ah.... some progress....GMS stream hopper arrived - pump options? Pics ->

[Mint_2k]

I ordered the GMS hopper box and it just arrived!

I have to say, it's a pretty solid unit. I already had the bucket sluice, and it works nicely. I was initially thinking to add this hopper to a Keene A52, but since the areas I'll be going contain mostly fine gold, I'm going to order an ABS sluice for this highbanker build. I'm not sure if I'm going to get the GMS or the US Prospector version....slowly but surely....

 

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[okbasspro]

Re: ah.... some progress....GMS stream hopper arrived

Looks good keep us updated my son is looking for something light to use.That looks like it would fit the bill.

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: ah.... some progress....GMS stream hopper arrived

Thanks. I believe this is a 1inch inlet to the spray bars. The GMS. Site states that it needs a 30 gpm pump minimum. Based on what I've read here, gas is probably the way to go for me - don't want to lug around big batteries, or deal with charging them. It wouldn't need to be a super pump, but I was thinking about this one from Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-clear-water-pump-with-98cc-gas-engine-68371.html

It's small, with a 2220 GPH (37 GPM), but it has the 1inch in/out. I wonder if this will be too weak someone with more experience with pumps, and how they lose power based on distance please chime in I can get a more powerful pump, but the next step up is more that 2x the power I need in water movement, and the in/out is 2 inches.....that would mean the hopper opening would be a huge bottleneck and put unnecessary strain on the pump, right?

This a clear water pump.....not sure if all creeks are "clear"......


If anyone has any suggestions, please hit me with them.
I don't want to have trouble finding hoses either......not many suction hoses come in a 1 inch....

 

[Mint_2k]

Ah.....

ok..... dug a little deeper and read some of the instruction manual PDF docs that come with these pumps. That small 1" pump is probably going to be ok, but not for a decent lift, unless I want to be running the highbanker within 10 feet of the pump. That 37 GPM is the max I'll get, and so it may be better to go with a higher capacity pump after all. I was hoping to keep everything light, as we'd have to jam everything in the car for trips.... I guess there's no "replacement for displacement".... This is my first time dealing with these kinds of issues, so I'm not used to covering these sorts of bases.

I'f I understand correctly, the inlet suction hose diameter needs to be the same diameter as the the inlet nozzle on the pump. I found a few pumps that will work (have greater GPM) but the discharge is 1.5 or 2 inches. The hopper is only a 1 inch, so there's going to be a bottleneck there.

My question is if I'm going from a 1.5" discharge hose into a 1" hopper, will this pre-maturely wear out or strain the pump? I see a higher flow pump size here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-clear-water-pump-with-99cc-gas-engine-68328.html

That one would give me a 75 GPM flow. If the folks at CalSluiceBox state I need a 30 minimum (but I'd like more), I should be able to run this pump @ low speed and have it work fine, but I'm still not sure if going from a 1.5" discharge hose into a 1" hopper tube is a "bad" thing. Please

Forgive the newB questions, please.......

 

[okbasspro]

I run this pump

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORTABLE-2-...=230728754856&ps=63&clkid=6812504902521101383

On this unit

http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/inc/sdetail/14453

We were running the highbanker side over 100 ft from water last weekend and had great flow the pump also runs the dredge side decent
The pump is light and uses less than 3/4 gallon fuel a day.The dredge side reduces to less than 1/2 inch in the nozzel and dont give me any troubles my highbanker reduces to 1 1/2 inch but I have a valve to regulate the flow as long as some water is flowing it should not pose a issue to you.I checked with the guy I got the pump from and was told a seal kit was only $25.00.

 

[Mint_2k]

I run this pump

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORTABLE-2-...=230728754856&ps=63&clkid=6812504902521101383

On this unit

http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/inc/sdetail/14453

We were running the highbanker side over 100 ft from water last weekend and had great flow the pump also runs the dredge side decent
The pump is light and uses less than 3/4 gallon fuel a day.The dredge side reduces to less than 1/2 inch in the nozzel and dont give me any troubles my highbanker reduces to 1 1/2 inch but I have a valve to regulate the flow as long as some water is flowing it should not pose a issue to you.I checked with the guy I got the pump from and was told a seal kit was only $25.00.

okbasspro, Thanks for the info. That's a better pump and cheaper, to boot! Thanks again.

 

[okbasspro]

I run this pump

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORTABLE-2-...=230728754856&ps=63&clkid=6812504902521101383

On this unit

http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/inc/sdetail/14453

We were running the highbanker side over 100 ft from water last weekend and had great flow the pump also runs the dredge side decent
The pump is light and uses less than 3/4 gallon fuel a day.The dredge side reduces to less than 1/2 inch in the nozzel and dont give me any troubles my highbanker reduces to 1 1/2 inch but I have a valve to regulate the flow as long as some water is flowing it should not pose a issue to you.I checked with the guy I got the pump from and was told a seal kit was only $25.00.

okbasspro, Thanks for the info. That's a better pump and cheaper, to boot! Thanks again.

It works for me I did add the cam connectors though when hands are cold and wet it is hard to put pipe threads on that are full of sand and dirt.The pump is very quiet I checked mine and it is running at 3600 rpm you can barley tell its running 15 feet away.
Happy Hunting

 

[63bkpkr]

Hi Again,
The killer with any system is having angle turns in the supply hose to the hopper as any bends/kinks really cut down on the output to the spray box. Having a straight hose or a higher output pump to allow for line losses is necessary......63bkpkr

PS - I've the GMS hopper in a box waiting for me to open it and then put it onto my A-52 sluice.

okbasspro a question for you: What is the GPM output of the pump, what brand gas engine, and what are the cam connectors you spoke of? Thanks..63

 

[Mint_2k]

okbasspro a question for you: What is the GPM output of the pump, what brand gas engine, and what are the cam connectors you spoke of? Thanks..63

X2 on that one....I think the pump equates to about 40 GPM.... I'll actually need to buy all my hoses too
The stuff does add up....
There's a Harbor Tools and a Harbor Freight off 290, I'm going to check out....
Let me know how the GMS hopper does with the A52.....

:-)

 

[okbasspro]

Hi Again,
The killer with any system is having angle turns in the supply hose to the hopper as any bends/kinks really cut down on the output to the spray box. Having a straight hose or a higher output pump to allow for line losses is necessary......63bkpkr

PS - I've the GMS hopper in a box waiting for me to open it and then put it onto my A-52 sluice.

okbasspro a question for you: What is the GPM output of the pump, what brand gas engine, and what are the cam connectors you spoke of? Thanks..63

I think the output is about 50gpm but it is a 2 inch pump not a 1 or 1.5.My pressure hose necks down to 1.5 at the pump then down to 1 at the nozzle and then smaller than that into the nozzle.It provides enough power to run the 2 inch dredge side.I have run the highbanker side 100ft from the pump and had lots of water flow to run it.The connectors are the ones you add that have the 2 ears that you pull to lock the hose to the pump.I belive they are called camlocks.here is a pic.The engine is a Lifan it is a honda clone that is so close the honda parts fit.The best clone made they do all the motorcycle engines they bought all the old honda molds.

 

[Mint_2k]

well, as usual....when I have to much time on my hands, I start tinkering with stuff. Today, I decided to get a ball valve for the hopper, but nobody had the connections and adapter I needed.

finally after adding the valve and rotating the inlet / valve assemble outward and away from the hopper, I noticed a problem.... I could only rotate 180º. If I wanted to angle the inlet "down" it interferred with the plastic "lip" of the hopper, causting it to bulge and bow outward.

pic of the hopper and valve attached roated in travel position:

pic of the area where the pipe interferes with the hopper lip:

I figured in order to get a downward angle I could either attach a PVC elbow or cut a notch in the lip of the hopper. I figured what the heck..... I marked the area that needed to be cut out:

Here's a shot of the underside of the spraybar assembly after taking it off the hopper:

after the cut out..... much better. I can now angle the whole thing down w/ no probs...the pipe clears the lip....

lastly, I decided to build a full 1 inch reducer that would handle serious pressure. The hopper inlet is 1", and the pump will be bringing in a 2" hose. I wanted to build the strongest bottleneck adapter to the hopper that I could. I encorporated a steel 1" threaded nipple adapter to a 2" male outlet (PVC), and cemented the sucker from the inside along the threads. Then I added a female in / out coupling, and cemented that as well. This 2" to 1" custom bottleneck adapter is a beast. I figure I'd give some run flat hose an aneurysm before this adapter fails.