I needed to make this point.
BTW I think you will definitely require the check valves.
cheers
Lee

Click to expand...

Hey Lee no offence taken mate to each his own life's too short to worry about that sort of thing and I appreciate your insight and advice.