Dredge pump for home made dredge

[Lynx equipment]

Ok I'm building a new dredge . My question is has anyone ever thought about a double suction centrfugel pump on a dredge ? I only want one engine one pump to carry but want the power of 2 pumps. So why not a double suction centrafugal pump I ask .well as far as I can tell they don't exist in sizes weights we need .I'm designing one currently and should have a prototype this winter to test . I'm looking for input

 

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[winners58]

why?, just get a bigger pump, on a dredge pump the bite of the impeller is tuned to the torque of the engine.
maybe you could combine a direct mount and a pedestal pump connected with a pulley on the same motor
but would bog down considerably. water does not compress much.
on my 4" dredge I was running an 8hp with a big old gold-divers pump, a few months ago I built a much lighter setup
I actually get a little more suction, the engine is a 205cc B&S but runs at 4000rpm paired with a Keene p180 pump.
. (only weighs 45lb)
.
.
my old 8hp motor (90lb's) and a shot of my 11hp with a Keene 3x4 pump

 

[Lynx equipment]

Why not lol I like to have more power than I need but if I can make a double suction pump that can hook a t80 to the end would be more compact and more efficient becouse a single impeller has wasted high pressure behind the impeller so less hp required to run . I'm an engineer that sees room for improvement and I can't carry the weight I could 10 years ago

 

[Bonaro]

Why not lol I like to have more power than I need but if I can make a double suction pump that can hook a t80 to the end would be more compact and more efficient becouse a single impeller has wasted high pressure behind the impeller so less hp required to run . I'm an engineer that sees room for improvement and I can't carry the weight I could 10 years ago

Simply put...you don't necessarily need more power to make the dredge work better, you just need enough.
The best design is not a over powered, super efficient pump/motor combo. It is the most effective combination of HP and pump that will get the job done with consideration given to reliability, fuel efficiency and weight.

I can build a dredge with so much power and suction that it will break your fingers if you put you hand over the nozzle....but it will not be efficient or lightweight.
As an engineer you are probably familiar with the K.I.S.S. design method...it definitely applies here

 

[mendoAu]

You also have to consider the amount of flow thru your sluice box. To much flow and you will tend to blow gold out.

 

[N-Lionberger]

You also have to consider the amount of flow thru your sluice box. To much flow and you will tend to blow gold out.

That's just what I was thinking.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Why not lol I like to have more power than I need but if I can make a double suction pump that can hook a t80 to the end would be more compact and more efficient becouse a single impeller has wasted high pressure behind the impeller so less hp required to run . I'm an engineer that sees room for improvement and I can't carry the weight I could 10 years ago

By "hook a t80 to the end" do you mean directly connecting the engine shaft through the two impellers to the shaft of the T80? if so you're going to fry that poor little compressor pretty fast.