Move boulders with gear that can be packed in.

[Tahoegold]

I have been thinking about what I will need to move boulders, or rocks with what I can carry in a pack. However, the pack also has other tools. Pans, (2) 2.5 gal. buckets, either a 24" Bazooka sniper or a Keene A51a fitted with Gold hog mats. A 6' sling. A small strap wratchet 900lb come along. 4 small metal pulleys. A 1" tiedown strap. 50' of 3/8" nylon braided rope. A Gad bar, a rock hammer, and assorted crevacing tools and a metal detector. Food and a gallon of water.
I am interested in Technique. I saw a technique where the strap was tightened around s boulder, then the come along went over the top to the far side. It pulled the boulder and rolled it. Of course, building a cobble ramp, digging under etc all can help. I saw a technique that uses a rope and a stick. Using a loop around a boulder to a tree. One uses the stick to "wind" the rope in the middle. Surpisingly, this method seemed to have the best torque ratio I've ever seen. I am asking for practical ways to use this equipment to leverage my equipment to move boulders in a stream. I also read the New 49rs piece on this. They recomended finding the gold line and making sure not to roll the boulder right into the gold. Well, I cant seem to find a thread on this here. Maybe there is one. Ok, so what can one do with this equipment? Thanks!

 

[Reed Lukens]

You're looking at the wrong pulleys...
You would need the complete set and there are tons of choices.
https://www.amazon.com/SMC-Advance-Tech-HX-Pulley/dp/B00F4FDJCW/?tag=treasurenet01-20

 

[Tahoegold]

Yep Reed, those ARE light! That's what I would need! I am going to need to have a real pay spot for them. There's quite a few choices I see on this link. I saw a 14oz double pulley. I'm keeping these in mind, they would be packable! Thank you! TG

 

[minerrick]

Reed, that is a nice pulley. A portable winch I use is from "the portable winch company". When I bought it, I was thinking "I don't know...." but after using for a season for an easy winch to move around, it was pretty cool: https://www.portablewinch.com/us_en/portable-winches/pcw5000/ ..... that being said, as the conversation moves forward, they have a pretty good selection of pulleys which I have used, and I am very happy with: https://www.portablewinch.com/us_en/accessories/pulleys/.

Tahoegold, my advice is before you go out and buy a bunch of stuff, actually get out in the field and find a location where you have a sense for what exactly you will be pulling. If you get a claim that has beach sand, you don't need all this rigging stuff. If you have a boulder-bound claim, then you can determine what you need. I'd wait to see what you will be dealing with before you go spending a lot of money. Start with a pan, a bar and some crevicing tools and when you find the claim you want, then start spending the real money- depending upon ITS condition.

 

[Tahoegold]

Exactly my thoughts when I started this thread. Start with a few basic tools and go see what is "there". I got to refining the basic tools and keep trying to be very minimal. LATER, I will see what I would need to work the spot. All these suggestions, are great and food for thought on what is possible. For now, it's pans, small shovel, small tools, bar, rope, straps, and maybe a small sluice. Keeping it under 50 lbs...

 

[Tahoegold]

I just received the bar! Heck, for being graded at the lowest grade "acceptable" by Amazon, it sure looks new to me! Heck Tiny little paint scratches. I put more scratches on it just setting it down on the concrete! It has the feel and sound of hard metal. I have no doubt this bar is very strong. It's rated to exceed the standards for strength. I havent tested it. But it has that nice hard metal sound. It feels very sturdy. And it will fit my pack! I'm a happy camper!
Update: I placed one end on the curb and the other on the street. I stood on it in the middle, fully extended and I even bounced a little on it and it did not bend. It moved a little, but no bent metal after. It can handle me at around 190lbs bouncing on it. I'm very satisfied with the strength and build quality. The button is very stout. It takes a good grip to press in. The metal pins and plate that make up the button are thick and sturdy. The springs seem to be very hard metal as well. It's a nice addition to my set. It stays!

 

[mikep691]

Hope it works for you. I still have doubts but that's just me. Just seems too many moving parts that can fail, and a tube top. But if all you move are small boulders, it should do ok.

 

[Tahoegold]

Hi Milep691, I had to see for myself as well. After having this to see for myself, I know that the top part, although a tube or pipe, is of the same strong steel as the bar. It is very hard stuff. There is a "stop" which prevents the bar from coming out beyond a certain point. The thickness of the tube is such that I don't see any human being strong enough to do damage if used as is. I stood on this thing and bounced on it and it hardly budged. I may not convince you. But I am. The head has a set screw and so can be taken apart. The action feels stiff and clean. I have not read anywhere, where someone has had a failure with this part of the bar. I have read lots of possitive reviews from deisel mechanics who recomend this tool. Reed gave the best report of a problem for our industry. He said the head can clog with dirt. Fair enough. I can deal with that. But, as far as being weak and under sized for human strength, I certainly don't see that. Long term use? Who knows. Everything wears out! This I know. I can stand on it and nothing happens. That means I can heave on it as hard as I can. That will be enough for my purposes and a far far better tool than my Gad bar. I am a bit of a risk taker, no guts, no glory! LOL! This tool is stout. I am completely happy having this on my next trip! I'm not trying to get you to buy my story, just my honest assesment. This is not a toy or a gimmic. I've been around tools and worked with my hands all my life. It's solid. The head is solid and well built. It should last long enough. I know I'm not going to break it with my own hands. That would be quite a feat, just sayin'!

 

[Tahoegold]

Ok, I got out yesterday. I found a couple of colors. But, I was mostly trying to see if my packed gear was right for my prospecting. I'll set it all out and take a picture. The verdict is, I have all I need and it's very packable. I put this bar in and hooked it over my sluice inside my pack and the pack was probably under 40lbs.

 

[minerrick]

Ok, I got out yesterday. I found a couple of colors. But, I was mostly trying to see if my packed gear was right for my prospecting. I'll set it all out and take a picture. The verdict is, I have all I need and it's very packable. I put this bar in and hooked it over my sluice inside my pack and the pack was probably under 40lbs.

I saw his pack and he's got a pretty nice set up. Nice little sampling sluice and everything he would need and extremely packable. The bar he has is very interesting and I am looking forward to any further reports.

 

[Tahoegold]

OK, I weighed the pack and it is 43lbs without food and water. That's really great. I didn't think I could do it under 60lbs with all the heavy gear available for mining. So, here's a shot of the gear in the pack. The pack with the milk crate has my metal detector in it. This set-up with the milk crate and metal detector is what I weighed. Nice!
I am including a few of the tools I made. A bucket classifier. A spoon I bent in a vice with high sides for digging. My 5.5"x18" sluice with low profile rib mat for inspection in front, Gold Hog Down Draft, Mother Load then UR mats. A Turkey Baster with a straw inserted which holds the material like a snuffer. The 3 prong claw with a wooden handle is light. There's a bee sting kit called the extractor. It really does work! A classifier for a gold pan made out of a bucket bottom with 1/2" and 1/4" hardware cloth. The 2 buckets are from concrete patch 20lb pails. They are about 2.5 gallons. And, the bar fits perfectly. There ya go. Now I need to get out there and do some prospecting!

 

[mikep691]

Looks like you have everything covered. It does add a bit more weight, but you might consider a mini crow bar and small sledge for busting bedrock. I call mine a knuckle buster since I notoriously (and quite frequently) miss the damn bar with the hammer.

Though this is not the ideal weekend to get out, GO GET YOU SOME YELLA!!

 

[Tahoegold]

Looks like you have everything covered. It does add a bit more weight, but you might consider a mini crow bar and small sledge for busting bedrock. I call mine a knuckle buster since I notoriously (and quite frequently) miss the damn bar with the hammer.

Though this is not the ideal weekend to get out, GO GET YOU SOME YELLA!!

Thx mikep691, I have a mini crow bar. It was hard to leave it out of the mix. Its about a foot long. I figured I can make due with the Gad Bar. Also, I have a tiny 6" crow bar in the picture it is at the tip of the Gad bar. I love that little tool for scraping and prying. It goes everywhere with me. It is a great little tool. I thought about the sledge hammer. I figured I could use a rock if I needed to use something heavy. I am going to wait a week or two. I have a couple of jobs keeping me from going for the GOLD! LOL. I think it's great this pack is so light and has the capabilities it has. By the way, the milk crate is my classifier. It is one of the best tools. I figure the game is make a lot of material classified to a small amount and then run it through the sluice. I can easlily run material after running through the milk crate. My driving factor was weight. I want to go as far as possible. I can bring back specific tools once I find the hot spot!

 

[Duckshot]

The only reason you can't move big boulders is because they are too big. Here is one way to make then smaller, but it probably won't be practical in most instances.

My grandfather used to work building roads back before WWII. They did not have the machinery to move boulders back then so when they found one in their path they would build as big a bonfire as they could around the base and let it heat the rock up for a day or so. Then pour cold water on the rock. It would shatter the boulder like dropping an ice cube into a warm glass.

Wear your safety glasses.

 

[minerrick]

The only reason you can't move big boulders is because they are too big. Here is one way to make then smaller, but it probably won't be practical in most instances.

My grandfather used to work building roads back before WWII. They did not have the machinery to move boulders back then so when they found one in their path they would build as big a bonfire as they could around the base and let it heat the rock up for a day or so. Then pour cold water on the rock. It would shatter the boulder like dropping an ice cube into a warm glass.

Wear your safety glasses.

Don't do this in the middle of the summer with extreme fire danger.

 

[mikep691]

Kinda hard to start a fire under a rock that's half under water too. Just sayin'

 

[Tahoegold]

Don't do this in the middle of the summer with extreme fire danger.

Hey Duckshot, 2 thumbs up!! This technique is just what I'm talking about!! Thanks for sharing this. Of course, caution must be used for fire danger. However, what a trick!! One day I'll need to see just how much and how long I need to heat and pour. So that's how they did it! I am always amazed at what they accomplished in just a couple decades. Roads all throuth the Sierras and in steep rocky hillsides. This of course is something to be very cautious about. Thanks for sharing this!!

 

[SunshineMiner]

Especially with fire season coming up. I'd hate to see in the news someone started a wildland fire due to poor mining practices! That being said, make sure you scrape to bare mineral soil 20ft around where you decide to do this. The bigger the scrape the better as we all know embers can be spit out pretty far. Have a couple buckets of water stashed by unless you have a pump handy. If you don't think you can be in attendance of the fire the entire time, its probably best to try something else, that being said, start super early in the morning . Be aware, that if you burn wet wood, not only will your fire not be as hot, but you may end up with a decent smoke column. If you're in northern california, and you're there all day, you might receive a visit from cal fire. They and the USFS still man fire towers and on the towers they dont man, they have set up with cameras that zoom in pretty far. They have a way of triangulating about where you're at and sending people out to check to see whats going on. ESPECIALLY if its a no burn day. Which after about mid may they usually start implementing.

 

[delnorter]

Thanks for starting this thread Tahoegold, I order one of the pry bars you featured. My current pry bar is from an old 5' straight axle that was pounded flat at one end shaped into a point at the other. Just plain to heavy for me to pack around any more. If I'm reasonably close to the truck I'll still use it as needed.

Mike

 

[Duckshot]

Kinda hard to start a fire under a rock that's half under water too. Just sayin'

Well Grandpa did not build any roads under water.

I am quite sure he would have mentioned it if he did.

 

[Tahoegold]

So, I have been out 2 times. Now I am getting things down in weight. After all the whole purpose is for hit and run prospecting. I can bring the mining gear later once I find something worth while. So, I'm leaving everything out that isn't for quick sampling. The bar stays because it is quick to open a spot that may give a good look into the gold bearing spot. Rope and slings stay. The pack is now below 25lbs and I have boulder moving and crevice tools and a way to reduce the material to sample larger quantities like I would with a sluice. I wanted to have a small sluice, but it would slow me down setting it up etc. My bucket classifier and pan classifier will work almost as fast but give me more accuracy which at this stage is more important. So, moving boulders seems to be a better chance than sampling gravels for what is probably flood gold. Now I have more room for water and food. That will be nice.