Pro-Mack questions

[Bonaro]

I picked up a Pro-Mack 5" today. Lots of miles but still in decent shape. I don't know much about Pro-Mack.

Im trying to figure out that these two little bars are for, welded to the frame on the starboard side. Is that the mounting location for a manual priming pump?

The Pro-Mack website doesn't sell the store brand dredges anymore, all the have listed is Keene stuff. Did they discontinue the dredges?
Any ideas how old this is?

It has a Gold Grabber pump. I assume this is aftermarket....?

 

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[winners58]

its ether a priming pump or large air tank
.

 

[Mgumby16]

I know this is an older thread but Ive run across a Pro-Mack frame and pair of floats out here on the east coast and wanted some more info on there dredges. Bonaro can you post some pics of your dredge all set up and some of the sluice box? Also what were the dimensions of the box for this dredge and what size motor was used on it?

Thanks!

 

[Bonaro]

I know this is an older thread but Ive run across a Pro-Mack frame and pair of floats out here on the east coast and wanted some more info on there dredges. Bonaro can you post some pics of your dredge all set up and some of the sluice box? Also what were the dimensions of the box for this dredge and what size motor was used on it?

Thanks!

Sorry, I have sold that dredge so no additional pics are available. If I recall correctly, the box was 20" wide and about 5 feet long. It had a 7hp Robin engine and a Gold Grabber pump.

 

[Bonaro]

I know this is an older thread but Ive run across a Pro-Mack frame and pair of floats out here on the east coast and wanted some more info on there dredges. Bonaro can you post some pics of your dredge all set up and some of the sluice box? Also what were the dimensions of the box for this dredge and what size motor was used on it?

Thanks!

I found a couple pics of my Pro-Mack 5"

 

[Mgumby16]

Thanks for the pics! They should help a lot. How did the box perform, I have not seen one set up with exposed riffles in the front and screened classification in the back. All the prolines and keenes I have worked with are opposite. Its an intriguing idea though and makes sense since the water calms down more at the end of the sluice and a screened section there would allow it to be protected.

Id love to get my hands on a promack sluice, flare and power jet for a 5 inch.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[Bonaro]

I actually never used this dredge. I bought it, refurbed it and flipped it
However, I have used other dredges that have the screen over the bottom half and it does work. It also help keep the big rocks from sticking and piling up

 

[ratled]

A couple of stock Promacks for you
ratled

 

[Reed Lukens]

I had the twin 5hp model, bought it from Frank for a great deal. I used it a few times but my homebuilt weighed half as much and was way easier to move around. I had bought it as an upgrade test against my homebuilt and planned to sell the old one... but my old homebuilt kicked booty on it in every way, so the Promac hit the road... Mine had the Promac pumps and the sluice boxes were 20½" or 21", so the standard 20"riffles that Keene and Proline use wouldn't fit... I'm thinking they were just a touch under 21" wide. I still have a 4" promac box that I'm modifying the riffles to fit my Proline Over Under. With the added riffle area, the stock Proline riffles weren't covering the whole box and the Promac riffles were always some of the best with the armorweave riffles at the bottom end. They make for a great top stage. The Promac's had great riffles but the the frames and floats were built really heavy, so it made it a lot harder to move around. Plus they were built as a low profile dredge, so mine on the Middle Fork of the American would get a lot of water inside the floats from the bleed holes. I ended up having to modify them with an upside down air tube shaped like an upside down J to keep the water out of the floats. I don't have any pics of the old Promac Twin 5, but it was the same as the twin engine one above. I sold it in 98 I believe.

Here's the homebuilt as a 4" at the Rawhide mine on the North Fork of the North Fork of the American in 99


As a 5" here at the house on Canyon Creek in 97


As a 6" on my claim in 2009


Our homebuilt riffles with dovetails at the end really catch everything of all shapes and sizes.


I had a few people over the years telling me that I was running too fast with the motors always maxed out but that over/ under would catch it all. There were a number of disappointed people who tried to catch all the gold that I was loosing by re-dredging my tailings through their Keene's... lol. I was laughing at them with their little store bought 3-stage 4" Super Keene and they came out at the end of the day wishing they had been next to me instead of behind me...

 

[Fdredger]

Thanks for the pics! They should help a lot. How did the box perform, I have not seen one set up with exposed riffles in the front and screened classification in the back. All the prolines and keenes I have worked with are opposite. Its an intriguing idea though and makes sense since the water calms down more at the end of the sluice and a screened section there would allow it to be protected.

Id love to get my hands on a promack sluice, flare and power jet for a 5 inch.

Thanks again for the info!

I owned for 3 years a 4 inch Pro Mack gold dredge with inflatable pontoons (Porta Mac 4).
Pro Mack sluices were made according to what happens in the natural environment: large gold particles tend to stop first in a placer while fine gold settles further downstream.
That's why we find riffles at the beginning of the ProMack sluice and a special system for recovering fine gold at the end of sluice ("armor weave" + expanded metal).
These sluices work extremely well.