trailer hitch on my 2 inch Keene dredge?

Well the 4 inch is gone! And ive turned my attention to my 2 inch Keene dredge. I know its not supposed to be used for anything deep BUT even so , I don't like or my back HATES bending over and I don't like snorkels! So Ive set up a T-80 with a 3 hp engine and set it up on floats like my 2 inch dredge and Ill couple them together with some sort of hitch that will have a silt screen attached to the front of the floating compressor . Now Ill be able to lay down to dredge and have air to boot and itll keep the turbidity down to............... WELL I GOT TO USE IT FOR SOMETHING! Ill just call it "The Train"! ALL ABOARD!

Well here tis ! the first pictures of what I hope works out for me ! As you can tell , Im having some issues with me and the computer!

Ill be using the 2 inch venture nozzle or the 2 inch jet . the pontoons are the same BUT one is low on air pressure and the other is to full! Ive got the Gold Hog matting in the sluice and I installed some quick release latches to hold /position the sluice for weight distribution . the air compressor float has a alum frame that I TIG welded together for another project. It has a 3 hp predator (Harbor Freight) eng. and it powers a T-80 compressor and it has a stainless steel syrup container for EZ cleaning. the air intake for this is PVP pipe and has a (clean) sock for the filter and I though while I was at it to use the other sock as a back up ! WHAT ELSE COULD I DO WITH IT ANYWAY! to tie them together Im using a stainless steel cable with a quick release clasp. I haven't built the hold down for the air tank yet BUT itll get done! Now Im just waiting for Dick B. to let me know when we are going to Indiana to try it out OR if hes tied up Ill just take it to the Mississippi /Missouri Rivers and give it a go by myself!

Plus ive got some other sluices I could use with it as well. A 2 inch ABS crash box with Vortex mat . and various other mat types.. A 2 inch flared sluice with ribbed mats or???? and of course the alum. Keene sluice that came with the dredge. The air regulator and hose is the one I bought from Bugg when I was out there last August. I probly don't need the tag-a-long compressor BUT it sure will be nice to use it while I wont have to bend over . I also built a 3/4 steel tubing cart to haul this on.

Russ, that looks good to me and it should be easier to get into and out of the water. A lot less weight to pull up the bank from the creek.


Dickb

Golly Gee dick your making me blush! I cant wait to try it out! I hated letting Leonards 4 inch get away but in reality it was just to heavy for me to deal with anymore!

Well You can blame me for being lazy because I still haven't edited that video I took last summer down at Cottonwood. But the bank there is about a 6' drop to the creek where they put the dredges in, so I think you have the right idea about handling the dredge. There is a place a little up stream where the bank is a long slope and easier to walk down to the creek and it's on a long gravel bar. The thing is that it's a longer carry to the creek. As for getting back there, probably June after I get back from SC. I think the creek will be too fast any earlier. There is about a mile distance from the upper to lower end of the claim. The bad is that it's limited as to where you can get into the creek due to un-cleared timber and brush.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsvUrCte8dM

Where you see the two bridges, is the top end of the claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOVLkol4EaQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o12ORiV_BHU&t=60s
At 17Min 40 sec, you can see the ramp where they put the dredges in the creek right at the top of the picture.

Dickb

Good videos Dick!

Russ,

Well...................wow!

Looks incredibly compact, light weight too.

Can't wait to see them in operation!

Randy C-17A

ME 2 !!!!!!

Well now I don't have to wait for any help on this dredge. I made a small cart for moving the dredge and associated "stuff" and maybe for moving things up-n-down the hillside! for right now the compressor / engine are just "C" clamped to the frame until I see how itll balance out when in the water. Then ill make some sort of quick disconnect for this from the frame. This will make it easier for Dick to move this for me (??????? ) Im going to try this out in one of the local rivers to see how it works!

Russ,

Good luck! Maybe "dredge" up some super fine flour gold in Misery? Hope so...

Get them wet, get wet yourself.......let us all know how they worked.

Randy C-17A

10-4 !

russau, I like your setup. I have a 2" Keene that I last used 2 years ago, but there is less areas to use it here and it is all flour gold so I do need to change the mats in the sluice box to something like you have done (or Randy), but no time.

I have been driving back and forth to Denver since Friday because my wife is in the hospital up there. What a pain driving!! Anyway, she is stable and they are doing tests. They'll probably let her out Friday but two more tests next week, then try to match treatment to whatever they figure out is wrong.

Until that is fixed, no time for gold or fixing dredges, etc. Sure is nice to read about what you are doing and see pictures of your dredge. (Same for Randy). Thank you both for at least keeping the cabin fever to a manageable level!!

Dave,

Hoping and praying for the best for you and your sweet wife!

I'll try to keep you entertained as best I can until you get back out into the hills for yourself...

Randy C-17A

Yep Ill be keeping you two in my prayers as well!

Thank you both!!

I guess air for a 2 inch dredge seems real excessive BUT on this dredge I had all possibilities for using this dredge . I have a alum. crash box sluice that comes stock and a ABS crash box sluice , and a ABS flared sluice that I built . Plus it has either the stock 2 inch suction tip using the flared sluice OR a Keene 2 inch suction nozzle for the low water conditions. The sluices have several mat configurations, stock riffles , Vortex mat , Gold Hog mat or some different miners moss. The tag-a-long floating air compressor was a after thought . It could be handy for snipeing OR ??? Anyway I had fun assembling this equipment and NEED to get out to try it out IF my legs will allow mw to do so! I haven't installed my air reserve tank (5 gallon Korny keg) yet or the air/water filter that will help protect my lungs. But its coming! Postings have been real slow all over the net so I thought I'd take this opportunity to get some movement here. Everybody is probly out getting the gold while I'm here typing this out! Hope everyone has a safe and prosperous Summer!

Russ,

Well..............for a "baby" 2 incher..............sounds like a heck of a well engineered gold getting machine! Plus, it sure won't weigh a ton, like a 4 incher, like i have...

Yes. Hope you get it out, get it wet some time soon.

I was out yesterday, up at Cache Creek again for 1/2 a day. The ol' Red Berm is all but worked out, so I went to a new orange berm up the creek further. Sluiced 10 buckets and saw no gold in ANY of my top riffles. So, I did about 6 sample pans (again from a previous day)....hardly a speck. Ugh..

So, I walked up the creek even further, sample panned several spots... Nothing. Worked my way back to the sluice, cleaned it up and panned the cons. About 20 tiny specks. Didn;t get skunked BUT sure not worth the diggin', classifying, carrying 10 buckets.

SO, I went bask to the ol' Red Berm, set up my sluice, shoveled direct for about 1 hour, quit. On cleanup I got one nice little chunky picker and some specks & flakes. All was MAYBE 1/4 gram.

Back at parking a family from Pueblo, CO, came over started asking me about Cache Creek, where to pan and/or sluice, how to best run their BIG Keene A-52 sluice, what material to look for, etc., etc., etc. I told them to not waste time, get skunked just go to my Ol' Red Berm, setup their Keene up fast & deep, shovel direct in the spot I left off........

I ended up giving their little 6 year old daughter my gold for the day in a vial. For "motivation"... Ha.

Was hot yesterday here, like 80+. Was like 93 to 95F in Denver too. Gonna be another very sunny, hot day here...

SO, I have more prospecting to do to find a GOOD new spot up at Cache Creek, as the Ark is worthless now, up to 2,090 CFS at the Granite USGS gauge, and rising!

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&format=gif_default&site_no=07087050

Wish me luck on a new spot soon!

Randy C-17A

A BIG SALUTE to you Randy for your act of kindness! I'm in basically the same process of cleaning up all of the cons I have accumulated over the years and just never got around to doing a final cleanup and any gold I won at raffles and then I'm going to mail them to one of my best friends for his birthday. I don't want to mention his name because he may be reading this. My reward will be seeing his face when he opens it! Plus my wife is set for us to travel to Colorado SOON. She really like Estes Park Colorado so I need to do some research into to park my travel trailer around there and where to go from there. No need to hurry just get in some R&R for the ole bones. Other than a pan & classifier I wont be bringing any equipment.

Russ,

Ha. No problem. I was up at Cache Creek in the morning from about 8:30 AM until about 12:30 PM walking the whole West end of the valley.....lookin' for another good spot to work, sample panning.

Came across that family again on the creek with their big A-52 at the fallen tree, where about 3 other groups were working/sluicing. They thanked me again for the blue gloves I gave the Dad and the gold for the little girl. She was there all wet/muddy, helping her Dad & Mom dig and classify material for the sluice. Nice! Think she's got GOLD FEVER. Always glad to help...

Good luck on all your cons cleaning ops. Hope you get a lot of color for your buddy...

Enjoy the Estes Park area. Livin' in a trailer is WAY better than dirt camping on the ground in a tent!

I found 2 spots panning around I need to go back and do some sample runs with a sluice sometime soon. Trouble is both spots necessitated you classifying material and carrying buckets to the water. Ugh. Not my favorite. One place about 60 yards and the other about 40 yards.

Randy C-17A

russau wrote:A BIG SALUTE to you Randy for your act of kindness! I'm in basically the same process of cleaning up all of the cons I have accumulated over the years and just never got around to doing a final cleanup and any gold I won at raffles and then I'm going to mail them to one of my best friends for his birthday. I don't want to mention his name because he may be reading this. My reward will be seeing his face when he opens it! Plus my wife is set for us to travel to Colorado SOON. She really like Estes Park Colorado so I need to do some research into to park my travel trailer around there and where to go from there. No need to hurry just get in some R&R for the ole bones. Other than a pan & classifier I wont be bringing any equipment.

We used to stay at Paradise Travel Trailer Park, right on the river. It had plenty of space, the RV's weren't packed in like sardines and it was reasonable. But that was years ago and recently, it seems they have added lots of cabins and things got tight. We sold the RV when all the kids and their families moved to New Zealand in 2009, so we have not looked for anything up at Estes Park recently for an RV. Now we stay in the YMCA cabins or other similar accommodations.

We have thought about getting another RV, but the reality is that we are getting too old to do much RV'ing. Sigh.

Like your rig

russau wrote:A BIG SALUTE to you Randy for your act of kindness! I'm in basically the same process of cleaning up all of the cons I have accumulated over the years and just never got around to doing a final cleanup and any gold I won at raffles and then I'm going to mail them to one of my best friends for his birthday. I don't want to mention his name because he may be reading this. My reward will be seeing his face when he opens it! Plus my wife is set for us to travel to Colorado SOON. She really like Estes Park Colorado so I need to do some research into to park my travel trailer around there and where to go from there. No need to hurry just get in some R&R for the ole bones. Other than a pan & classifier I wont be bringing any equipment.

I have got to start doing the same. I have a Gold Cube and some other things to help, but getting the time to do it is the problem. Still have not gotten out this year, but hope to soon.

Dave

Randy, that was very kind to give the little girl your gold. Probably you have hooked her for like on gold prospecting!

Paradise RV

Russ, this is the one I meant. The website looks OK maybe it still is; used to be great but as I noted, we have not stayed there in years.