equipment advise-honcoop highbanker

[polekaat]

I have a Keene 2 1/2" highbanker dredge combo that I used on Clear Creek when I lived in Colorado. It's been sitting in my shed for the last 4-5 years gathering dust. The last time it was used was Labor Day 2006, on Leonards new Arkansas River Claim. Give me a shout, maybe we can work something out.

Trevor

[CGC Miner]

Hey Cory, what is wrong with your gold buddy?
Aha just looked it up again and it is pretty small, more like a clean up highbanker. A 3" keene or proline is sufficient in size to handle 1 man shoveling like mad, which is nice but you have to constantly brush rocks off of the grizzly.
I have never seen a honcoop in person but what does seem nice about them is the additional classification for fine gold recovery and more sluice area.....which in theory can handle more material.
I have watched afew videos of this hb and never do they shovel right into the hopper???? Are you supposed to classify first and then slowly spray the material into the hopper from the bucket?
How well will the all aluminum hopper hold up to rocks and constant shoveling?
I saw an older keene hb without the dredge attachment on cl for pretty cheap a while back.
In the video they "dredge" for 8 min or so and only brush off a handful or little rocks, they processed what..maybe a 5 gal buckets worth of material?
Is it important for you to have a dredge conversion?
CGC

[cory]

i love my gold buddy! its fun and i can usually run 3 or 4 buckets of 1/4in classified dirt through it in about 4 hours! i just wanna move more in less time (dont we all) i have never seen anyone shovel dirt in the honcoop and ive heard they are ment to be bucket fed. i dont think thats a bad idea but lifting 5 gallon buckets all day might not be fun... ive seen a few highbanker/dredge on cl but all look to be too old or too "used" i would like to have a combo just so i could have the versitility to get were i want. now another question, for the seasoned dredgers, does deeper always mean more gold? in the areas ive been prospecting the deeper i go the less i get! ive found if i just skim the surface about 3 or 4 inchs i find more. thats why i want the combo so i can shovel then just suck up the rest.

[urbanminer]

Hey Cory, if you live around Denver, give me a shout and I'll take you out and you can try it out. I've got an almost new keene 2" combo that I would part with. We can run it for a while and you can see how it works. I can also bring my Proline for you to see, but am keeping that one. Let me know, I'm always willing to dig a hole.

Marc

[cory]

hey that sounds like a plan! just when the weather is warmer! im a wuss

[CalGoldDredger]

Must add a compliment about now, to polekaat and urbanminer, that is down right neighborly of you. Just my type of folks.

[foundit]

I agree, I always say people still wave with a smile in CO.

[urbanminer]

Those of you in Cali, come on down and I'll take you dredging, ice or not! The gold ain't big, but it's dredging. Marc

[russau]

Must add a compliment about now, to polekaat and urbanminer, that is down right neighborly of you. Just my type of folks.

John come on out to Wyoming July 1 for dredge season and ole Leonard and me will show you a good time! we will be 35 miles west of larime Wyoming in the Medicine Bow Mountains, on the flats! bring Mr. Hoser with you!

[Leonard]

We probably won't find any big gold but we do find gold every time we dredge. We have claims in Wyoming and on the arkansas that I guaruntee will give you gold. The best part though is the good time we will have.

We have a great spot to place Geno's ashes in Wyoming over the 4th of July. He approved them when he was here last year.
Leonard