Searching for advice for first highbanker

[Benjamin52]

HI Tneters!

I would like to buy a highbanker for some spots where I found gold with my pan. It is mostly small specks and the occasional flake.
I was looking for a small highbanker that would be portable and with an electric pump (motor dredges or motorized highbankers are illegal here)

I saw this unit from royal on ebay for about 500 USD plus shipping.
That was about the price range I was willing to invest. Has anyone got any experience with this unit? looks solid to me but if anyone has any advice on other/better units in the "under 800 usd" price range, I would be happy to hear suggestions!

Thanks in advance, and good luck
Ben

 

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[N-Lionberger]

I like the looks of the Keene mini max as it is easily converted into a stream sluice. If I can use a stream sluice I would use it before my highbanker, they get better recovery. The only advantage I see in a battery powered highbanker is for areas where setting up a stream sluice is impossible due to slow/deep water.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Heavy and awkward, but a decent Highbanker. May be a bit much for what you want to do. A GOLD BUDDY 12 VOLT MINI HIBANKER is about $375.

 

[russau]

Save your money and build your own with the money you'll spend on shipping! You have a picture , now build it or have someone build it for you over there! And good luck with your prospecting !

 

[mike(swWash)]

I suggest the Gold Hog Piglet mini. Just add an electric pump and your good to go for well within your budget.

Mini Gold Highbanker | Mini Gold Highbanker

 

[Goldwasher]

I suggest the Gold Hog Piglet mini. Just add an electric pump and your good to go for well within your budget.

Mini Gold Highbanker | Mini Gold Highbanker

yep

 

[N-Lionberger]

I second Russau for that kind of moolah with shipping you should be able to DIY something pretty nice! For riffles you cannot beat raised expanded on top of a ribbed carpet.

 

[akflyer]

I suggest the Gold Hog Piglet mini. Just add an electric pump and your good to go for well within your budget.

Mini Gold Highbanker | Mini Gold Highbanker

X3 Cant beat it for the money. I built my own but in reality, the time I invested in building it I probly could have just bought it. Built a "Raptor flare" as well and use them both depending on how and where I am going.

 

[mendoAu]

It's a fine line when it comes to "who's box is best". bottom line is that they all catch gold. In your case being limited to "electric" power I'd invest the major funds into the biggest, meanest 12volt sumppump I could find and two (spendy) 6volt golf cart batteries. Also search the forums for some homemade carts for transporting said pump and batteries. The weak part of most powered highbankers is the lack of power/suckage.

 

[mike(swWash)]

I agree the pump needs to be strong running, I recommend a 3700 or 4000gph for the piglet or any good high banker. It's better to have to throttle down the flow with a valve than have not enough or too much water. The down side to electric is having enough battery or 2 to run one or 2 pumps for any length of time. Very heavy to transport.

Here's a few examples,
3700gph
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...=bildge+pump+3700&rh=i:aps,k:bildge+pump+3700

4000gph
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bildge+pump+4000&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abildge+pump+4000

 

[Hamfist]

Gold Hog Piglet here too. The only issue might be the amount of water it needs and, therefore, the size of the battery you'll need to run it with a bilge pump.

On the plus side, you can shovel around a yard of dirt through it in an hour if you stockpile first, and you'll probably be ready to go home and take a nap after that.

 

[mike(swWash)]

Doc recommends the 3700 if you go electric. That's a lot of pump

 

[mendoAu]

Just for kicks let's compare this little 12volt pump to , say one capable of 3700ghp. In two and a half garden seasons I now have four of these little pumps that are broke down. Two of which were rebuilt. It's a challenge to keep a 12v. deep cycle charged, transported and useable everyday and I still only get a few hours of use at best. Stepping up to a 3700gph I can't imagine much time from just a 12v. deepcycle. I now use a small Honda dredge pump off a 2 1/2 inch keene highbanker combo and in 10 minutes the watering is done. Does a very good job of garden watering but always just not enough to run that highbanker's nozzle. Stepped up to one of my spare 5.5's and real happy with the "suckage" of that 2 1/2 inch. I know you are limited to non-gasoline and just want to point out the pitfalls of anything out in the field with "electric/12volt". (I mentioned 6volt batteries in my above post and it takes two for 12 volt. Not any old 6 volt will perform like something along this line at 72 pounds apiece.. https://www.apexbattery.com/deka-so...WQX-rdLHZ6AGdAFFNX_RcfpipRVgdWGxoCkaUQAvD_BwE

 

[akflyer]

Battery, 12v pump, small light weight generator running charger full time on said battery.. or pump hooked directly to the 12v output on generator. The pump is still 12v..

 

[mendoAu]

Not a solution if the generator is GAS. Read the first post again.

 

[akflyer]

Not a solution if the generator is GAS. Read the first post again.

Neither the high banker nor the pump is gas... the pump is still 12v and would pass the grin test. Think outside the box.. you have to have gas to recharge the battery anyway right?? or some form of fossil fuel. Who says you cant recharge the battery while running the set up?

 

[Hamfist]

A generator won’t fly in area where you can’t use gas powered equipment. Plus they’re twice the weight of the gas powered pumps used to power the small highbankers in question, and you’ll still need to lug a battery around to convert to DC power.

 

[mendoAu]

Believe it or not..Oregon is now no different than Germany. You can't ( CANNOT !!!! ) use any engine to help/facilitate ANY stream side mining operation. I'm pretty sure that a gas generator charging a 12v system would fall under the catagory of "facilitate". You might just as well swap that gen. with a gas pump... I need more input from various areas about how "electric" powered units are looked upon by various authorities.

 

[Benjamin52]

Thanks to all of you for the help!
I am going to get the piglet and use a 3700gph bilge pump first and see how it goes.
If I grow more confident and find a more remote spot I can then still upgrade and go motorized if needed.
Everybodie's advice was very helpful, great forum thanks again, will post results come spring and if I get everything set up the way I am imagining.