The Rocker Box Goes to the River

[IdahoJake]

So, my brothers and I went out on the Clearwater River in North Central Idaho with my new homemade Rocker Box. It was cold!...But, we found some gold!

My brother Pat made some observations and suggested a few, very innovative, things that I could do to modify the Rocker Box to help it perform better. I show the changes in the last part of the video...and, they were very good changes. I plan on taking it back out tomorrow for another run.

 

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[DizzyDigger]

Nice design Jake! I like how the action of rocking also
operates the manual water pump at the same time. Very
creative work.

 

[Jimmydolittle]

I have a pump like that, may have to build me one similar to that one. Nice.

 

[IdahoJake]

Nice design Jake! I like how the action of rocking also
operates the manual water pump at the same time. Very
creative work.

Thanks Dizzy. I wish I could claim the idea...but, I can't. I saw a Rocker Box for sale which used this concept and thought I could build one myself. I had all the parts (except the pump: $39; and the Vortex matting: $15). So, I have about $60 invested...and a whole lot of fun in making it.

 

[Oakview2]

You forgot the moneyshot, THE GOLD.,,,, good health and good hunting.

 

[deserdog]

My rocker box had a canvas apron, which caught 90% of the gold. It was fun to use.

 

[Goodyguy]

Liked the mods, and vortex is the perfect choice for the mat

GG~

 

[IdahoJake]

Liked the mods, and vortex is the perfect choice for the mat

GG~

Thanks GG. It caught a lot of fine gold in our test run. I like it much better than carpet.

 

[IdahoJake]

You forgot the moneyshot, THE GOLD.,,,, good health and good hunting.

I know...shame on me! I hate it when others do that, and then I do it.


Actually, my brother is panning the cons. I'll post the pic when he's done. Thanks.

 

[Underburden]

Rock On John !
Good idea with mounting the spray bar pipe to the box itself. I just checked the blue hose between the pump and the 90 degree fitting on my rocker and it seems pretty stiff. Did you experience any difficulties with your hose in that setup?
Mine is sitting in a cold garage so maybe in normal temps it wouldn't seem so stiff.
Did you affix the blue hose with a hose clamp or a quick disconnect? I like to haul my rocker in pieces so a quick disconnect would be mandatory in my situation.
Say, where did you get the idea for that spray head? Must have been from a clever old miner, huh?
Last time I took my rocker to the Clearwater, (prior to the big freeze) I was able to accumulate 1.2 grams.
Really hoping the weather warms up next month as I got cabin fever something fierce.
Here's a money shot from Mother Nature's Sluicebox before the big freeze.

Bob

 

[IdahoJake]

Rock On John !
Good idea with mounting the spray bar pipe to the box itself. I just checked the blue hose between the pump and the 90 degree fitting on my rocker and it seems pretty stiff. Did you experience any difficulties with your hose in that setup?
Mine is sitting in a cold garage so maybe in normal temps it wouldn't seem so stiff.
Did you affix the blue hose with a hose clamp or a quick disconnect? I like to haul my rocker in pieces so a quick disconnect would be mandatory in my situation.
Say, where did you get the idea for that spray head? Must have been from a clever old miner, huh?
Last time I took my rocker to the Clearwater, (prior to the big freeze) I was able to accumulate 1.2 grams.
Really hoping the weather warms up next month as I got cabin fever something fierce.
Here's a money shot from Mother Nature's Sluicebox before the big freeze.

Bob
View attachment 917752

Bob,

The guy who came up with that sprayer head design is a genius!

The blue spa hose that I'm using works great. I attach it to the elbow fitting on the head box with a clamp. The other end hooks to the pump. It fits fairly snug, so I'm not using a clamp. I attach this end for easy transport. I strap everything to the framework and pack it in and out all together. Weighs about 30#.

Looking forward to the warmer weather also. See ya soon!

John

 

[IdahoJake]

Well, my boss let me have half the day off today, so I took advantage of it and the nice weather and took the rocker box out on the river again to test the new sprayer set up. It works awesome. All of the water sprays into the classifier and washes the rocks a lot quicker and more efficiently.

Next project: I've added a check valve at the intake so that the water doesn't drain out between shovel fulls. Testing it tomorrow.

 

[Jeff95531]

I love it when a plan comes together, especially in my home state. This is really a piece of equipment that impresses me. I'm in the process of dialing in my own latest creation...much more traditional though. Please keep us posted!