Dredge Build help

[TxGoldDigger]

I am building a 2.5" dredge from parts I have. I have Keene Pontoons, a 12" header and flare to fit a 12" x 5' box......what I need is ideas for the frame for the motor mount and the sluice. My motor is a Honda gsx 160 .. plenty of power..... I am curious what you builders make your frames out of.

 

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[Reed Lukens]

This will be perfect for you -

 

[Mgumby16]

Depends on what your metal working skills are. If you have access to minimal tools and want a good quick frame Reeds method would suit you very well. If you can weld steel or aluminum and have access to the tools to do it and want to put in more time and effort then first go to some local scrap yards and see what they have laying around that they will sell you.

For my last 2 builds i used 1 inch square steel tubing and 15 gallon drums. For a 2.5 inch you could go with smaller square steel tubing. I got the steel from a local metal distributor 10 times cheaper then what you can get at lowes.

For my next couple of projects im going to use inch square aluminum tubing and 1.5 inch aluminum angle paired with pontoons made from extruded polysteryne foam (xps), and coated with cloth and outdoor paint to form a poormans fiberglass. The aluminum ive picked up at scrap yards and from stuff my place of work was throwing out.

Best of luck!! Post pics of your build once you get going on it!

 

[TxGoldDigger]

I have pontoons, and common sense but not the skills, I like the vid, May try something like that

 

[okbasspro]

I used some old window security bars to make my 2.5 frame