Highbanking is one of the best ways to search for gold, but it’s important to have the right sluice box to find a decent amount. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with highbanking, we’ll tell you everything you need to know and more.
A highbanker is attached at the top of the sluice box. It’s designed to allow the deposit and filtration of huge amounts of the source material. It works by creating a consistent channel that is straight with spaced, slow spots that are created by riffles. The riffles create an eddy that allows the gold to settle out to collect.
A highbanker sluice box is a valuable tool when it comes to prospecting for gold. So, how does it work exactly? Allow us to explain!
How Does a Highbanker Work?
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Even though highbankers may seem difficult to use, it’s actually the exact opposite.
According to Gold Rush Trading Post, a highbanker is mounted on four legs to give the sluice box the proper slope to obtain the water. “Instead of being put right in the creek like a hand sluice, an engine with a water pump and some hoses gets the water up from the stream into the sluice or highbanker.”
From this point, the gravel and dirt gathered up will go into the hopper that can filter out the rocks collected. This will make it easier to prospect for gold instead of breaking your back with a shovel all of the time.
Pros of Using a Highbanker Sluice Box
Searching for gold is already complicated enough, so there’s no need to make things more difficult than it needs to be. That’s why it’s good to have a highbanker sluice box around on your next excursion for gold.
Some of the pros that come out of using a highbanker sluice box include:
- Materials can be found away from the river-You don’t always have to search for what you’re looking for around the water. You can look around other areas, such as benches and patches of gravel that are isolated. This gives more options in where to search for materials.
- Using the pump saves you time-Using the pump to move the water will save you time, so you don’t have to carry the material down to the stream.
These are factors to consider when deciding to use a highbanker sluice box. The perks are way more convenient and satisfying than having to use digging equipment all of the time and possibly getting nowhere.
Cons of Using a Highbanker Sluice Box
Even though the benefits of having a highbanker sluice box are great, there are some downsides to using it as well. Some of the cons include:
- There’s more equipment that you have to carry around-Unlike the typical shovel and bags you would bring with you; there’s a lot more equipment you would have to move around with you throughout your search. Carrying around the hoses, the pump, and the machine would be a hassle and a major inconvenience.
- You’ll have to test the area more-If you’re considering taking your highbanker sluice box with you, it’s recommended that you test the area that you plan on searching in. Depending on how much gold is in the dirt, this will determine if you’re going to bring your sluice box equipment or just a shovel.
Even though the cons are minor, it’s still important to look at using the highbanker sluice box from every aspect. Analyzing the pros and cons will help make your decision on either tossing out the shovel or keeping it around just for a slow day.
The Best Highbanker Sluice Box Brands
Now that you know both the good and the bad of highbanker sluice boxes, it’s time to take a look into which ones are the best to have. We’ve already established that a highbanker sluice box is great for helping you look for material, but it’s also important to know which ones are the best. Take a look at some of the best highbanker brands that will help get the job done!
Go Simple with the Royal Highbanker Sluice Box Kit!
Start with something simple to take on your search with the Royal Highbanker Sluice Box Kit. This is a model that is recommended for those who are looking for something easy to use. It’s simple when it comes to pumping out the water to find gold, and it comes with the following features:
- A folding stand
- A Johnson 1980 GPH 12VDC Pump
- A 063″ Aluminum Body
- A 30” Sluice Box
- 5 Zinc Plated Riffles laser cut from one piece of Steel
This comes with everything you need and more to bring back home all of the gold you could ever want!
Go Small and Find Big with the Mini Power Sluice Box Kit!
You’ll be able to find all of the gold you were looking for with the Mini Power Sluice Box Kit. The kit comes in different sizes, and the equipment that comes with it is great for trapping gold. It comes with an expanded metal piece that helps keep the gold in place and eliminates the caught rocks so the gold won’t slip away.
For those who are looking for something a little more advanced that can produce great results, this is the highbanker that you’ll want to try!
Try the Royal Multi-Purpose Recirculating Sluice Box Kit
Another Royal Manufacturing brand that’ll be great for digging gold is the Royal Multi-Purpose Recirculating Sluice Box Kit. This is another simple model with an easy set-up with the right equipment to help you during your search.
Some of the equipment that comes with it include:
- 50″ Long X 9″ Wide
- 8 Zinc Plated 18 ga. Steel Riffles (Gold Coloring)
- Tsunami 1200 GPH Pump uses a low 4 amp draw 12VDC motor
- All Hardware made of Stainless Steel
- Sluice Stand with 4 independently adjustable legs
It even comes with an instructional DVD that will show you step-by-step how to assemble the kit and how it works as well. Consider trying this out for your next gold-digging trip!
What is Power Sluicing?
One of the most efficient ways to search for gold is through power sluicing. According to Keene, power sluicing is when you use a machine to process gravel from a stream of water or remote areas where gold is more commonly seen.
To simplify it even further, it’s basically a machine that uses a pump to force water through a sluice to imitate the flow of the stream.
This can work remote placer deposits far away from the water source, which makes the equipment more versatile in areas to use it in. This will serve to be a convenience in the long run because it gives more options for different areas for you to search for gold in a simple way.
Where Are the Best Places to Look for Gold?
The best place to start when it comes to searching for gold is by knowing where to search. We’ll give you the best recommendations of states in the country where you’ll be guaranteed to find an abundance of gold!
Here is a list of the best places in the country to find gold:
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Montana
- Idaho
- Nevada
- Utah
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- And more!
So now that you know the best states in the country for your next digging excursion, there are other areas that you should check to find gold. Some of these areas include:
- Bends-Deposits of gold are usually collected around the outer edges of bends in creeks. Since the water forces the gold towards the banks, this makes it easier to find.
- Sandbars-Another area where gold most commonly surfaces is along sandbars. Gold collects along the banks of the sandbars, making it easier to find.
- Logs and Debris-The debris on logs attract the gold that comes through the water. Since they are wedged against riverbanks, this makes gold more accessible to obtain.
Knowing this will give you a head start on where to begin your search for gold. Whether you plan on traveling throughout the country or do it locally, you know where to find that gold at the end of the rainbow!
Go Out and Bring Home the Gold!
Highbanker sluice boxes definitely bring in more results than just digging. Now that you understand more about how a highbanker works, toss those shovels to the side and bring home more gold with a highbanker sluice box and make yourself richer!