Anyone with experience on the Keene 160?

[SaltwaterServr]

Howdy folks, first post here to the best of my knowledge.

I just picked up a Keene 160 drywasher. As best as I can tell, it's the 140 dustless, slightly sized down. Keene says it can still handle 3/4 yard per hour which is on par with the 140.

Anyone have any experience with it? I'm not getting nearly as much black sand with it as I was with running a recycling sluice box. I ran it with the blast gate wide open, and half open, and only a little difference with the black sand in running the same batch through twice.

For air power I'm running a Husqvarna 125B which is pushing 425cfm. The shop I bought the 160 from said to run it (the blower) full throttle with the blast gate half open.

I'm calling Keene in the morning for advice, but for right now the 160 seems like a gimmick to me. I should've gone with the tried and true 140s.

Anyone with similar/different experiences?

 

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[SaltwaterServr]

I spoke with either Mark or Pat Keene this afternoon about the 160. I was doing several things wrong.

First, I had assumed you would level the unit and the riffle tray would naturally be in the correct orientation. I was told that was incorrect. The unit should be leveled so that there's about an inch drop for the entire run of the riffle tray.

Second, I'm running entirely too much air through. I was told to run about 1/2 throttle to get the necessary vibration without blowing the black sand and gold out into the tailings.

Third, I was told to run the blast gate wide open and adjust down as needed.

I tried all three suggestions tonight on the dirt I had already run and ended up with several flakes and a piece of wire gold as well.

I'm headed out Wednesday to give her a real work out and see what comes up shiny and yellow.

I did manage to find a black garnet in the riffle tray tonight too.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Ran some buckets I had left over tonight after doing some more tuning and tinkering with the 160. I ran the blower at maybe 1/4 power with the blast gate wide open. It was enough to get good vibration and the dirt was 'bubbling' over the riffles. After 20 gallons of dirt, I did a clean out and came away with a single speck of gold.

Needless to say I wasn't amused.

Because I had bucketed the tailings, I went ahead and ran them all through a recycling sluice. After the clean out I found 3 just this side of not microscopic gold. Stuff that doesn't even qualify as flour gold.

The dang machine works and works pretty dang good.

 

[DizzyDigger]

I got to do some drywashing in Calif. a couple years back,
and sure enjoyed it. I was running a smaller Royal, and
there were 2 in the group running the Keene 140's.

The noise from the blower's drove me nuts though, so
if I ever were to get a drywasher it'd probably be a 12V
Puffer.