Highbanker or sluice

[therobertsmith]

After some research I am at that point to where I would like to pull the trigger on a highbanker or just a simple sluice box. Since I have been rockhounding and panning I know the area has decent material but do I want to spend the money and just go big? I have two friends with claims I can work plus I plan in making a bid for the land behind my house soon (for a fence
My issue is should I just get a sluice with the options to add on or just get a highbanker? I have been on a few websites looking at prices and quality. My main concern really is quality. So what do yall say? My budget is around 1k for this. Thanks yall.
I know I have been absent for a bit but had to have neck surgery and panning had literally been a pain in the neck.

 

[SHoward]

Sluice or highbanker, either way you still have to shovel so I would go for the one that will process the most dirt the fastest. With your budget you can get a nice highbanker / dredge combo with pump and hoses.

 

[Doug Watson]

I'd start with a stream sluice first. Not much money involved and can process a lot of material and is easy to move around and travel with. Check your states regs before jumping into a highbanker. Not always legal and there could be timing restrictions and riffle size restrictions. Also keep in mind all the hoses, pumps, gas, etc. that goes with a highbanker. Not trying to convince you either way but some things to think about.

 

[hunterbill]

high bankers are for working high banks and sluices are for working in the stream. where is the pay dirt? It is silly to scoop up material from the creek and lift it two or three feet up into a banker. in the creek you can pick boulders and use a stiff rake up stream of the sluice to get the rocks out and direct the flow into your box. This will create a trench cutting deeper and deeper until bedrock is reached. This is the real way to use a sluice box. (sort of a lost art) you can also just dump classified buckets from where ever like people in the gold prospector magazine. The sluice on most high bankers uses a different riffle design than an in stream one because of the high water flow in them. So converting one to the other may not be a great move. They are two totally different tools for different jobs. If you have a creek. just buy a sluice and spend less than 200. Spend some time with it and it will tell you what you need to know. If you are getting good buckets from some distance you may justify the investment of a banker.

 

[425jesse]

Well put Hunterbill!

 

[Hoser John]

KISS-keep it simple and stupid. With a good old sluice your set up and working in a minute and good to go with minimal work lugging STUFF. Pumps ,hoses,boxes on/on/on. Then you go through all that work and not enough gold to stick around. You are prospecting-read seeking-and when a nice BIG paystreak area is hit then get serious with all the equipment or modify that sluice to a hb/dredge combo. The legal system is in a HUGE mess and forest cops/fw/water quality bs is a UNGODLY entangled mess. A guy was ruled guilty and fined $1.500 for using a sluice for gods sake recenty-on appeal -but never the less it's the wild wild west right now and ez for folks to pontificate but YOUR THE ONE WHO PAYS THE PRICE for some idjet occifers ignorance. Sluice on-John

 

[therobertsmith]

I think I may run the sluice first and see how well it works. I can see the difference in the two as far as the process and how the work. Thanks for the info on that Hunterbill and the rest of yall. I think with a decent sluice I can have the kids help out. I never thought about running a rake upstream to help create the flow you need. Very informing guys. Thanks