Disabled Veteran - Advice on carrying cons out, please help!

[Fossil4Life]

Today, my wife and I went on our first gold prospecting outing at a privately owned creek known for producing gold. Everything went well, until it was time to pack up and leave. Our concentrate (sized to 1/4" via a HogPan) filled a 5-gallon bucket to just over 3/4 full. I would guess that the bucket weighed 60-70 pounds.

I am a disabled veteran, and I have degenerative disc disease in my lower back (aircraft mechanic in the USAF) and it took everything I had to carry that 5-gallon bucket of concentrate out. I know that going forward, I will not be able to physically do that again. The mind and will are strong, the body not so much.

Anyhow, I'm looking for advice and tips on what I can do to carry out our concentrate in the future without so much effort. I know many here will say to classify out on the water, and I agree with that to some extent, but I want to spend time on the water gathering concentrate, not classifying it. Also, I'm looking to recover as much gold as efficiently and effectively as I can, and I want to do that with a Miller table at home.

I've seen some carts with wheels that fit a 5-gallon bucket, but that is simply not feasible when trekking through rock strewn creek beds and forging your own path through overgrowth. The only solution I've been able to come up with is an ALICE type backpack with a garbage bag lined inside of it that the concentrate can be emptied into.

I figure that carrying concentrate via a backpack has got to be easier than dead lifting 60-70 pounds of concentrate in a 5-gallon bucket via a handle. I'm up for better ideas though, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

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[allen_idaho]

Are you familiar with a water yoke? It is a very old and simple device. Basically a piece of wood that goes across the shoulders and disperses the weight of two filled water containers hung on each side for long foot journeys.

It is something you might consider. I'm not sure what sort of effect it will have on your back problems. But it would likely give you the similar results to the backpack setup you were considering.

 

[benny]

I still think you should consider a cart. I've got one of these, and with 5 gallon bucket full of -4, can drag it along much of the time with one hand. The bigger the wheels, the better because the bucket will have a lower center of balance, and so a smoother ride over rough terrain. I'll also strap my pack on as it's less work than having it on my back. Anyway, that's my 2¢ worth..

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[roadrunner]

From what your describing, backpack is the only way.
You could use a sluice and get your cons smaller before you pack out.If get them smaller, you can pack more out since I only run black sand down my miller table anyway.
Anything bigger goes down my sluice.
A lot of times I classify down to 1/8th before the sluice, and check my cons with my Goldmaster MD.
2 other possibilities.
A handtruck with 16-20 inch bicycle wheels on it for easy going over rocks.
A metal sled to slide over stuff behind you like a travois.

 

[gold hound]

Y not just go with a friend?

 

[Bonaro]

The best solution to avoid carrying out 5 gallons of cons is to not do it.
When I clean up my 5" dredge I get a solid 4 gallons of cons. I immediately place a LeTrap plastic sluice in the dredge sluice and re-run all of the cons through it.
4 gallons is reduced to about a quart
This sluice weigh only 4 pounds

 

[SHoward]

Bucket cart

something like this work for you?

 

[Gold Cube]

Another way is to reduce them farther by classifying to #8, scan all the larger material with a detector and only bring home the material that contains the most gold. Another way is to use sand bags. They can be tied to a belt and carried below your spine to save your back and free your hands.

 

[carnet56]

I fill for you buddy am also a disabled vet and I have the same back problem .am lucky my best friend who I rasied from the time he was 13 does all my mule work for me.

 

[2cmorau]

Yup gotta agree, bring in a small sluice reduce yur cons
Or cut a plastic barrel in half and drag it over the rocks, works well amazing how it just slides over like it’s on ice.
Hand truck i built for my stapp winch, and the half barrels i use for hand chucker’s. Would like to get a better picture of the half barrel but would take me most of the morning to dig it out. the rounded top works best for me

 

[Sick4gold]

2 words- Gold Cube

It's made of light weight aluminum and super durable plastic so the whole gold cube weighs like 10 lbs.
Other than the battery it's super easy for 1 person to carry it.
It's not only a great piece of equipment and very versatile but you will leave the creek with about a cup full of material.
I bought one for dredge clean ups but after owning it for a while I wish I purchased it sooner.

 

[Hoser John]

Nuttn' to it-split the load in half as 2 of you correct?? Or the ol'ox joke works mighty fine/splits the load weights and always carry my ledge frame bakpak for monster nuggets I can't carry by hand John

 

[delnorter]

Like others have said, reduce the amount of material coming home. Even fast panning will greatly eliminate most of the leaverite.

Mike

 

[jair]

I use a back pack frame for my dry washers and put a five gallon bucket on it . Last weekend I packed 100 lbs down a Mountian from sampling an old mine tailings , won't do 100 lbs again . But I will reduce the amount and make several safe trips rather then one unsafe trip again . The frame holds the load secure but you have to compensate for the bucket and weight , that may be hard on your back to . The best is the cart and lift the bucket over the bad spots , but it still would be the best way for you .

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

What sluice are you using that produces that many cons?

 

[preshrunkmilk]

Buy a bazooka sluice I have a small snipper and I can run whatever amount of cons I have ussally around four gallons down to one pan full in almost any flow of water. Im talking about two pounds of heavys when done. No gold lost. Takes less then five mintues. Im am also a disabled vet and this is the best solution I have come up with.

 

[russau]

Im also with you, disabled vet with the back problems (3 herniated vertabras) bad knees/ankels/and authritis everywhere else. I screen it down close at the creek to eleiminate the waste.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Could you rerun your cons to get them down to one runs cons instead of many

 

[Fossil4Life]

Thanks to all for your responses! A lot of good ideas and solutions here! After evaluating what it is I am trying to do, I've decided that trying to pack out 5-gallon buckets of concentrate is not efficient (or safe), no matter which way you cut it. Given my back condition, I'm likely to hurt myself trying to carry them out, regardless if I am using a backpack, cart or other solution.

So, with that said, I've decided I will go ahead classify on the water after all. It's easier to pack out the resulting concentrate this way (as mentioned by several people), and even though it means less time on the water gathering material, I beleive it will be faster and more efficient in the long run. I went ahead and purchased a 24" Bazooka Gold Trap Sniper to use in tandem with my HogPan. The idea is that I'll run material through the HogPan first, classifying it to 1/4", then run those cons through the BGT.

I really like the idea of the BGT and can't wait to use it. I chose the 24" because it's light and easily packable for long treks. I'll probably end up getting a Prospector down the road at some point. =)

 

[chlsbrns]

The bucket has to weigh more than you think it does. A gallon of water weighs over 8lbs.

Put half of the stuff in a second bucket. It's much easier to carry two buckets than one.