Is a gold hog piglet a good choice? I have never high banked but I have read good things about the piglet and I am sick of trying set a sluice up in my creek so I'm going to get a highbanker I'm hoping it will be easier to set up
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Proline the absolute BEST by such a huge margin. Built industrial tough with a "real dredge setup" so 2 pieces of high quality equipment with fines recovery for the price of one. John
Proline the absolute BEST by such a huge margin. Built industrial tough with a "real dredge setup" so 2 pieces of high quality equipment with fines recovery for the price of one. John
Another vote for the Piglet. I've messed with a couple of other highbankers that use older style hoppers, perforated spray bars, expanded w/ miners' moss, hungarian riffles, drop riffles, etc. Most modifications I've tried to make to my others are already incorporated into the Piglet, so I said screw it and bought one. It's a simple, efficient, robust unit. They are welded instead of riveted now and the whole thing, with mats, only weighs 20-21lbs. At $490, it's also cheaper than most others and seems to run well over a yard per hour, but leaves less concentrates and only takes about one minute to clean out. The old version of GH's Mini, the Excavator) was lower quality and not as efficient.
The Honda WX15 pump ($500!) is more appropriate than the WX10. The Piglet likes 3000-4000 GPH. It's still only 20lbs, though. Piglet + Honda pump = $1,000. You can save around $300 and get a cheap Chinese pump if you like.
The smallest Proline is $2,000, which includes a high-pressure Honda pump that allows you to dredge. Proline also makes very high quality equipment and you should look into it before you pull the trigger on either unit.
Definitely go out with someone who has some experience first, if you're able.
There is no need to spend $$$ on a high banker. The Modern Goldseeker's Manual has an excelent plan made from wood. Any joiner can make it. Unlike the commecially sold models it's modular, so you can change the riffle system AND the sluice with easy.
is getting a piece of dredge hose to go into the highbanker like gold hog suggests doing really necessary or will the regular pump hose work?
You can run lay-flat directly into the high banker but it will kink in a couple of places, which reduces your flow and makes your pump have to work a little harder. Plenty of people do it that way though. It works. A short length of semi-rigid hose (suction hose, etc) just eliminates the kinks and gives you more GPM at a lower pump RPM.