Crazy idea, but maybe a stroke of brilliance?

[MacgyverMike]

Just getting into the hobby, experimenting with various methods, and moving from a casual panner on backpacking trips to dedicated prospecting runs.

The one hurdle I find to sluicing is after I fill a bucket, it takes a while to feed it all through the sluice. What if I could use that time filling another bucket? Some sort of controlled feed hopper? Enter the crazy idea factory that is my brain...

Imagine taking a wheeled seed spreader, knock out the flinger plate, and hook the axle or drive shaft up to a water wheel of sorts. You can control the feed rate with the gate opening, start or stop with the gate lever, and basically fill it up and let it drop material onto the raceway/crashbox...

Might make a winter project out of it if I can pick one up cheap...

 

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[Goldwasher]

Just getting into the hobby, experimenting with various methods, and moving from a casual panner on backpacking trips to dedicated prospecting runs.

The one hurdle I find to sluicing is after I fill a bucket, it takes a while to feed it all through the sluice. What if I could use that time filling another bucket? Some sort of controlled feed hopper? Enter the crazy idea factory that is my brain...

Imagine taking a wheeled seed spreader, knock out the flinger plate, and hook the axle or drive shaft up to a water wheel of sorts. You can control the feed rate with the gate opening, start or stop with the gate lever, and basically fill it up and let it drop material onto the raceway/crashbox...

Might make a winter project out of it if I can pick one up cheap...

Just run material faster. don't baby your sluice. thats not what they are designed for.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I like stockpiling dirt before sluicing.

 

[Actionman]

Already one available on the market today. Never tried it, I think it would be a unnecessary step, doesn't take long to feed the sluice.

 

[russau]

Dry washer's have been doing this for year's

 

[Goodyguy]

Just getting into the hobby, experimenting with various methods, and moving from a casual panner on backpacking trips to dedicated prospecting runs.


The one hurdle I find to sluicing is after I fill a bucket, it takes a while to feed it all through the sluice. What if I could use that time filling another bucket? Some sort of controlled feed hopper? Enter the crazy idea factory that is my brain...


Imagine taking a wheeled seed spreader, knock out the flinger plate, and hook the axle or drive shaft up to a water wheel of sorts. You can control the feed rate with the gate opening, start or stop with the gate lever, and basically fill it up and let it drop material onto the raceway/crashbox...


Might make a winter project out of it if I can pick one up cheap...

I like your feeder/water wheel powered idea.
Thought about using a water wheel to power a feeder conveyor for a highbanker or trommel but then like most of my ideas it would require more equipment and time to haul in and set up.


Now that I live in an RV I have had to scale back on my inventions and it's really hard to control my tinkering spirit.
I am having to make my projects do double and triple+ duty.


My latest was to make a chariot out of my gas vac so I can use it to also haul 10 gallons of paydirt, carry my drywasher, metal detector, pick, shovel, hoses, etc. as well as using it for a blower.


The wheels and handle are off a discarded lawnmower that I found in a dumpster.
The handle comes off just by squeezing the ends, the wheels as well as the bucket are held on by R-pins.



10 gallon pay dirt hauler..............




Blower for my drywasher..................





crack vac........................




Equipment caddy.........................




Pull 4 pins and the whole outfit stows nicely into one of the bays on my RV.


Go for the Gold
GG~

 

[deserdog]

Very cool set up Goodguy!

 

[Mudflap]

That's pretty slick!

 

[Don in SoCal]

Goldwasher, Look up Mr.Teslonian "Sluice Box Feeder" on YouTube. Looks as though it will work, maybe a bit of tweeking to it but it's a start.

 

[Goodyguy]

Goldwasher, Look up Mr.Teslonian "Sluice Box Feeder" on YouTube. Looks as though it will work, maybe a bit of tweeking to it but it's a start.

I think you meant to address this to MacgyverMike.
Anyway, Thanks for posting the info I really like the passive "sluice box feeder" design.

Of course it would require pre-classifying to 1/2"
But just like x-lax it's....simple yet effective



To watch the video you have to click on the "watch this video on YouTube" link, located in the video above.


Pretty sure you could MacGyver one from 5 gallon buckets, heat gun, and a pop rivet tool.


Go for the Gold
GG~

 

[Goldwasher]

yea. totally unnecessary.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

I use a feeder known as the wife with a hand scoop.
It's a noisy and squeaky contraption, especially on cloudy cold days when shes not her happiest. She gets the job done tho.
She also doubles as a beer carrier and shes self propelled.

 

[Goldwasher]

I use a feeder known as the wife with a hand scoop.
It's a noisy and squeaky contraption, especially on cloudy cold days when shes not her happiest. She gets the job done tho.
She also doubles as a beer carrier and shes self propelled.

Way, way more useful.

 

[Capt Nemo]

I rather have a golddigger of a wife. She can dig the gold, and I'll feed it through the sluice!

 

[wildminer]

I use a feeder known as the wife with a hand scoop.
It's a noisy and squeaky contraption, especially on cloudy cold days when shes not her happiest. She gets the job done tho.
She also doubles as a beer carrier and shes self propelled.

I have one of those, but it's expensive and no guarantee came with it.