California regulations for a highbanker?

[CA Gold Hunter]

So I just purchased a Goldhog piglet and will be mainly using it at my property but would love to take it to some places I've done well at panning but couldn't sluice because I would have had to drag buckets over a hundred yards to the fast moving part of the stream. At first I was looking at 4000 gph 12v bilge pumps on amazon to power this thing and keep it quiet but since my main use will be here at home so I decided to pick up the wx15 since I was planning on getting a gas pump later on, might as well get the right one the first time plus it will be a hell of a lot lighter than carrying a deep cycle battery into the woods lol. Are there any laws that come in to play using a gas pump over an electric pump that I should be worried about if I take this out to a public area? Would I have to have the tailings dumping into an area away from the creek? Also are there any muffler mods that anyone can recommend to make the motor a little quieter?

 

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[QNCrazy]

Depending on where you go, some LEO's look at Highbankers the same as dredges, so you're taking a chance. However, when i go out with my highbanker, I use a 1000w inverter generator and a HF sump pump reated for 3000 gph (or something like that). The generator is very quiet. I use pool hose as my supply line. I cut the manufactured ends off hose and use a 1 1/4" PVC slip/threaded adapter on each end with a hose clamp. Works great.

Edit: A couple of years ago, I had my highbanker spilling onto the bank and it flowed into the creek. the local LEO showed up and told me to move the higbanker further from the creek or dig a hole for hte discharged water to flow into. He said the water water was very cloudy downstrean and that is what gave me away. Be careful.

 

[N-Lionberger]

A few years ago I was running a suction nozzle on a highbanker in the middle of the creek wetsuit and everything had a couple rangers walk up on us, they were concerned about the clearance around our campfire, had us scrape it down a little, looked at some gold wished us luck and departed.

 

[CA Gold Hunter]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I'll look into going electric down at the creek. I should probably start another thread or look through the older ones but would the honda wx 15 be strong enough to turn the piglet into a dredge and would that technically be a legal way to dredge in california if you aren't discharging into the creek?

 

[N-Lionberger]

Dredging is illegal here in California, don't get caught! I doubt the wx15 has enough juice to run a dredge hose up to a highbanker.

 

[Goldwasher]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I'll look into going electric down at the creek. I should probably start another thread or look through the older ones but would the honda wx 15 be strong enough to turn the piglet into a dredge and would that technically be a legal way to dredge in california if you aren't discharging into the creek?

It will run a 1.5 inch suction nozzle just fine. A two inch if you can get your discharge close to even or below the nozzle level.

Pumping up into a hopper not so much.. Thats why prolines little 1.5 combo is designed the way it is. So that little pump can have some good pressure.

I've got months of time running a 2" inch puddle jumper. No floats, stand in the creek discharge was a crash box so 8 inches above waterline or so, with that little red honda spinning a Keene p90 pump

You'll only get three four feet of depth before the slurry gets really slow in the hose.

It's not a material mover its a detailer super sniper. A lot of raking and rock chucking. But, you can get a set up like that really far into the bush.

What you describe would be considered dredging. It's the sucking they want stopped..based on harmless discharge.

Just don't get caught.

 

[seafox]

sometimes I think the idea is to make it so unprofitable all us mountian raping forest pillaging productive people would just go away

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Last year they posted "wilderness restoration area" signs around where my claim is and blocked out public camping. Now it's all private camping and awesome, while their wilderness restoration is going through my sluice box haha. What idiots!!!

 

[Hoser John]

dangerous