Opinions on the bazooka sluice

I got a deep cycle battery in a self rescue jump start thingy. Solves several problems for me: self rescue when out in the wilds 4 wheeling, runs my pump and is in a nice case so if I drop it I (probably) won't break the actual battery's case.
Good idea Kevin, what Ah were you able to find?
 

I'm on the road right now (ie not home in CO) so I dunno...sorry. but, they sell em at boat shops, auto parts stores and Walmart.
 

I think I read in another thread that a guy was usin a 1000 gph electric pump.
That might've been me.
I was using a 1000 gph pump with my Sniper and it worked fine because I was running drywasher concentrates through it and all of the material fit neatly through the grizzlies. As a high banker out in the field, it would probably need a lot more water to keep larger rocks moving over the grizzlies.
 

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just lookin online real quick and had never seen this video. Might be someone on this site but anyways they are using a prospector. He doesn't seem to have a problem with it but like you guys were saying it would need a ton more flow to work properly. I think it might have been your thread hamfist that I saw. Well anyways looks like i'll probably keep the prospector for heavy flows and gonna pick up a sniper for a highbanker. I have a perfect spot to use one with that setup too but I might have to wait till next year with this drought :/ or cart in a truckbed of water haha.
 

When I can I'm going to try running mine with a much bigger pump. Right now I have to paw at my material like the guy in the video and I'm wondering if a big pump would solve that...without sucking my battery dry too quickly.
 

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at a minimum for a prospectotr to run as a hi banker doing what it is you need a hi banker that size in the first place you will need 150 gallons per MINUTE!!! so a large 2 inch pump at least... HEAVY!!!!

watching that video and knowing how a bazooka works in side and out I'm telling you that there is most likely not even enough pressure in the trap for it to be working properly!!
 

In fact the appropriate title of that video should be... "How to waste time "

I like how he says works " like a charm" followed by I think "I may need a bigger pump".

I love Bazooka's
I love Hi bankers.....

I would be breaking that bedrock in his situation that's for sure it. not wasting my time making gravel wet and shiney!!!!
 

So... an update to the trial of the Bazooka Super Mini high-banker...2200 gph Johnson pump..forget it! Rule 3700 gph pump, much better flow for sure, but you'll still be shoveling rocks off of it. I can't even imagine how it would be with any larger Bazooka. It definitely works much nicer with the Rule 3700, but I think my Mini highbanker with the Rule 3700 will out perform either setup (as far as electric is concerned). Just my opinion. Still love my Bazooka's, but not this setup...oh well, may still try er at the river someday!
 

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Interesting to hear even 3700gph wasn't enough for a little Super Mini! If you gave it some slope would that help clear the rocks? (Were you getting water over the top of the grizzly?)
 

Interesting to hear even 3700gph wasn't enough for a little Super Mini! If you gave it some slope would that help clear the rocks? (Were you getting water over the top of the grizzly?)

Hey Kevin, yeah, it was getting water over the grizzly bars, whilst not a significant amount, it was way better than the 2200 which had no water over the grizzly. I shot a couple of videos, I'll try to get them uploaded, one with the 2200 & 3700. The 2200 looked like a trickle comparatively..lol! The slope was roughly 10-12 degrees. I also did a test with the 3700 diverting the water off the deck to check the the trap, and it seemed to have sufficient flow. I believe for larger gold it would work fine, maybe even the fine stuff at the right angle, just have to continually move the rocks off the grizzly. Trust me it had significantly more water flow than the above video! Funny though now that I think about it, even in Bazooka's own video with a gas pump, they are having to continually clear rocks! BTW I removed the original head i had attached, and stuck with the straight pipe flowing inline with the deck, much better flow! So my conclusion is; if you have a pile of wet dirt ready to go (running a battery operated anything) you could do okay with the 3700 (time wise). Especially if the rocks are rounded, which is usually the case! I'm not giving up on it yet..though I believe with your setup you could do better than mine with a longer slick and the right angle having better velocity towards the end of the deck.
 

Here is the video with the Rule 3700...

Kind of crappy Iphone vid...but you get the idea!
 

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I need to come up with a different head for it to spread it out a bit! The original one I made the outlet was to low, and let water drop out the back. So it was removed in the above video..
 

Looks good. Have you shoveled material into it? Seems like that would do the job well, maybe with just a bit more slope to let the rocks roll off the griz. Clearly I'm gonna need a bigger pump!
 

Goldwasher is right.

You really do need at least a 2" pump for best results with a Bazooka Prospector model.
I use a gasoline powered 6 1/2 HP, 108 GPM 2" pump from harbor freight to supply my 40" fluidbed highbanker.
Along with two flow control valves, one for the hopper/top deck and a separate one for the fluid bed.

gthb.webp crutch handle.webp
 

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Okay, so here is the link for the same setup with the Johnson 2200 gph pump. Also like to note that the Rule 3700 pump in the earlier video was hooked up using a 15' hose, whilst the Johnson 2200 is hooked up using an 8' hose. Fresh off the charger 35 Ah battery. I didn't realize how bad the iphone videos are...lol
https://youtu.be/n0fsUdNqNFE
 

Here's a couple of photos of the stand. Made of wood, painted, glued and screwed! I used Gorilla tape to line the rails...home built leg brackets..Bazooka Super Mini Stand 1.webpBazooka Super Mini Stand 2.webp
 

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