sand sled

[norm southern ca]

has anyone every tried to make a sled for the dry sand that you could just scoop into? I use a sifter for water hunting and it speeds up recovery, then just clean it out when I'm done detecting .

 

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[TreasurdiggrNY]

That sounds like a good idea, probably better to have wheels than runners though. And a bracket for the cooler and scoop and detector, like the ice fishing guys make for their gear.
Glenn

 

[DaChief]

How about using this. Take off the side bodies, reove the handle and affix a rope or cable to attach to the rear of your equipment belt, cut out the center of the bed and replace with 1/4 or 1/2 inch mesh wire whichever you choose. The large tires are air filled and would move through the sand and over reasonable uneven areas with no issues.

I am sure it would draw attention and a few verbal jabs but it would be convenient. You can even do a custom paint job and a logo like "Treasure Wagon" + "Hauling Gold" + "Reliving My Childhood" or whatever you want.

Jim

 

[Highwater]

Norm,
That sounds like a lot of extra stuff to drag around with you. Unless you are into total fitness workouts I would think a guy might get awfully tired pretty quick and have to shut down too soon in the day, but it does sound like it would probably work. You could put cams on the axles so that when you pulled it the basket would shake enough to dump the sand. Of course it would have to be dry sand because the wet sand would clog up and wouldn't pass the screen, unless you had a spray nozzle. Then again if you are working the dry sand then there would be much more resistance trying to pull the unit through the dry fluffy sand. I guess you could always make a harness to drag it around with, but then you would have to turn around to dump your bucket, or drag the sifter up along side. Either way it sounds like a workout.
Believe it or not, there has been a magazine article and plans you could purchase to build a beach skimmer that you pull though the dry sand to find jewelry. I think it came from the 50's. I still see the plans in old books and magazines once in a while. Even before the days of the modern beach detector people realized the potential resource of items lost on the beach.
If you try doing this please keep us posted as to how it works out. Maybe you are on to something that you could put on the market. If you strap a battery to it and install electric motors and add a radio control unit I think you could make it happen. Highwater

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

the old pull thru sand sled u r talking about was called the merkitch machine.or some such.i made a scaled down model back in the early 70s. be advised concept works but only good in very dry loose sand that has very few rocks or shells mixed in. no beach nearby,so i didnt pursue.u might google.merkitch or other sound alike spellings.

 

[desertfox]

I have read several articales on the beach sled from people back in N.J. They seemed to like it. It only went, as I remember, about 2in. deep and was hard as all get out to drag thru the sand. However it did work as I'm sure who ever was pulling it worked too.
HH and good luck

Desertfox

 

[FLauthor]

I had a Merkitch built in the early 1970's before underwater metal detectors like the Excaliber existed. It costs me then about $100 and its found quite a lot in wet trashy areas around fishing piers where its almost impossible to use a metal detector. It is a sturdy and rugged unit and i still have it after 35 years though I'd like to have it narrowed to about 12 inches instead of the 18 inches it is presently.
Now if you want a modern version of the Merkitch Sifter then goto: www.wbarber.com and check out their: Newest addition to their beach cleaning equipment line, the Barber SAND MAN 850 has quickly become the premier walk behind sand sifter. Like walking behind a big lawn mower except this one goes down from 4 - 6 inches sifting out the trash and treasures from the sand.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Sounds like WAY to much work for me.

I can recover a target fairly quickly in dry sand just using my scoop and detector. I'm already carrying a 5+ lb scoop, and my choice detector for that day, something else to drag along, especially in the dry sand is just more work for me.

Heck, hard enough to just drag my feet through dry sand as it is.

Good luck and good hunting.............

 

[spelunker2]

Flauthor, that link goes to an insurance sale site.