Hand Suction Pumps advice

[team sidewinder]

I have been looking at buying a hand suction dredge but looking for some advice on which one ( there are so many ) is the best. I am leaning toward the " Gold-n-Sand " X-stream hand dredge.
Anyone have experience with these ??
Thanks for any input.

 

[steve herschbach]

Nope. I have a Keene. Works fine.

 

[Hoser John]

To work properly you must have a flapper valve to hold the contents sucked up so they don't run back out. I am not familiar with your particuliar model BUT makes all the difference in the world to retain ALL you suck up as nuggets are always(heaviest spg) to fall back out when suction cycle completed-lotza luck-John

 

[team sidewinder]

So far I am only looking to buy and looking to see if anybody had any experience ( good or bad ) with this particular model. It isn't a so called " Pump-n-Dump " where you need to put your material in a bucket after every pump stroke but this one pumps into a separate 5gal. bucket. I am sure this one has a check valve in it so what material you pump up goes into the bucket instead of back out the intake nozzle.
Thanks for the reply

 

[Reno Chris]

The ones without an attached bucket dont require a dump after every suction cycle. some have a side port storage area, some have a suction nozzle pipe that goes up above the bottom of the larger suction cylinder. Either way, I find that I can draw 10 to 20 times before I have to dump material. Everything has a down side - sometimes in fast water its hard to even find a place to put your bucket. Large suction units of any design can be difficult to use. Constant pumping, especialy on the larger units, can make your arm tired.

I've not used the gold n sand unit, but own other types that do not have an attached bucket.

 

[panama rich]

I have looked at many of the models and tried to make one myself. The piston is very important. One model from Canada had a cut out tire and covered in Vaseline
or some such yuck. I tried the plumbing plug but it is critical how tight you adjust it, to tight is too much friction, too loose is no friction. I have not tried the Gold-N-Sand
in the field, but I tried one at a show. Seems to me like their leather piston is easy to pump and seals fairly well.
Another issue is flapper valves. I had trouble with them getting gravel and sand in them (where did that come from?) and not sealing so no pump action.
For some reason, ABS (black plastic) is easier to match on sizes and plugs than white plastic (PVC) Also I believe the ABS is lighter.
It seems to me that all of them are a far cry from the continuous suction of a dredge (of which I own one). Ideally if one could be made to suck continlously
like a dredge you would have it made, except you might need 3 or 4 people power to power it.
To answer your question, if I was buying one, I would buy one of the Gold-N-Sand models, probably the one that pumps into a bucket, though you could probably
pump into a sluice box also. JUST MY OPINION.
Rich

 

[team sidewinder]

Got one of the Gold-n-Sand X-Stream suckers coming. Probably won't be able give it much of a test as the way winter is coming in early everything will be frozen soon anyway.

 

[godigit1]

I have the gold and sand and have varying results with it. First down fall is flapper design there are open areas beside the valve that fill with rock and some times stop the flapper from sealing.
It does not really have enough volume to dredge a hole like Chris said you will wear your self out. Instead I find it works well for cleaning the bedrock once you shovel the large material out of the way.
Ive thought of making a classifying shovel to work small bedrock impressions. Classify right in the water and suck up the fines with the hand dredge.

All this being said I would much rather take out my gold divers 4 inch if only it was legal.

P.S Make sure you soak the plunger before each outing if it has dried out it is leather.

 

[team sidewinder]

Got the Gold-n-Sand X-Stream hand dredge and had to get it out and try it. I would have stayed home today with the temps +35 and snow on the creek today but with a new toy to try out we went prospecting. We just took the materials home to pan out and the wife has already found some small gold so we did suck up some fair material and stuff we could have missed without the Gold-n-Sand. I am happy with my purchase and the wife is happy too so it is a win win. Although I could nitpick the thing to pieces but I won't and It worked for me as most things prospecting you need to work with it and its limitations so what more can you ask. Yes you could have to clean the nozzle a couple of times and find a good place for the bucket so it doesn't tip over but with water and some material in the bucket it was stable for me. I should mention that I did let the bucket fill with water and sink to the bottom of the creek ( a still spot ) and it worked fine but this is a very small creek which is what we prospect most here. All in all I would give it a B+ and would buy again. A friend is looking at buying one and I will let him try mine and make up his own mind. It does have its place in my prospecting tool box and I am sure I will be using it again but depends when we freeze up.

 

[StilLooken]

Well, yes and No. I bought the Gold and Sand about three years ago but haven't used it yet. It's always in my truck as part of my equipment just in case. But, here's what you might come-up against. A. this model has a leather doo-hicky that would work better if pre-soaked so it will swell-up and seal better. B. I've considered tying the bucket to my belt with a lanyard, I guess. Once material starts weighting it down, even full of water, it might wonder side ways and in any current take off. C. I'd expect more pull resistance if I went to one of the narrower tips. D. There's probably a D but I can't think of what it is.

Now, some pluses. 1. It's considered 'non-mechanical'. So, on those federal and State rivers that don't allow dredges and the like, here yeah go. 2. They do work and supposedly it spits material out after each pump with its check valve. Mine came with a lid that fits a 2 1/2 /3 gallon bucket. Frankly, I wouldn't want to hump a 5 out of a creek full of wet material over slippery rocks or very far, period. 3. The model I have has a bunch of tips for different materials and situations.

Honestly and even though I've not used it yet. I don't regret the purchase. I've had several old timers who fly-in on hunts asking to take it with them because it doesn't take up much room and is light. It doesn't pack well together, where you've got the log pump, then a hose probably attached to the lid, then a bag of tips. And you'll need a couple buckets. But, yeah I'd recommend one. Believe Gold and Sand has a new model. It's longer and I think has a sight pipe attached to look down into the water with. Not sure how well that would work in the sun. Guess you would have to stick your face down on it and scope out the bottom. I wouldn't order one with a viewer. But that's just me.
Hope this helps.

 

[godigit1]

One improvement is to add a handle to the tube I used a bosh hammerdrill handle and a pvc spacer it is fully adjustable.
Makes it allot easier to pump!!!
HH
Jim

 

[team sidewinder]

One improvement is to add a handle to the tube I used a bosh hammerdrill handle and a pvc spacer it is fully adjustable.
Makes it allot easier to pump!!!
HH
Jim

Thanks. Good idea and I will do that before next prospecting season.

 

[sepoinak]

Personally I have had great success with the gray bilge pumps for small boats. They are about 3 feet tall with a flexable hose connected to the discharge end. I can't think of the brand name at the moment. They are never more than 40 bucks and there are cheaper versions you can get at places like Home Depot. You can get 60 to 80 hours out of one before they start to wear out and can easily pay for themselves in a day. I would connect the discharge end to a two gallon bucket with a lid and tie that to my waist or set it on the bank. They have a built-in "classifier" at the in-take limiting the material to a quarter inch or so.

 

[team sidewinder]

O will nothing to do so added the handle to the Gold-n-Sand and it works great thanks for the great Idea godigit1.

 

[godigit1]

Cool glad you did it!!!

HH

 

[team sidewinder]

I have found after using this Gold-n-Sand hand dredge for awhile now that I do need to be quicker on the down stroke so as to close the intake valve sooner while keeping the gold inside the sucker and pushing out it into the bucket and not back out the intake nozzle.. Especially when using it in a more vertical position which is almost always. I tend to get lazy and take my time on the down stroke which also lets more rocks and dirt fall back on to the sealing edge of the valve which then causes some blowback out the intake nozzle. Not good. If I do all these things and clean the valves when it hangs open instead of thinking it will clear on its own this is as good as any hand dredge out there. IMHO.

 

[deserdog]

Here is what I use if I am sluicing, a 3 inch sucker with a 45 on the end.

Here is a picture of the hole I was working, and feeding the material to my old la trap sluice.

If I am working cracks and crevices, I will use one of these:

Here is a picture of a prospecting buddy using a 2 " with 45:

 

[deserdog]

The 45 at the end of the barrel takes care of material falling out of the barrel. There are some prospectors who still swear by the old straight pumps, they call them Henderson pumps in the UK, the nameless blue pump was another straight pump. But the 45 makes you life a lot easier. I can work an area well away from my sluice, and not worry about losing material. Another old prospector is the one that I know of who first made the pump with the 45, Adams is his last name.