Small Scale Mining Questions/Advice

[n01d3x]

I may have the opportunity to try my luck at a legit small scale mining operation very soon. I have ran backhoes and loaders plenty but never in a mining capacity. For those that have, I am looking for your input.
I am looking at Heckler trommel that says it's capable of running 7 to 10 tons per hour. I will be running semi-cemented tertiary gravels. Can I expect to be able to reach that? Say 9 yards per hour, which is a little under 7 tons per hours?
Starting out I would just have one machine, I'm thinking of something similar to a Kubota BX25.

With just one person, sometimes more but mostly just me, would I be able to run 9 yards per hour? In my mind I'm thinking, digging and stock piling for 3 hours and then running at 9 yards per hour for 5 or 6 hours. I know maintenance and break downs would be involved, but aside from that, would this be possible?
I'm not asking about being profitable, testing or anything else. Just does it sound possible to process this much material, with just one guy and the above mentioned equipment?

 

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[Reed Lukens]

That won't have the strength to grab the cemented material off of the wall with the loader, so you will be using a small bucket on the hoe to dig with. Depending on the material, 2 to 3 yph would be a workout with the 8" bucket. Then usually, you need to bust up the material before running it, so... No way! If you're blasting first, then maybe 7 after crushing.

 

[WaProspecting]

Also could use a skid steer with jackhammer attachments then swap to bucket. How big are you trying to go and how is the ground you are trying to navigate? You could also purchase backhoe arms with the skid steer but never seen that in action.

 

[n01d3x]

I don't think I would need a jackhammer to bust up the material. It's only semi cemented. There are totally cemented gravels there, but I don't plan to run that any time soon. The gravels I want to run can be broken up with a shovel. I was using a small pick axe and shovel and filling up buckets pretty easy. The ground is pretty easy to navigate. I'd like to be able to run 9 to 10 yards per hour at some point. Do you think an old full size backhoe would be a better buy than a newer compact tractor style one? I've seen 70's case hoes for $5k to $6k which is about a third of the Kubota. What do you think I would need to max out that heckler? Or would I be better off getting their smaller 5 to 7 ton tromel.

 

[arizau]

First I'm not a wash plant man but I will throw this out anyway. If you did need to upsize your loader/hoe choice, then new equipment price would probably be significantly higher. With what you are talking about now maybe you could stockpile for a day or more, maybe(?) lessen the angle of the trommel for max washing/hardpan separation and then gang bang the material in one big batch. You will end up with less cleanouts per week, assuming you do them daily now, but still have run the same tonnage as if you did what you said your original plan was so that will result in less time spent on cleanups and free up some more time for production. Just a thought not an expert opinion.

Good luck.

 

[WaProspecting]

I only have some experience in rock quarries and road building (mostly roads/underground utilities). You probably have 40 years on me running equipment so you probably know more than I do. Started part time in college and now rarely get out of the conex or office.

I personally wouldn't feel safe on that especially with no cage. Just my thoughts on the video you posted. Skid steer or any other equipment 10x better.... If you took a picture of the ground you are working with, I bet people on here could tell you the best equipment for that material.


Edit: According to online reports you can lease a $20,000 machine with good credit and only pay around $450-500 a month. I always estimate just a tad more possibly around $625.00 a month for 3 years and $450.00 for 5 years. You could even go mid size loader/backhoe for around $2000 a month. This is all depending on good credit and if they would allow it for mining.

 

[Goldwasher]

Stockpile and dig for multiple days.

then run.

Look for an older used larger backhoe loader combo. A skid steer on the kind of ground in a typical mine pit is going to be an exercise in frustration.

Look for the tractor trader at a local store we have them here its like the auto trader magazine.

What state are you in?

 

[WaProspecting]

Stockpile and dig for multiple days.

then run.

Look for an older used larger backhoe loader combo. A skid steer on the kind of ground in a typical mine pit is going to be an exercise in frustration.

Look for the tractor trader at a local store we have them here its like the auto trader magazine.

What state are you in?

I've had no problem using skid steers in most situations but I could see it on certain operations or ground that turns into muck. Also slope and depth you want to dig at comes into play. You can't use them on certain ground...Also feeding the wash plant could be a issue (build a ramp but more work)... I would agree though loader/backhoe combo "with cage" for safety against overhang or rocks is the best equipment for solo digging.

 

[n01d3x]

I'm in CA , pretty close to you Goldwasher. This area has been hydraulic mined and blasted and mined via drag line. I'm not gonna be mining up there full time. Realistically probably 6 to 8 days a month, sometimes more. I'll take the advise and look for older backhoes. I'm trying to figure out numbers to see if it's worth it, and for that I need a realistic estimate on the amount of material I can run.

 

[Underburden]

No half measures. Go BIG.

 

[Reed Lukens]

I'm in CA , pretty close to you Goldwasher. This area has been hydraulic mined and blasted and mined via drag line. I'm not gonna be mining up there full time. Realistically probably 6 to 8 days a month, sometimes more. I'll take the advise and look for older backhoes. I'm trying to figure out numbers to see if it's worth it, and for that I need a realistic estimate on the amount of material I can run.

And you're sure that you're not running tailings that has been washed down on top of the pay? Honestly, I've never seen semi-cemented tertiaries in Northern Cal, but I have seen a 150' wall of tailings that you wouldn't think wasn't natural semi-cemented tertiaries...
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[Goldwasher]

if hes in Pville south Pville the gravels he mentions exist. I've been to the faces where they have left off. Spots on Newtown road that cuts channel that crumbles from the road cut face.

Not tailings.

There are newer Rhyolite channels shallow in and around Placerville. There is the Blue Lead as well as red channels full of quartz. There are some shafts dropped in across from Lions Park near Texas hill

Walking through the brush one day I pop out on the side of a hill in a meadow sort of spot. There were several shafts oak grass and brush on top layers of gravel underneath.

The collar was slacking and caving in. I belly crawled and hung my arm over for pics. dark pit layers of gravel the whole way.

They were drifting in from the area down below as well.

n01d3x

I have a neighbor who is a fabricator at the quarry on Quarry rd. He is a prospector. I saw him using his backhoe loader to work on his driveway.

I believe he has a dozer too. They both don't get a lot of use.

He is also a mobile welder full rig. He keeps asking me to come over and go through scrap. He wants to help me get my dry shaker set up for wet.


Just sayin!!


If you need anything let me know. You maybe able to pay less to use some bigger rigs that are just sitting sometimes.

 

[n01d3x]

I'm pretty sure the gravels are virgin. There's a layer of fully cemented black straight concrete on top of the semi cemented stuff. There's tailings piles all over and I've tested them and found basically nothing. There is descent gold in the semi cemented stuff I've tested, and it's all over. I was able to break up a lot of the material by hand in my high banker. I'm sure if and or when I get this project rollin I'll be talking to both of you more about it.

 

[barrelroll]

Tractors aren't going to be good mining production machines. That Kubota is for the guy who putzes around his property on the weekend. We have a pile of Kubota tractors at work we use as buggies, all they do is dive around a mine, no attachments. They hold up ok but when used hard issues pop up like transmission and rear end problems. They just aren't designed to be production equipment.

Home depot rents the Kubota you mention for $269 a day, it might be worth renting one for a day before buying.

It might not hurt to sit down and do some math. Yards per hour divided by gallons of diesel per hour and cost of equipment divided by yards per hour.

 

[The1rod]

So my question is, why stockpile? Do you plan to use the stock pile to supplement as you pull raw feed, or do you plan to stockpile 6 hours worth of material in three hours and then run just from the stockpile?

 

[n01d3x]

I like the idea of renting one and seeing what it would do. I would stockpile because I figure only running the trommel when I had enough material to run at full capacity, would be more efficient. If I fed it with just the hoe the trommel would be running all day and not processing much.

 

[Reed Lukens]

I'm pretty sure the gravels are virgin. There's a layer of fully cemented black straight concrete on top of the semi cemented stuff. There's tailings piles all over and I've tested them and found basically nothing. There is descent gold in the semi cemented stuff I've tested, and it's all over. I was able to break up a lot of the material by hand in my high banker. I'm sure if and or when I get this project rollin I'll be talking to both of you more about it.

You have black channel? That's usually some of the best. You should get ahold of Sierra Blaster and test out your cemented blacks. I'm using our Blaster on semi-cemented gravel here in Eastern Oregon now but there's no busting up the good stuff with a shovel up here. I would call around to rental agencies because we rent for less than $200 a day in Grass Valley, CA from Hanson Bros if you can tow it to the site yourself.

 

[blackchipjim]

In my oppinion I would go big and used in the long run it is not out of its duty range. The little machines would break under mining conditions. Good luck.

 

[The1rod]

So say you plan on running 10 yards per hour, you would have to stockpile 20 yards an hour for three hours to be able to run 10 yards an hour for 6 hours. Im guessing you are planning to do this by stockpiling with the loader bucket, and feeding the plant with the hoe, most likely because the trommel doesn't have the capacity to be direct fed from the bucket. If this is the case, it might be worth looking into a feeder that could handle the volume of the bucket and consistently feed the trommel at 10 yards per hour. Then you could direct feed it so you wouldn't have to stockpile, then you could run material for all 9 hours, plus save wear and tear on your machine by only handling the material once.

 

[n01d3x]

I read the black stuff was supposed to be the best too. I crushed some of it and didn't even find a speck. Given I only crushed maybe a couple of gallons worth, but I thought I would see more. The trommel looks like it could handle being fed by a loader. In the videos they are using a loader to fed it anyway. I do like the idea of directly feeding and not having to handle material twice. My concern is that I won't be able to keep up with the trommel with directly feeding it, because I assume I'm going to need to dig material with the hoe bucket not the loader bucket.