Anyone ever done this?

jog · Jun 9, 2016

Looking for any info in regards to
how to build or whether or not someone has done this before.
Looking to build a small hopper with a grizzly on it that will overhang a cliff, there will be drain pipe attached to the bottom of the hopper and it has to go about 250 ft to the bottom. Will shovel into it with a shovel, material will drop out into the back of a truck and be hauled to a nearby wash plant.

mytimetoshine · Jun 9, 2016

jog said:
Have thought about a dry washer but usually to damp just under the service. To many thunderstorms.

Well then. I guess you'll be needing a lot or rope. Happy repelling

Actually setting up a chute would be fun to me...if it wernt for this pesky job that keeps me from having any "real" fun. That could get interesting

smokeythecat · Jun 9, 2016

I think corrugated sewer/drain pipe would just cause the material to jam up. If the drop is steep, how about fire hose? It can be rolled up.

johnedoe · Jun 9, 2016

jog said:
Have thought about a dry washer but usually to damp just under the service. To many thunderstorms.

OK .... What about a recirculating system?
It just seem like it would be easier to process on site if you can than it is to haul stuff to a processing site.
Again easier to haul tanks and water uphill than to haul a load of heavy material down a treacherous hillside road.
and overall most likely less obvious than some kind of flume setup over 250 feet down a hillside...... Just some thoughts.. :dontknow:

jog · Jun 10, 2016

mytimetoshine said:
Well then. I guess you'll be needing a lot or rope. Happy repelling

Actually setting up a chute would be fun to me...if it wernt for this pesky job that keeps me from having any "real" fun. That could get interesting

Not a problem, used to be a high climber, still have everything.

jog · Jun 10, 2016

smokeythecat said:
I think corrugated sewer/drain pipe would just cause the material to jam up. If the drop is steep, how about fire hose? It can be rolled up.

Smooth inside like what you would use for putting the water from your rain gutters underground.

jog · Jun 10, 2016

johnedoe said:
OK .... What about a recirculating system?
It just seem like it would be easier to process on site if you can than it is to haul stuff to a processing site.
Again easier to haul tanks and water uphill than to haul a load of heavy material down a treacherous hillside road.
and overall most likely less obvious than some kind of flume setup over 250 feet down a hillside...... Just some thoughts..

I have tried a small recirculating system with material I have brought home and also tried setting up a panning tub up at the site, the material is real ashy like volcanic so the water deteriorates real fast. Once down to the wash plant I can run all clean water, no recirculated dirty water.

Dallasb84 · Jun 10, 2016

I don't see a rigid pipe working well for you. It will clog and if your goal is filling more than one truck bed a day you may want to engineer something right that can move a fair amount of stuff.

I suggest a flexible chute. anchor steel rope or chain and suspend the chute from the top to the bottom of the hill. Build the chute after the suspension lines are set up and anchored.

Picture a chute made of bottomless garbage cans. The cans nest with 3" of over lap and are caribeaner'd to the wire rope or chain.

The flexible chute will slow the material and also prevent it from clogging.

Check out durachutes to see what I'm talking about.

You may be able to consider suspending aluminum gutter in small nested sections depending on the material you are moving. You can engineer lead lines you can pull at the bottom on the hill to free back ups should they ever occur.

I would think you could make a cheap chute with aluminum siding and a brake.

Dallasb84 · Jun 10, 2016

For anchors I would drive rebar into the ground at angle and pour a concrete footer. May take an engineer to calculate loads and cable size.

You could do a single line and suspend a corrugated chute exampled above but I think it would cost much more than an aluminum gutter chute.

Dallasb84 · Jun 10, 2016

For a material brake I would have the chute empty into a 90 degree bend 3x the size of your chute and empty into the truck bed. Weld up or build a wooden independent structure for the material brake.

Dallasb84 · Jun 10, 2016

HardHatMatt · Jun 10, 2016

johnedoe · Jun 10, 2016

jog said:
I have tried a small recirculating system with material I have brought home and also tried setting up a panning tub up at the site, the material is real ashy like volcanic so the water deteriorates real fast. Once down to the wash plant I can run all clean water, no recirculated dirty water.

When I was thinking of a recirculating system I wasn't thinking of panning tubs. I was thinking more along the lines of a 500-1000 gallon water tank and horse watering troughs.
Well just trying to think of some alternatives that might be more practical. Never hurts to think outside the box.
Good luck in your endeavor. I wish you success.... :thumbsup:

jog · Jun 10, 2016

johnedoe said:
When I was thinking of a recirculating system I wasn't thinking of panning tubs. I was thinking more along the lines of a 500-1000 gallon water tank and horse watering troughs.
Well just trying to think of some alternatives that might be more practical. Never hurts to think outside the box.
Good luck in your endeavor. I wish you success....

johnedoe,
I appreciate the advice and I have considered doing a larger recirculating system, I have found and talked with a gentleman that mined that location back in the 80s. He had a recirculating wash plant set up sorta like what your talking about. He said it didn't work well with that type of soil and lost a lot of gold, I have been contemplating setting up a different type of system than his but I think cost wise I can get a system set up that would allow me to get my material to the bottom with very little expense and labor.

johnedoe · Jun 10, 2016

No Problem, just trying to think of alternatives... I'm at a bit of a disadvantage since I don't know where you are or what the ground is like....wink wink.. you can just send me a PM...... :laughing7:

Just kidding, I would not seriously ask or expect that.... I do wish you the best in your endeavor because it does look like you have some good gold there..... :thumbsup:

Too bad you couldn't just pump water up from the river/creek in your picture ... but that in itself is quite a grunt getting water up 250 feet.

OwenT · Jun 10, 2016

Too bad you can't just open up those 2 or so miles of ditch that got the water there back then. But really, some of those ditches around there are seriously crazy.

jcazgoldchaser · Jun 11, 2016

jog · Jun 11, 2016

jcazgoldchaser said:

I have seen this video before, that's a good idea, maybe I should just rig a zipline over the road and straight to my water supply.
Gonna need a good length of cable.
Gotta get to the pond.