who do you recommend for custom built components?

[Jason in Enid]

Asking for advise from anyone who has contracted out build work for any of their mining equipment, who did you use that you were really happy with?

In the past, a lot of people highly recommended Heckler, but I have to say I am NOT impressed. I emailed a full description of what I needed back in may, and never heard a reply. A few weeks later I called and talked to Greg, and we got everything ironed out, including a 5 week expected time. 3 weeks later I still have no payment invoice so I call again (more apologies from greg) and he tells me he will get the invoice out to me. A week later, nothing. call back and finally get an invoice that night (with the wrong product description). Call and talk to someone else about the description, says greg will call me to verify. Now, here it is about 12 weeks after all this started, and a week after greg was supposed to call me back. I call and the work still hasn't been started. He says in the next few days. I say this isn't a good way to run a business.

Once I finally get this done, I'm not calling Heckler back, So, who do YOU use that you are happy with? and don't say to do it myself, I don't have a welder, the jigs, or metal fab equipment to do any manufacturing myself.

 

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[Goldwasher]

Dang they're not all that bust either. What are you trying to get made Jason?

 

[Goodyguy]

Was going to recommend trying Chris Robertson of Fabrication Specialists out of Yuma Az.
ph# (928) 446-5254 No idea what his currant status is.

Have never used him but liked his posts here on t-net, hasn't been active on here for over a year now.

GG~

 

[Jason in Enid]

Was going to recommend trying Chris Robertson of Fabrication Specialists out of Yuma Az.
ph# (928) 446-5254 No idea what his currant status is.

Have never used him but liked his posts here on t-net, hasn't been active on here for over a year now.

GG~

I just checked his shop facebook page and he's still active there. I'll keep him in the mental rolodex.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Dang they're not all that bust either. What are you trying to get made Jason?

A riffle set for a homemade dredge.

 

[johnedoe]

Fire Heckler and put hog mats in your sluice..........

 

[Goldwasher]

thats what I was gonna say

 

[Jason in Enid]

Fire Heckler and put hog mats in your sluice..........

It's crossed my mind. I hate all the choices though. There are so many versions of hogmat, and we're talking about a 24" run so it's not like the long-toms he is running multiple profiles in.

 

[johnedoe]

send the info to Doc regarding what your running material wise and water flow..... I'm sure they can set you up better than what your trying to get now....

 

[johnedoe]

thats what I was gonna say

Great minds think alike.......

 

[winners58]

saw a nice set on here last year http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/dredging-hi-banking/458403-im-back-6-build-4.html#post4503408
I think it was made by Jim Britton of D&K
I'm going to redo my riffles on my 5" this winter I found out Keene will sell just straight riffle stock, ready to go, just weld them in.

 

[johnedoe]

It's crossed my mind. I hate all the choices though. There are so many versions of hogmat, and we're talking about a 24" run so it's not like the long-toms he is running multiple profiles in.

A 24" run?..... Even more reason to run hogs......

 

[Goldwasher]

It's crossed my mind. I hate all the choices though. There are so many versions of hogmat, and we're talking about a 24" run so it's not like the long-toms he is running multiple profiles in.

The whole sluice section is 24" or for just 24" of the sluice. I would not recommend relying on gold hog for only 24" in a dredge. Hi bankers are different and there is a reason he uses the reverse ramp riffle.

Is the feed coming from a flare? Are you trying to make a small dredge? What is your water volume? What size material?

 

[Jason in Enid]

The whole sluice section is 24" or for just 24" of the sluice. I would not recommend relying on gold hog for only 24" in a dredge. Hi bankers are different and there is a reason he uses the reverse ramp riffle.

Is the feed coming from a flare? Are you trying to make a small dredge? What is your water volume? What size material?

No, it's only a 24" top section of a 4' box, over/under, flared, 3" dredge, with enough water to overflow the box if I open up the engine. The underlayer is already good with expanded over deep V. Test runs already caught gold I wasn't expecting. This is the top run for pickers, and anything +1/8.

 

[Hoser John]

Let your fingers do the walking in your phone book as plenty of metal fabrication shops everywhere who are dying for work. Dredge components are not rocket science so parts easily made. NO excuse for the lousy service you have received. John

 

[Goldwasher]

No, it's only a 24" top section of a 4' box, over/under, flared, 3" dredge, with enough water to overflow the box if I open up the engine. The underlayer is already good with expanded over deep V. Test runs already caught gold I wasn't expecting. This is the top run for pickers, and anything +1/8.

Bnugget (Brandon Rinehart) has a huge power sluice under the hopper he has some rubber mat upside down. making squares. He said most of his recover is there even though the sluice run is like a quarter mile long

I have had great results with plastic bread rack. The kind that bakeries and bread mongers at the grocery store use. Think of those racks you see them push around that have the slide out plastic rack that has the diamond pattern like milk crates. Even milk crate will work cut it so the squares make a diamond pattern with the flow. The plasric is hard and uv stable milk crates and these racks are made for years of use and sitting in the sun behind grocery stores.

 

[Goldwasher]

Here's what I'm talking about. And the nugget trap for my big feed box. I only care if it holds onto 1/4 up but it still gets like 80% of the gold. The material go to an apron where it classifies to minus1/4. The minus drops into dead water in the apron and the slurry self feeds into a second box with punch plate over expanded and vmat then to gold hog. The feed box and apron box combined hold 95%. Just some very fine like minus 100 mesh makes it into the last box and the gold hog in it catches that. It allows us to just dig and feed to our hearts content.

 

[goldhog]

No, it's only a 24" top section of a 4' box, over/under, flared, 3" dredge, with enough water to overflow the box if I open up the engine. The underlayer is already good with expanded over deep V. Test runs already caught gold I wasn't expecting. This is the top run for pickers, and anything +1/8.

Do you have a picture of the box?
I'm really trying to wrap my head around the "flared" thing.

The problem with getting custom riffles made is that not many people really know how to make them well.
Often, for the ones that do... it's really not worth the time and expense to "stop the shop" and work on one set.
If they do... it ends up getting pricey.

I'll take a look at the box and see what I can come up with.
If I don't think I have a fix... I'll tell you... no fix.

Also, what size dredge is it?
Don't think I read that as I skimmed.

There's also a thread on our support forum about dredges and dealing with the DROP ZONE where the flare
enters the main box.

Doc

 

[Jason in Enid]

Do you have a picture of the box?
I'm really trying to wrap my head around the "flared" thing.

The problem with getting custom riffles made is that not many people really know how to make them well.
Often, for the ones that do... it's really not worth the time and expense to "stop the shop" and work on one set.
If they do... it ends up getting pricey.

I'll take a look at the box and see what I can come up with.
If I don't think I have a fix... I'll tell you... no fix.

Also, what size dredge is it?
Don't think I read that as I skimmed.

There's also a thread on our support forum about dredges and dealing with the DROP ZONE where the flare
enters the main box.

Doc

Thanks for the reply. I wrote "flared" in response to whether it had a crash box or a flare for the input into the box. No pics at the moment, it's a 3" dredge.

 

[goldhog]

Thanks for the reply. I wrote "flared" in response to whether it had a crash box or a flare for the input into the box. No pics at the moment, it's a 3" dredge.

Ah.......... gotcha.....

Ron at GPS was nice enough to detail out how he converts out a 3 stage.
His thread is here: Gold Prospecting Forum ? View topic - Converting a Keene 3 stage over to Gold Hog mats
The main issue is dealing with the DROP from the flare to the bottom of the box.
If you don't raise that up... and install mats... you don't have any "exchange" for about 1/2 the box.
We run pretty much all Trimmed RiverHog and Talon in most dredges.
The "proportional force" video near the end shows some of them running.
In our 6" we run Yukon mat with 4 pound expanded. That's mainly due to
the power we have on that unit and the water DEPTH.
If I had a good source on riffles I'd send it... but Greg is the only one I know that really can do them well.
I'm sure he's just slammed with trommels for overseas.
Doc