Journey with the 15 lb Whippet Drywasher

[KevinInColorado]

Very cool Terry. However, not what I'm looking for as yours is/was gas powered. I wanted all electric as its welcome more places (including on county land in the foothills west of Denver) and more pleasant to work around.

...now if I could only find a decent electric crack vac. Not that it matters right now. No cracks on the bench placers where I can dry wash.

 

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[G-bone]

Good advice Mr. Soloman.

Regarding Kevin's comment on "Electric Crack vac".....
I was looking at these:


I am also looking at utilizing the batteries from this to power the drywasher.
I know these are 18V, but a little voltage regulator to drop it down to 12V is no big deal.
3 of these batteries and a solar charger, and you should be good for a solid day of work.....I think

 

[rodoconnor]

I've seen guys using the little DeWalt vac. It seemed to run for hours and did a good job on the cracks

 

[Hamfist]

I've got a slightly older version of this Dewalt. It runs on drill batteries or AC power. Works great! Small and portable and you can get a pair of off-brand 3,000 mAh batteries for about $56 on Amazon.

 

[mytimetoshine]

The website is telling me there is a minimum order?

 

[KevinInColorado]

The website is telling me there is a minimum order?

Not really. Send him an email. He has a backlog of orders because of selling out at Christmas so he doesn't want people ordering online and then getting grumpy when he can't ship immediately.

I got an email from him yesterday saying the parts for mine are being fabricated right now

 

[motohed]

If I was in an area that required dry washing there would be no question that I would own a Wippet . I mean 15 opposed to 22 LBS is huge and you have to pay for that . I'm an official F.O.G guy so weight is everything . People are forgetting that you still have to add a battery too the 22 LBS .

 

[mytimetoshine]

Not really. Send him an email. He has a backlog of orders because of selling out at Christmas so he doesn't want people ordering online and then getting grumpy when he can't ship immediately.

I got an email from him yesterday saying the parts for mine are being fabricated right now

Thanks kevin! I just started browsing for a drywasher so I wasn't ready to buy but am definitely interested. The price is in my opinion astronomical but he has something Noone else has. And I "need" it. From what I could find there is nothing similar on the market... these guys, comparing a dry washer with a loud ass engine.. 1st of all, have you ever heard of stealth? 2nd of all if you are in an area where a "motor" is a "problem" this looks a heck of a lot less like a motor...combine the lightweight and built in back pack. And I'm not mad at the price...might have to do some saving but he that's capitalism. And any "miner" should be a supporter of that. Not sure if he's covered by patent but eventually someone will duplicate this model and do it for less. But I NEED this NOW! ..waiting sucks.....

 

[goldenmojo]

I say Whippet, Whippet good...... Sounds like a good machine for when I retire and spend all my time mining...

 

[Hard Prospector]

Thanks kevin! I just started browsing for a drywasher so I wasn't ready to buy but am definitely interested. The price is in my opinion astronomical but he has something Noone else has. And I "need" it. From what I could find there is nothing similar on the market... these guys, comparing a dry washer with a loud ass engine.. 1st of all, have you ever heard of stealth? 2nd of all if you are in an area where a "motor" is a "problem" this looks a heck of a lot less like a motor...combine the lightweight and built in back pack. And I'm not mad at the price...might have to do some saving but he that's capitalism. And any "miner" should be a supporter of that. Not sure if he's covered by patent but eventually someone will duplicate this model and do it for less. But I NEED this NOW! ..waiting sucks.....

Owning your own business is a constant challenge especially when your manufacturing product. Build too many with inconsistent demand means being stuck with excess inventory as the bills come rolling in. On then other hand when running a lean efficient operation with constant but limited production, a spike in demand usually means customers being on a waiting list. Whippet isn't the only one as Bazooka and Cobra Crusher are also trying too keep up with orders coming in. Keeping these dynamics in mind helps with patience.

 

[jair]

It looks like a great machine , but I do the same with my Thompson and it does a very good job and recovery is excellent , I think the Thompson cost less .

 

[arizau]

It looks like a great machine , but I do the same with my Thompson and it does a very good job and recovery is excellent , I think the Thompson cost less .

I wouldn't replace what I already had for a Whippet but it would be at the top of my list if I was shopping for a new one.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Look what I got!! My new Whippet dry washer arrived in the mail yesterday. I set it up in the living room and ran it for a minute, seems great. I'm so excited to get out and run some dirt. A family trip to southern Utah next month is going to have to include at least a little digging time I think

PS That smile on my face is partly due to how light and comfortable the unit is on my back, battery included.

 

[motohed]

View attachment 1292009

Look what I got!! My new Whippet dry washer arrived in the mail yesterday. I set it up in the living room and ran it for a minute, seems great. I'm so excited to get out and run some dirt. A family trip to southern Utah next month is going to have to include at least a little digging time I think

PS That smile on my face is partly due to how light and comfortable the unit is on my back, battery included.

The living room must have gotten awful dusty !!!!!!! LOL

 

[Joanne]

I wouldn't replace what I already had for a Whippet but it would be at the top of my list if I was shopping for a new one.

Congratulations! Looks like a great piece of gear.

Joanne

 

[Hamfist]

CONGRATS!!!

 

[Aufisher]

Sweet machine!

 

[G-bone]

Very cool. What a great machine.

 

[Hard Prospector]

View attachment 1292009

Look what I got!! My new Whippet dry washer arrived in the mail yesterday. I set it up in the living room and ran it for a minute, seems great. I'm so excited to get out and run some dirt. A family trip to southern Utah next month is going to have to include at least a little digging time I think

PS That smile on my face is partly due to how light and comfortable the unit is on my back, battery included.

That smile is the look of a man about to start a new life.......... get some brother!

 

[lchavezmisc]

Gotta say I am impressed with the design consideration that was given to every inch of the Whippet Drywasher and it's accessories.

I had been looking for a way to do testing in various parts of our claim. There has been many a time when hiking that I thought "man this looks like a good spot, I really need to test this material". Thus began my quest to find a testing machine.

I started with a Keene 140S and the VacPac and had this amazing combo for about a year. This impressive little drywasher can run some serious material and is truly a little work horse. I used it all of 4 times in that year because we already have a Keene 150 that did the brunt of our dry processing. Took it out to hike once and that was one time to many. The 140s is just plain heavy. All the improvements they made makes it heavier than the original 140 and I ever only used it on three other occasions close to my car. Sold this off to a young team with stronger backs and less concern for heat stroke. Cost of this setup new ran me $1,100.00. Took a loss of $400.00 when I sold it in like new condition.

During this time I realized that a puffer might be exactly what I need for testing. My search for a well reviewed bellows is what actually led me to this site. All the smaller metal versions are still on the heavy side. All the little wood versions looked a little iffy with all the staples, glue and screws. Most of the wood versions where manual only (no electric) and knowing myself, I knew that a pull rope would get old very fast. I know both of these machines work, just would not work for me.

So my Whippet arrives and since it's an all in one setup, I throw it in my car (carefully place it in my car and tie it down) and hit the road on a business trip that's out towards our claim. After my meeting, I swing by the claim on the way home and test a spot that's been on the back of my mind. This spot was worked by someone prior us staking the claim and I've been meaning to test some material. I ran about three 3-gallon buckets of material from the wall, dump the cons into the bag and head home.

I doubt I will ever hike our claim again without this guy on my back. Looking forward to truly mapping out our area to try and get a better understanding of the land.

On a side note: the accessories are also well thought out and executed. The larger battery pocket has a bottom board to keep it rigid when loaded. The shovel is much more heavy duty than I expected. It's about double the thickness in material than my little Lifeline alum shovel.

Just wanted to share my overall experience and give some user feedback.

Happy hunting!