So after having found a nice riverbank with clean water, decent drop for a gravity dredge (im gonna give her a try Spaghetti), no neighbors, and friendly locals who sold me a share of the claim, I decided to go all in and give it a run at starting a small backhoe fed op running a portable wash plant. Sounds crazy but 1 hour of panning/BGT yielded me about 3/4 gram, so I figure a back hoe could multiply that by at least 10x per hour, in a 8hr day thats a good clean out.
I put down 15k for a used backhoe in Miami, and after 2 months of ocean freight and six months having her fixed up we decided it was time to start.
I bought 2x 4meter by 45cm x 2inch thick hardwood boards for the trip (gonna try out regular moss in one and GoldHog mats in the other). Each piece weighed about 150pounds. Getting them back home was a trick from the barraca (wood supply)
So I got 100 meters of 3 inch tubing as well, and all had to be loaded into the dumptruck as the road is too narrow to get a flatbed or lowboy to the nearest town. Here you can see the tubing and wood under the backhoe.
Next began our trip. On the map its about 80km straight line, but with going thru the mountains and across gullys and streams its about 12 hours by car, so I figured 20 hrs by dumptruck. After traveling for almost a whole day we hit a spot where the road was cut into shear rock, but the bucket hit a jutting piece of the shear and was unable to pass. So we had to back up about 2kms, in the dark, raining, on a winding curvy road with a 100mt drop off the side to find a wide enough spot to unload the backhoe. No guard rails here guys. And still about 8 hrs away from the site.
After unloading the machine, with little help from the driver (he was upset that his next load would be delayed) we started off to town. By that time (7am) the sun comes out and it immediately fogs up. The machine scraped the roadway all the way.
Getting close to the nearest town the radiator sprang a leak. Which was odd because we ran it for almost 2 weeks and removed the thermostat to make sure it wouldnt overheat. Later I found out that the operator was mashing the break all the down rather than downshifting. He ignored the alarm because he thought it was normal. So I had a friend (mechanic) come out and use give it a temp fix once we got to the nearest town (still about 5 hours away). We get that fixed and start off down the last road, and immediately the machine begins creaking and cranking. Mechanic buddy was still there and we got him before leaving. Something about discs and pressure plates.
2 days go by and the locals come out to see what the problem is. One old lady tells of dream she had about a Boa strangling the machine until it was fed potatoes. She takes it as an omen that we have not given the machine a proper challa,or blessing. So out come the bags of coca leaves, rubbing alcohol, sugar. Every partakes in approaching the blanket set with the formentioned, taking some coca to chew, placing a handful in a pot, mixing it with sugar, and walks around the machine splashing it with the alcohol. At the end of the blessing, and before handing the bottle of rubbing alcohol off to the next person, you take a swig. Small swig. Because rubbing alcohol burns. Bad. We all do this, even the old ladies and men, and kids. This is the proper way to bless a vehicle or property. One must give thanks to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). Buddy gives it a quick fix and we go on our way, making a little less noise than before.
Around the last curve, crossing the last stream, 2 hours away from the site) the machine gives us trouble. With every turn of the wheel the front bucket lifts up, after a while its totally up in the air and you cant make out the road. A new operator this time (part time mechanic) pulls the actuator valve off. Somethings missing. But we have a temp fix. Turn off the machine, the pump releases pressure, the bucket drops, we drive until its up again. What should have been a 2-3 hour drive has us leaving the machine overnight when we reach another shear cliff that the bucket, when extended, hits above the road. We go to town and sleep trying to figure out a solution. Next morning we return, and removed the springs from the lift valves. So the machine wont lift when you turn the wheel. We get to the top of the ridge looking down to the site. Heres a pic looking down, to the left of the grassy pasture where the cabins are is the river, and we plan on working the entire bank. It looks like the river at one time ran where the pasture is , and cut straight thru eventually, leaving the pasture area with a good amount of buildup.
Here the road has long been abandoned, so we need the front bucket working. Removing valves and hoses and what not. Finally find a washer that was not releasing a spring that caused the bucket to lift with every turn of the wheel. Get her fixed like a boss, with just an adjustable wrench, screwdiver, and railroad spike. We start clearing the 8 curves down the hillside
And the fog sets in
We slowly make our way down, clearing whats has blocked the road and leveling after the backhoe has passed. At the last curve, the last curve, something goes wrong. The arm on the machine wont swing back to the left. Take off valves, reassemble, we try everything. Nothing works. Empty the bucket by hand and still nothing. So we head down the cabins and sleep trying to figure out what to do. The mechanic/operator diagnoses it as low hydraulic fluid, since we have been dumping a good amount every time we take the valves off. The closest town that sells 10 liter buckets is 9 hours out. Its decided that one of the locals will head off to ask another mine in the area to loan us a 5 liter bucket. He returns in the afternoon and informs us that we have one week to return a fresh bucket. Its common for miners to help each other out in these parts. That mine that loaned up Hydraulic fluid may need oil or some random part later on down the line. But even filling the reservoir doesnt fix the problem. Once again we go to sleep trying to find a solution. Heres where the machine stopped (sorry about the brightness, at 3600mts above sea level the sun burns but its cold)
Next morning we decide we have to take the hydraulic pump, rear and front command valves, radiator and water pump off and return to the city. No spare parts, no tools, nothing to work with out there. The operator/mechanic get everything off and we decide to leave the next morn. I head down the river to check it out. These are some pics of the honey hole the locals have been working (as I looking and taking pics of this rocks are falling off the shear above me, a dishplate size rock smashes 3 ft away from me and I leave) .
As we are leaving the same old lady who informed us about the blessing informs us that the blessing was not enough. We call a little assembly of everyone there and its agreed that a bigger offering is needed. We all contribute about 200 pesos (30 bucks) each for the purchase of a good mesa
(table) and the services of a llatiri (shaman) to perform the ritual offering. Its agreed that the locals that stay will venture into the mountains to find a wild adult Llama for the sacrifice. We leave the parts weighing down the back of the SUV and splashing fluid everywhere.
Just today mechanic tells me that everything is good to go, and that Saturday we could leave to fix her up. The mesa has been done, and the llatiri informed the people there during the offering that site we are working is sacred ground, that another offering should be done within 6 months. I blew 2 tires out on the trip back. Something came loose on the undercarriage and dust just poured into the SUV. Had the machine break down numerous times. Our 55 gallon drum of diesel sprung a leak. Almost get pancaked by falling rocks. Im hoping this offering will rectify our trying to enter without offering proper offer.
Bolivia has a long and somewhat rocky relationship with mining. Thats a story for another thread but in these small towns so far away from the cities, community mining is fairly common. The hope of every small group of miners is to one day become mechanized. To stop with the pans and move volume. And there are plenty of stories of groups that put their all in into a machine and retire within a year. Going from a few grams in a pan to quintales (100kg bags) of gold weekly. Gold fever...
Last pics, river as it is now (winter down here south of the equator)
And the pasture we eventually hope to work
On the way back, driving above the clouds
Had this custom built 2mts x 1mt to run with a Honda gx160, 1 inch-ish punch, perfectly sized to fit in the back of Landcruiser and be moved with the backhoe
Just wanted to share my little experience with yall. Thanks for looking and any advice/comments/suggestions in advance.
I put down 15k for a used backhoe in Miami, and after 2 months of ocean freight and six months having her fixed up we decided it was time to start.
I bought 2x 4meter by 45cm x 2inch thick hardwood boards for the trip (gonna try out regular moss in one and GoldHog mats in the other). Each piece weighed about 150pounds. Getting them back home was a trick from the barraca (wood supply)
So I got 100 meters of 3 inch tubing as well, and all had to be loaded into the dumptruck as the road is too narrow to get a flatbed or lowboy to the nearest town. Here you can see the tubing and wood under the backhoe.
Next began our trip. On the map its about 80km straight line, but with going thru the mountains and across gullys and streams its about 12 hours by car, so I figured 20 hrs by dumptruck. After traveling for almost a whole day we hit a spot where the road was cut into shear rock, but the bucket hit a jutting piece of the shear and was unable to pass. So we had to back up about 2kms, in the dark, raining, on a winding curvy road with a 100mt drop off the side to find a wide enough spot to unload the backhoe. No guard rails here guys. And still about 8 hrs away from the site.
After unloading the machine, with little help from the driver (he was upset that his next load would be delayed) we started off to town. By that time (7am) the sun comes out and it immediately fogs up. The machine scraped the roadway all the way.
Getting close to the nearest town the radiator sprang a leak. Which was odd because we ran it for almost 2 weeks and removed the thermostat to make sure it wouldnt overheat. Later I found out that the operator was mashing the break all the down rather than downshifting. He ignored the alarm because he thought it was normal. So I had a friend (mechanic) come out and use give it a temp fix once we got to the nearest town (still about 5 hours away). We get that fixed and start off down the last road, and immediately the machine begins creaking and cranking. Mechanic buddy was still there and we got him before leaving. Something about discs and pressure plates.
2 days go by and the locals come out to see what the problem is. One old lady tells of dream she had about a Boa strangling the machine until it was fed potatoes. She takes it as an omen that we have not given the machine a proper challa,or blessing. So out come the bags of coca leaves, rubbing alcohol, sugar. Every partakes in approaching the blanket set with the formentioned, taking some coca to chew, placing a handful in a pot, mixing it with sugar, and walks around the machine splashing it with the alcohol. At the end of the blessing, and before handing the bottle of rubbing alcohol off to the next person, you take a swig. Small swig. Because rubbing alcohol burns. Bad. We all do this, even the old ladies and men, and kids. This is the proper way to bless a vehicle or property. One must give thanks to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). Buddy gives it a quick fix and we go on our way, making a little less noise than before.
Around the last curve, crossing the last stream, 2 hours away from the site) the machine gives us trouble. With every turn of the wheel the front bucket lifts up, after a while its totally up in the air and you cant make out the road. A new operator this time (part time mechanic) pulls the actuator valve off. Somethings missing. But we have a temp fix. Turn off the machine, the pump releases pressure, the bucket drops, we drive until its up again. What should have been a 2-3 hour drive has us leaving the machine overnight when we reach another shear cliff that the bucket, when extended, hits above the road. We go to town and sleep trying to figure out a solution. Next morning we return, and removed the springs from the lift valves. So the machine wont lift when you turn the wheel. We get to the top of the ridge looking down to the site. Heres a pic looking down, to the left of the grassy pasture where the cabins are is the river, and we plan on working the entire bank. It looks like the river at one time ran where the pasture is , and cut straight thru eventually, leaving the pasture area with a good amount of buildup.
Here the road has long been abandoned, so we need the front bucket working. Removing valves and hoses and what not. Finally find a washer that was not releasing a spring that caused the bucket to lift with every turn of the wheel. Get her fixed like a boss, with just an adjustable wrench, screwdiver, and railroad spike. We start clearing the 8 curves down the hillside
And the fog sets in
We slowly make our way down, clearing whats has blocked the road and leveling after the backhoe has passed. At the last curve, the last curve, something goes wrong. The arm on the machine wont swing back to the left. Take off valves, reassemble, we try everything. Nothing works. Empty the bucket by hand and still nothing. So we head down the cabins and sleep trying to figure out what to do. The mechanic/operator diagnoses it as low hydraulic fluid, since we have been dumping a good amount every time we take the valves off. The closest town that sells 10 liter buckets is 9 hours out. Its decided that one of the locals will head off to ask another mine in the area to loan us a 5 liter bucket. He returns in the afternoon and informs us that we have one week to return a fresh bucket. Its common for miners to help each other out in these parts. That mine that loaned up Hydraulic fluid may need oil or some random part later on down the line. But even filling the reservoir doesnt fix the problem. Once again we go to sleep trying to find a solution. Heres where the machine stopped (sorry about the brightness, at 3600mts above sea level the sun burns but its cold)
Next morning we decide we have to take the hydraulic pump, rear and front command valves, radiator and water pump off and return to the city. No spare parts, no tools, nothing to work with out there. The operator/mechanic get everything off and we decide to leave the next morn. I head down the river to check it out. These are some pics of the honey hole the locals have been working (as I looking and taking pics of this rocks are falling off the shear above me, a dishplate size rock smashes 3 ft away from me and I leave) .
As we are leaving the same old lady who informed us about the blessing informs us that the blessing was not enough. We call a little assembly of everyone there and its agreed that a bigger offering is needed. We all contribute about 200 pesos (30 bucks) each for the purchase of a good mesa
(table) and the services of a llatiri (shaman) to perform the ritual offering. Its agreed that the locals that stay will venture into the mountains to find a wild adult Llama for the sacrifice. We leave the parts weighing down the back of the SUV and splashing fluid everywhere.
Just today mechanic tells me that everything is good to go, and that Saturday we could leave to fix her up. The mesa has been done, and the llatiri informed the people there during the offering that site we are working is sacred ground, that another offering should be done within 6 months. I blew 2 tires out on the trip back. Something came loose on the undercarriage and dust just poured into the SUV. Had the machine break down numerous times. Our 55 gallon drum of diesel sprung a leak. Almost get pancaked by falling rocks. Im hoping this offering will rectify our trying to enter without offering proper offer.
Bolivia has a long and somewhat rocky relationship with mining. Thats a story for another thread but in these small towns so far away from the cities, community mining is fairly common. The hope of every small group of miners is to one day become mechanized. To stop with the pans and move volume. And there are plenty of stories of groups that put their all in into a machine and retire within a year. Going from a few grams in a pan to quintales (100kg bags) of gold weekly. Gold fever...
Last pics, river as it is now (winter down here south of the equator)
And the pasture we eventually hope to work
On the way back, driving above the clouds
Had this custom built 2mts x 1mt to run with a Honda gx160, 1 inch-ish punch, perfectly sized to fit in the back of Landcruiser and be moved with the backhoe
Just wanted to share my little experience with yall. Thanks for looking and any advice/comments/suggestions in advance.
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John
