Need to Replace Blower

[desertgolddigger]

Hi Everyone, I am giving Placer Gold Mining another try after a five year absence. I own a mini Gold Buddy dry washer. I had purchase a gas blower for it based on a recommendation I got. Well, that blower was more trouble than it was worth. Yes, it provided a great blow, but soon the cloth that the air comes through in the dry washer was clogging with the oil/gas fumes. I had thought the exhaust was diverted outside. Anyway, I gave up gold mining, and want to find another gas blower that does not have the exhaust going through the blower hose to the dry washer.

Can anyone recommend an economical blower that will work with this small dry washer? And, as I mentioned, not those you normally find on the shelves of Home Depot or Lowes that have the exhaust going through the blower nozzle.

I am lucky that the oil, once it gets dirty, and dried, could be swept off the cloth. The dry washer is still useable. Thanks ahead of time. Caley

 

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[Cactus Pete]

I don't have a suggestion for a direct solution, but maybe a combo of that little $99 Harbor Freight generator and a big shop vac might work, if you can't find a direct gas blower setup.

 

[Hard Prospector]

I've had good luck using the Ryobi #RY09466A 4 stroke leaf blower (Home Depot.....around $160.) on my small to medium Royal drywashers. This little 4 stroke runs a bit quieter and no 2 stroke fumes to choke on. Most problems with small engines can be avoided with proper care and not pushing em too hard. For example; I position the motor on a steel cookie sheet between it and the ground and up wind of the dust. Use only fresh fuel and change out dirty oil and air filter every day and sometimes even twice daily. This motor seems a good match for smaller drywashers cause I typically only need run it at half throttle which really keeps wear down. BTW, I would change out that old riffle tray cloth if it had any oily residue even if dry...why take a chance? Good prospecting!
Rob

 

[desertgolddigger]

HP, I guess I am behind the times. Never knew there were 4-cycle leaf blowers. The Ryobi sounds nice. No oil to mix in the gas. Problem is that my Home Depot does not carry it. Guess I will have to order online, and have it delivered to my store.

I really think my tray cloth is fine. I've cleaned it off, and then held it up to the light, and see no obstructions. It looks just like new once cleaned. I am wondering if I may be stretching the length of time I work the thing before doing a cleanup. I usually go about two hours before doing a cleanup. Maybe the tray is just loaded down with too much material for my current blower. I think it only was rated at 100mph, or maybe less. I know it struggled to blow heavy accumulations of materials when using it for its designed purpose. Thanks Caley

 

[Hard Prospector]

Something else to consider, classifying material down to 1/4" makes everything run much more efficiently with these smaller drywashers and leaf blowers (especially setting feed rates)

 

[bobw53]

I need to get a blower too.. I was going to go with the Echo PB255 and then build a crack vac with it.. I looked at the 4 strokes thinking they would be quieter,
but the 2 stroke Echo is actually a little quieter.

Not having to worry about mixing 2 stroke oil/gas would be nice...

One thing I'm not sure about with a 4 stroke blower... Do they have a standard crankcase, with oil in it Do you have to keep them level all the time
I flipped a perfectly good straight six over on an engine stand one time to clean the outside of the oil pan.... Bad move, all the crud from 189,000 miles of driving
came out of the oil pan and fell into the cyclinders.... Lets just say she was a smoker after that... Messed up the cylinder walls and/or rings pretty bad.

 

[Hard Prospector]

Yes, it does have a crankcase which holds around a cup or so of oil and no, it does not need to be perfectly level to run. Important to note that this is not on parity with a Echo as far as output and durability but for smaller drywashers just a cost effective option.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Gents, I made a road trip down to APT in Temecula, California to see about a blower motor, and found one that is a vacuum and blower all in one. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but it serves two functions, which is good. It is branded by Keene Engineering, though the 4-stroke isn't a Keene product, but made by Dolmar. I need to read the instruction manual to figure out the features, and what to do to get it working. I'm all set to go, for whenever I can find a club to join that has some claims that are accessible by 2-wheel drive vehicles.

But I have a history of being jinxed whenever I do anything related to mining, or even think about it. That road trip to the store was not a pleasant one. On the way back I was just beginning to pass through Hemet, California, when I noticed white smoke coming from under the hood of my Honda CRV. I made it to a gas station, and shut it down. I ended up having to be towed to the Honda dealer where they said that somehow I got a hole in my radiator, and the results were blown engine head gasket. So I had to purchase a new radiator and rebuilt engine to the tune of $5900.

I am beginning to think the jinx was just waiting to give me a super big black eye. I usually only had to pay towing charges because I got stuck in the sand. Now I am stuck at home for a year or so, while I pay off that credit card bill I racked up for the repair. Maybe I can practice in my back yard with the equipment, Maybe I have gold there. I have very fine garnet back there. Sigh! Caley

 

[rodoconnor]

Murphy's Law . And Ol Murph was an optimist. Good luck and hang in there.

 

[fatman45]

$5900?!? You should've junked that CRV and bought a used 4x4!

 

[desertgolddigger]

Hey, Fatman45, I sure would have liked to just told the guy to show me either a new or used vehicle, but I have been paying down my debt, which will not allow financing of another vehicle. I own the Honda CRV outright, and probably will not give it up, even when I do decide to get something like 4x4. I was three years from being debt free when this happened yesterday, and my only recourse is to use my credit card. I'm lucky I have super good credit, as I needed what remained on my account to pay for the repairs.

I really wish I had money, but I am former military on a fixed pension, and on top of that, too old and disabled to return to work. I am just trying to live the remaining portion of my life in activities I will enjoy. Caley

 

[fatman45]

I hear ya, brother. The last truck I bought (9 years ago) truly is the last truck I will buy, the Good Lord willing! Good luck on your prospecting ventures. And hey - thanks for your service!

Speaking of saving money. I needed a blower to build the Viper-Vac. Bought an Echo 251 (previous version of the 255) off of Craigslist for $80. It had only been used for ½ hour. The guy I bought it from bought it brand new down in So Cal but moved up here right afterwards. Nothin' but dust to blow up here, and Mother Nature does a real good job of that already! You might save some money looking for one on CL!

 

[Hard Prospector]

Your CRV is very capable of lite duty off road travel(as I'm sure your aware) and a new crate motor with dealer instal. a good choice. I prospect around 29 Palms and perhaps could help with suggestions. Shoot me a PM if interested.......Rob

 

[desertgolddigger]

Hi Rob, I've PM'd you. I appreciate your offer of advice and help.

Yes, my little CRV did very well on the roads back in the Dale Mining District, but where I got into trouble was where the off roaders decided to do their zig zag driving and spinning, tearing up the compacted top layer of sand. If they don't do that, those like myself can, if careful, drive on the established dirt roads.

I need to wait until the end of next year, when I will have paid off this repair work, then start thinking about doing what one member suggested, and that is obtaining a second hand 4x4 of some kind. I don't know much about these vehicles, though I have been told that just having a 4x4 is no guarantee you won't get stuck. I would imagine that if you stay on the established roads, and the hardpan rock fields, they will work quite well, just as my CRV did. The CRV has good clearance. Caley

 

[bobw53]

tearing up the compacted top layer of sand.

Deflate your tires.... Increases the contact area and you literally will float on the top of the sand... I can count the times I didn't feel like airing down to
go out on the beach... Once, and I got stuck, with 4wd... Deflated the tires and drove right on out...

 

[desertgolddigger]

I'm not sure that would work with my Honda CRV, and even if it does, I still would need a compressor unit to re-inflate the tires before driving any distance on the highway for rocky areas.

 

[bobw53]

I'm not sure that would work with my Honda CRV, and even if it does, I still would need a compressor unit to re-inflate the tires before driving any distance on the highway for rocky areas.

It works with any vehicle with tires, even works for tanks and half tracks, tracks being essentially giant flat tires...

Its simple physics... A given weight/mass and or force(your vehicle)... Increase the surface area it is sitting on, and the pressure per area goes down. Its why you can
penetrate rock a lot easier with a pick than a hammer... Why a pointed shovel is easier to dig with in hard dirt than a square ended one.. Why you can pop
a balloon with a pin with no effort, but a ballpoint pen will just push the balloon away...

You can stab a screwdriver into the sand like its nothing... Put down a piece of plywood and drive a tank over it, it won't sink..


The lower pressure WILL work for your vehicle, it will work for a Lamborghini, or a Yugo...

Go out and try it... Low pressure in your tires lets you go crazy places in sand.. You don't sink into it. You literally just float right over it...

As for rocky areas, go check out some offroading forums... They air down for rocks also.. Greater traction, and less likely to puncture on a sharp rock.

As for airing back up... Cigarette ligthter or battery operated air compressors are literally dirt cheap..

Here's one $12 and change, free shipping... Buy 2 its probably a piece of crap...
Inedge? 300 PSI 12V DC Auto Portable Tire Air Compressor Electric Pump Inflator | eBay

They really aren't fast, but they will get you back into the 20's fairly quick to get to a place with a coin operated pump....

Another one, I never used one, it was outdated when I was a yung'n... I do believe it
was called a huffer... Take out a spark plug and insert this guy and use one cylinder off your engine to inflate your tires..

Another old school one, using an AC compressor as an air compressor, obviously, you can't use it as an AC compressor also, but they used to sell kits to do this, I don't know if they
still do..

My Dad's friend, who passed at a horribly young age about 10 years ago (ass cancer) was a fireman( I miss that guy)... The fire station had one of the compressors that
the scuba places had to air up the fire man/scuba tanks to a crazy pressure... Those filled up the tires FAST...




Here is another one for you that is relatively low dollar... Baja Bug. Some Baja Bugs cost big dollars, but you don't need that... Just a cheap bug.. Cut off the overhanging
sheet metal in the front and back... Put the biggest(diameter doesn't matter, Widest) tires you can on the back, and head out to the desert... Back when I moved out here to the desert, we used to play
with them a lot. You can haul ass with 2 wheel drive, puts pretty much any 4x4 to shame... And if you get stuck, 2 people can pick the damn thing up.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Thanks for the info. I am not very smart when it comes to some things like tire pressures and what can and cannot be done. Do you have a suggested tire pressure I should use? My tires require 35PSI for optimal performance on the road.

As for a Baja Bug, I had to Google that to figure out what it was. You mean a Volkswagon Bug converted to run in the desert. My idea was really to eventually try to find a medium sized quad with tow trailer, and load it on my cargo trailer I can pull behind my CRV. Once I get off the Highway, just park, offload the quad and trailer, load the trailer and go wherever I want. A friend had one, and she never had any problems with any locations in the outback, other than steep rocky slopes.

Right now I can probably make it to the bluff over the dry river bed where I have gotten stuck, and then take my garden cart, loaded with my gear and walk in to any of the four mines in a half mile radius. I just need to get into better shape, as I don't want to flail from exhaustion before getting to the dig. Am walking but, more is needed than walking.

Again, thanks for advising me on the tires pressure stuff. It certainly will come in handy when I do decide to go back there, trailing someone who can go along and make sure I am safe. Caley

 

[bobw53]

Again, thanks for advising me on the tires pressure stuff. It certainly will come in handy when I do decide to go back there, trailing someone who can go along and make sure I am safe. Caley

It really is weird how it works... But it works, I got my girlfriends (x) ford Tempo or whatever that POS was stuck in the sand in a turn around... Dug Dug Dug, spun spun pushed pushed pushed... Nothing.
Aired the tires down... On a front wheel drive POS, and she crawled right out... Also keep a board or square of plywood with you when you head out... If your tires dug in, so will your jack, put the
jack on your board and spread the pressure out over a large area...

Like the national seashore out on cape cod.. They require maximum tire pressures, If I recall it was 15psi... They liked to go out and nail people for over pressure tires that
came in in the morning... PV=NRT thing... Opposite of a Patriot foot ball. You need a jack, a shovel (you'll already have several), a board 12x12 inches, and a tow strap.
That's the important stuff that will help you in the desert sand, and rocks... They required some other stupid stuff, flashlight (good idea), first aid kit (Evan Williams and duct tape),
extra tampons or flares, and a tire pressure gage.

A quad works also...

 

[Hard Prospector]

Airing down tires has two potential consequences; breaking the bond between the tire and rim OR slicing/blowing out the side wall of your tires (which can't be fixed). The BLM roads in your area are a combination of washboard/hard pack with sharp granite protruding or flood/wind blown sand (you know this). You should only air down( min. 20 psi) IF STUCK and then you must re-inflate tires once back on a hard surface. Airing down tires to drive across "beach sand" has little risk compared to the nasty terrain of most desert gold districts. Your right Caley, going off-road with a buddy vehicle is always best because if stranded hiking back to the highway and paying for a tow just sucks. PM sent....Rob