I have been reading these forums for years and really appreciate the wealth of knowledge found here, what a great group of wise people here! My name is Rob, we are located in the North Okanagan BC. I worked for 20 years as an exploration geologist throughout BC, Nevada, and Argentina. During the downturn of 2008, we had a chance to stake some claims and go placer mining. We have been doing this ever since…. We are a “Ma & Pa” operation. We run a mix of older and “newer” equipment. Our oldest is 3 years older than me….a 1964 Euclid C-6 with a Garwood u-blade and an ateco ripper. Primarily we use a Hyundai 210-7 for digging pay, advancing pay, moving coarse/fine tailings. A John Deere 50d sitting on an elevated pad feeds a 25 yard/hour double screen deck wash plant. This setup keeps our operating cost low (our biggest expense is fuel; diesel currently 1.61$/litre here…hit 2.35$ last summer). My wife (who is a teacher) has spent some time feeding the wash plant during her summer breaks. Otherwise a one man operation. Due to the remote locations it is critical to have “simple” equipment that is field repairable. Thanks again to everyone who contributes to this forum!
Welcome! Can you post pics of your equipment and operation? Seems well thought out.
Thanks! not sure if I can post pictures yet. But I will put some up….
You're from my old stomping grounds. Haven't been out that way in about almost a decade now. Still a small town or has it grown?
We have been here for 25 years now, very little has changed. A lot of growth/development further south, especially in the Kelowna area.
Some mining pics….
A couple more….
Its a nice area out there for sure. Used to spend a lot of time around Grindrod and Salmon Arm. Thought about moving to around Sorrento or Chase but life had other plans for me.
Some machinery change's over the years, finding that for us a 20 ton excavator with a 5 ton mini feeding is the most cost effective. After 13 years on a coarse gold creek we are starting new this year on a lower grade bulk tonnage bench deposit. A lot of preparation last season, road building testing etc. Not sure yet if the gold grade will be adequate….
Welcome to the Forums! Pretty cool - thanks for sharing! Wife and I went on an Alaskan cruise last August which we throughly enjoyed. Did the tourist gold panning thing so when I saw that gold in the box I got excited. It's been a minute since I've seen a Terex dozer. I think I can hear that Jimmy screaming from way down here.
Always nice to see good gold in the matting; but sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate! When we have visitors (rarely) we always encourage panning if they are so inclined. Yes indeed; I have a good set of ear muffs! Block heating is the order of the day in order to ease starting, engine no doubt a bit “tired”. Prefers to push a full blade on a slight decline…. tranny, steering/clutches and brakes still strong. Seems to be really well balanced with the ripper, now a days it doesn’t see a lot of use. Quite enjoy operating it though!
Welcome to HEF BC !
Thanks!
I completely missed this intro thread. Here is a belated "welcome aboard" post.
Welcome to the Forum .A nice tidy looking operation your running.
Thanks! It’s a great forum here. Truck in the bucket….nice!
Welcome to the forum Beautiful part of the world you live in. Haven't been that way in a while but I've got relatives in Lumby
Thanks for the welcome! We often use the Trinity Valley gravel road “shortcut” to pass through Lumby on our way up to some mining claims we have near the Monashee summit on hwy6.
A belated welcome from the people's republic of Illinois. Like your business model. Simple, functional and most of all field repairable.
Thanks! A simple operation with older but reliable (for the most part) equipment has worked for us. Have always enjoyed basic fabrication & welding. My background as an exploration geologist was useful in regards to research & acquiring good ground. A big thanks again to the collective and wide ranging expertise on HEF….. Has helped us out a lot, very humbling to see the knowledge base here!