Keene 151s Vibrostatic vs. Gold Buddy Super Stallion Drywashers

[spillercanyon]

Hey drywashers out there,
I am looking to step up my drywashing game this year and would like your opinions. I am looking at either getting a Keene 151s Vibrostatic drywasher with hot air induction or a Gold Buddy Super Stallion drywasher with a Jobe Hurricane blower. The Keene uses a 5hp Briggs 2000cfm with heat induction that would be good on damp material and the Gold Buddy uses a Honda 160cc 450cfm engine. I have owned 2 smaller Gold Buddy's and like the way they operate. I have never owned or used a Keene drywasher before. The Gold Buddy states it is the largest drywasher built in America. The Keene is well known, pumps 4 times the air and heats the air up to 50 degrees. The price is close so it comes down to which of these units performs the best and will hold up over time? Which would you buy?

Thanks!

 

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[Clay Diggins]

Both are good machines. They both run similar amounts of material with a slight edge to the 151. That's assuming you get them set up right and your material is dry.

Either machine will kill a grown man. A single man can't keep it fed and clear the tails. If you don't have friends that love digging get something smaller.

We ran the Stallion with a Honda preheat 5hp from a later 151, not too sure if the 450 cfm will do it.

The Keene will last you many seasons. The Stallion only lasted one for us. We still haven't worn out the 151s.

Heavy Pans

 

[KevinInColorado]

I use to run a 151, it’s too big for two strong guys to keep up with!

 

[galenrog]

Which is why mine sits on a shelf in the shop. I could not keep up with it at my best, and those days are long gone.

If you rarely have help feeding and clearing, perhaps something a bit smaller would be in order.

Time for more coffee.

 

[spillercanyon]

You ask the pros a question and you get a reality check. I'm not getting any younger, perhaps I should step it down 1 notch. The 151s states it can handle over 2yds an hour, if I work it hard for 5 hours, we're talking 10 yards, even half that, 5 yards a day, digging, throwing and clearing I would be down for the count. I appreciate the reality check, perhaps the Keene 140s might be a little more realistic and easier on the old wallet. Nice to have a group of people with experience to bounce questions off. I appreciate it.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Hard Prospector]

The keene 140s is more than up to the task for two fellas in average shape digging. The 140s also has kept evolving and has become much more efficient catching fine gold. No need for a 151 unless you have several well fed gorillas trained to use a #2 shovel.

 

[arizau]

I like quiet. Have you considered getting a battery powered puffer? I don't know the dimensions for the one you are looking at but the tray for mine is only 8" wide which I usually operate by myself. One day a friend helped me dig and though I ran more material, it kept us both busy digging and feeding/tending.

Good luck.

 

[delnorter]

Arizau and others, is there a battery power drywasher you would recommend? I too am a little smaller scale in ability to locate and feed the larger style equiment.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[arizau]

Arizau and others, is there a battery power drywasher you would recommend? I too am a little smaller scale in ability to locate and feed the larger style equiment.

Thanks,
Mike

Mine is a Whippet which I highly recommend but there is a waiting list and long wait for them. Check this thread out for recommendations and discussion for two others. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/drywashing/573156-bellows-vs-12v-puffer-static-charge.html. The wait for one of those should be a much shorter or may even be in inventory at Armadillo or a shop in Norcal.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Love my Whippet ijs

 

[Hard Prospector]

Arizau and others, is there a battery power drywasher you would recommend? I too am a little smaller scale in ability to locate and feed the larger style equiment.

Thanks,
Mike

Thompson, Whippet and Keene DW212 . I've got the Thompson and Keene puffer

 

[jair]

I had the DW212 and ran me ragged trying to keep up with it , I went back to my trusty , never let me down Thompson, I probably will never let it go . I use a 8” dry trommel to do my classification to 1/4 “ before the trommel and really works great

 

[bchopeful]

Is there much drying action of material with the electric vs the gas blower models?

 

[Hard Prospector]

Is there much drying action of material with the electric vs the gas blower models?

A gas operated hot air induction blower does a pretty good job drying out slightly damp material. Electric operated bellows puffer forget it as the damp material will "clump up" in the riffle tray. With the puffer, material must be bone dry before ran.

 

[KevinInColorado]

A gas operated hot air induction blower does a pretty good job drying out slightly damp material. Electric operated bellows puffer forget it as the damp material will "clump up" in the riffle tray. With the puffer, material must be bone dry before ran.

Nonsense. I can run damp stuff thru my Whippet puffer. I just rerun several times until it gets dry. Works great, catches super small gold.

 

[arizau]

Nonsense. I can run damp stuff thru my Whippet puffer. I just rerun several times until it gets dry. Works great, catches super small gold.

Gotta agree on this.

Here is my analysis. Wet or dry, a clod that encompasses tiny gold will usually just surf out along with stones, etc. The simple act of recycling waste increases the chance of disintegrating loosely held together masses thus freeing gold for potential capture while tight clods, even if they are more dry on the outside, will stay pretty much the same size and surf out again. IMO the main reason small gold is sometimes not captured in a dry washer (eg. found while panning tails material to determine "losses") is because it was inside a tight clod and it's weight was insignificant enough to not truly affect the overall density of the clod....wet or dry.* I think the best tip in dry washer operation is to check for black sands build up behind the the lower riffles and do a clean up before it builds up to the lip. That area is mostly dead to air agitation and usually creates a dense black sand ramp to the lip. Small gold may not be able to penetrate the black sands and just ramp over the lip of the riffle and, ultimately, make it's way out of the washer.

*Moral of the story: Dry washers are good but water operations are better since they disintegrate tight clods!

Heavy pans.

 

[Hamfist]

The ground you're working has a lot to do with how the drywasher will work. I use a Keene 151 and a Whippet puffer. My buddy and I easily overwhelm the 151, to the point where one of us is just busting up clods on the screen while the other shovels from stockpiled pay. We are fairly athletic, though. There are outlandish quantities of black sand in our area, which does slow things down. High concentrations of black sand will really slow down a puffer, too, especially if the ground is damp. Set up has to be on point with a puffer to be able to run somewhat damp material, and then you will either need to run it repeatedly until it's dry or come back to it in a few days. The 151 works noticeably better than the puffer on damp dirt especially with the heat induction blower. Each has it's advantages and having both is really nice.

 

[N-Lionberger]

If you want a fun project you can make a wooden puffer however big or small you want. They can also be operated by hand if you run out of juice.

 

[Bejay]

I have a Keene 151 and am debating about bringing it to Az and trading it for something smaller. Mine has the heater...Honda motor etc. A dry washing mining fool I knew had the 151 and he did not give a hoot about the material being damp. All us smaller unit guys were tarping and drying our material....but he would dig it and run it...and he got gold using the 151 with heater/blower. My days of keeping up with the 151 are long gone.....it can wear a young guy out for sure...and I am a long way from that now.

Bejay

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good call!

I used to run a 151 but it’s so huge!

Now I have a Whippet. Total weight under 15 pounds including battery! Easily keeps up with me. We see a lot of damp dirt here in CO but instead of a tarp, I just run it multiple times until it’s dry. Super easy to do.

Oh and boy does that precision engineering in the Whippet catch fine gold!!