Keene numbers are all under "ideal" conditions moving just sand. Your going to need a 5 or 6" dredge to move that kind of material. But kido I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell everyone else who wants to build their first dredge...buy a used one off craigslist. Sure it may seem like you can save money building one BUT in the long run it will cost you much more. Consider your time, lost gold if your not working right, your gas out testing and back and forth, reconfiging things to fix problems...the list goes on and on.
Buy a used one, learn how they work and only then consider building one.
Here is the benefit of buying a used one...wait for it...
It will have actual pontoons!
While it may not seem like a big deal, trust me, it's major.
To buy a set of 'toons you'll drop $1000
Sure you can use barrels like I did but I'll tell you, I F'N hate the barrels. They take up so much space in my trailer, are not that easy to work with and oh did I mention they take up so much space in my trailer! LOL
Seriously consider my words. Other will soon chime in...
If you dead set on it, then look at keene or proline and use their specs as a blue print. They just didn't slap spare parts together, they put lots of R&D into their dredges.
