Gravity dredging in the California Motherlode! (50 subscriber special)

[@Kylethiemann]

This guy wins. Flat out best video ever.

[@GramCanyonSam]

Really good rite! I like this dude he has it in him for future great content! Good stuff

[@ryansell]

Great Video I stand behind everything you are talking about!👍🏻😊

[@nhragold1922]

Awesome! Remember it's our right to dredge!

[@croatiansensation6062]

Yes it is but not to destroy the environment in the process.

[@cardmansales9376]

support dredging guys! it helps remove lead from streams and cleans up the enviroment!

[@bartman7144]

CA gold dredging ban was always ridiculous. It needs to be overturned!

[@genofromrenoprospector6940]

Excellent video Eric. I've been wanting to do this on my claim. Packing the pipe to my claim will be a challenge though. 1 hour hike into the claim sucks but the gravity dredging would be worth the trouble. Hope to see you again. 🇺🇸👍😎⛏

[@Uberaroundtheworld530]

If you wanna do it I have the equipment to ride out there on trail bikes . Just need a spot that people won’t bother me so I can get my dredge running perfect .

[@ConvectionConnoisseur]

Gold and heavies will accumulate in that ribbed tubing too!!

[@timeisnow9855]

Great vid brother and love the tunes.. no pumps or battery gotta love that, nice and stealthy

[@marxandrzejewski4166]

Give him an A for effort. Good video.

[@UncleJimmyOutWest]

Right on, Brother!

[@kenmorrill3774]

Hi Eric, I just subscribed. Thanks for talking with me on the phone at the Outpost. What a great setup! Perfect for a claim with a lot of drop.

[@AUmajor]

Great talking with you Ken. Thanks for the sub. Can't wait to mine with ya one day. Stay safe and mine on!

[@WestCoastGoldProspecting]

Now that looked like fun, right on man.

[@georgemccart6023]

Nice I’ve never seen that before pretty damn cool I know your dad and Joe gold we used to prospect the San Gabriel Mountains Keep up the good work get that shiny

[@AUmajor]

Thank you for comment. I hope to see you around, George. heavy pans!

[@HereIsWhereWeAre]

+1 for the San Gabriel mountains! Big shout from SoCal on the East Fork. Nice video man!

[@buffalokrisgoldprospecting]

Dedication and hard work at its finest my friend. New subscriber here.

[@ProspectorTripp]

That is killer dude! Need a bit less suction or you may rip your hand off! 😂 Great idea.. your box could be wider and longer with the torrent of water.. really cool! ✌️PT

[@Deepwoodsjoe]

Great your first time, green the way to go.

[@yellowdogadventures]

Good Job! This is the way to go. Stealth.. no engine noise

[@blueleadgoldproductions133]

Great video Eric. Thanks for coming to the dig at Petey's. Let's meet up there and move some material (wet or dry) sometime soon. Aloha.

[@AUmajor]

I will see you again soon, Tim! It was a pleasure meeting you and the boys. I am stuck here at the Outpost splitting firewood. Once I get a chance to break away I will be back there to help find some treasure. God bless, heavy pans!

[@josephnewman9175]

Nice work! Hammer and chisel in those cracks! Be seeing you Friday mr. Joe gold

[@AUmajor]

Cant wait to see you this weekend at the secret gold claim!

[@2dawgsmiked684]

Lmao, Bro! All that work and you don't even have a nozzle attached?!? 😂😂😂

[@thomasjones1778]

Love it Brother!

[@hipbeeexplorer]

Just Subscribed! Nice video, fun to watch. Thanks!

[@AUmajor]

thank you very much. i love your channel too

[@r0b1975]

New subscriber from the UK! I hunt Wales, Scotland and England for the super rare unicorn au poo 😁 all the best Buddy 👍🍻⛏🇬🇧 Rob

[@AUmajor]

Thank you, Rob. 🙂 LOL Fly poop sized gold is better than no gold! I would love to visit prospect in the UK one day! Wish you the best, friend.

[@croatiansensation6062]

Sick Long Tom bro! It was running real hot but I like it!!! Well done sir

[@gorillagoldhunters]

Awesome channel buddy!

[@jandsadventures4174]

Wow Eric, very cool video my friend, great work, keep it up

[@vinivv]

Beautiful yep worken great just need a nozzle on that hose nice work man!!!!

[@AUmajor]

i know!!! its hard to find a used one. budgets are tight lol

[@Alpacabowl98]

@@AUmajor eric its just like pvc. just get a 45 degree turn, $2.50?

[@VoGusProspecting]

This is sick!

[@ferdburphel2076]

Well done and well said! Now clean that river!

[@seanoneal94]

You have a new subscriber! Awesome, hope to see more videos from you.

[@PepitaDeoro777]

Excelente trabajo guerrero

[@thegoldscrounge581]

New subscriber here. I am inspired by your ingenuity and energy. But my back hurts just watching you drag up all that gear. You hear about easy gold sometimes. Gold never comes easy in my experience. Will be looking forward to more of your adventures. Maybe I’ll see you on one of the claims hope so.

[@GramCanyonSam]

☆new sub here!☆ Brother im very impressed with the video and the content all around stellar production and keep at it you will make it in the world of tube" Heavy snuffers bud! Adam and picker petey 🐕 ....... got a few spots around placer and nevada county some grav hits would kill it. Thanks for sharing this to my group on FB its hard finding good content sometimes on the youtube feed.

[@AUmajor]

thank you very very much! Very kind words from an awesome Gold miner!! If you need some help setting up a gravity fed dredge I have the equipment and the muscle to get you set up!

[@GramCanyonSam]

@@AUmajor stay in touch and keep uploading vids 😁. I will let you know when im back in the area i will be dredging in maine and vermont and new hampshire over the summer and back for a while after xmas. There are a few creeks running then that would do very well with a grav set and i travel back and forth i usally pack light as far as equipment and staying on the road its best not to have dredge stuff on your roof 24/7 driving around the state 😆.......not that i havent lol

[@isaacgibbs]

Stoked. Go get it!

[@respectinghiphop]

Much respect and Blessings

[@backup-ll5hc]

Very cool man thanks

[@bashmaster9392]

your a banchy love it

[@piratedredger1857]

New to your channel my friend, hello from Scotland and the pirate dredger Arrrrrr, it was brilliantly done 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☠️⛏️⛏️👍💙

[@LivingGoodAlaska]

Could you please explain your crash box /riffle/matting setup for your sluice box? What is under the metal with the small holes? How many feet of pipe do you run? Thank you

[@timothymacmaster7432]

Hey Eric, it’s Tim. Will you be back in the Motherlode this summer. Missed you last year. Aloha

[@jeffersonstategold8349]

Great Video!

[@highlandgoldprospecting7732]

Great video buddy

[@AUmajor]

Thank you kind sir

[@albertcab]

The truth is that for the final dredge that you have assembled that pipe is too big, I would have mounted one of at most 3 inches and with the upper part made with ultra-flexible corrugated PP pipe

[@uwillnevahno6837]

Isn't a gravity dredge perfectly legal as it isn't " a mechanized or motorized system"?

[@rektrc1142]

Awesome video.

[@skeets6060]

Seems to work,, good on ya,, has anybody from the state reached out to you yet ?

[@CARLOSCESPEDESbiocihealth]

Good job !!

[@hellstick101]

That looks like fun man

[@gold-golqqq5021]

Сколько метров Надо шланга.?? Спасибо большое вам за видео.

[@brianc7552]

so this is a REALLY cool idea that im surprised I've never had myself. Technically legal due to lack of motors, but I do have to ask, how far behind the sluice is the trailing reaching out in the water? if its over 12 ft. length, ranger can still cite you for it. As long as you avoid spawning season for the fish, I really don't see how anyone could have an issue with dredgers.

[@awaremedia8533]

Just met this dude yesterday!

[@carltoneesquire302]

What kind of header box u got over the sluice I've seen some big rocks for dow that hose

[@davidwalker8359]

Hey Major, how long of a hose do you use? And what height difference from the locations?

[@aaronknowlton3996]

Look up dry land dredge. They use a jet of water to blast the material loose into the dredge line

[@buffalokrisgoldprospecting]

I really like the first song in this video. What is it called

[@GoldRadioTalk]

We work hard for the reward of gold, it's a lifestyle.

[@AUmajor]

Darn right! Takes a certain kind of insanity to find gold

[@nhragold1922]

Hey does any gold get cought in the hose? There is a spot I'm trying to work and I don't want anyone to see a dredge. I'm in mariposa county sooo this was my plan. I just never done it

[@reecerodriguez2133]

So does DFG give you any shit for using gravity I live out here in gold country too and always wanted to try but to scared to get a 10,000 fine

[@AUmajor]

It is 100% legal what I am doing in this video. No motors no problem! Plus I doubt rivers and gold claims are high on the governments priority lists given the situations our country is in. The fear you feel to go out and freely mine is exactly the governments goal was when they implemented their backwards codes and laws.

[@navagatingthroughthebeasts2908]

I've got a pretty good idea where your prospecting. Heavy pans & light heat 👍

[@TheHumbleProspector]

Hell ya do the damn thing

[@billgarcia7805]

Gravity dredging allowed. “No motorized equipment allowed..”

[@heavymeadowdetective192]

I'm half way in and loving it. I think you lost some gold on that first run. That sluice looked like a bar brawl with AIDS, falling down concrete stairs. I say that as a friend. I'm gonna finish the video now.

[@heavymeadowdetective192]

Respect all the way around. You do that, you get gold. I wish you had a longer sluice. Seems like you'd lose a bunch. Idk?

[@AUmajor]

It is not a full proof system I will admit. I plan on running a gravity into a5 inch dredge next season! Thank you for feedback :-)

[@heavymeadowdetective192]

@SECRET CREEK PROSPECTING Idk man. Maybe he'll come out and get some shiny come spring time.

[@heavymeadowdetective192]

@SECRET CREEK PROSPECTING I agree. I've never seen anyone do what he did in this video. Good stuff

[@blueleadgoldproductions133]

California Code, Fish and Game Code § 5653(a) states: "The use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment by a person in a river, stream, or lake of this state is prohibited, except as authorized under a permit issued to that person by the department in compliance with the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 5653.9 .  Before a person uses vacuum or suction dredge equipment in a river, stream, or lake of this state, that person shall submit an application to the department for a permit to use the vacuum or suction dredge equipment, specifying the type and size of equipment to be used and other information as the department may require pursuant to regulations adopted by the department to implement this section." However, California Code, Fish and Game Code § 5653(g) also states "For purposes of this section and Section 5653.1 , the use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment, also known as suction dredging, is the use of a mechanized or motorized system for removing or assisting in the removal of, or the processing of, material from the bed, bank, or channel of a river, stream, or lake in order to recover minerals.  This section and Section 5653.1 do not apply to, prohibit, or otherwise restrict nonmotorized recreational mining activities, including panning for gold." Your "nonmotorized mining activities" seem to be legal under subsection (g). So, let's discuss this subject as soon as possible. Aloha

[@AUmajor]

I am glad you posted the code, Tim!! I was directed by Bill Boomer that if I use no motor it is 100% legal. Boomer even lent me most of the parts for this "Non motorized Sluice." Boomer also said if his North Fork claim had enough drop then he would be using gravity power there! We need to be very loud and proud of our rights and show how little impact we miners have on our rivers. However it says we need a permit to use suction power BUT the government is refusing every aplication for a permit. Consider this video and the future videos on this style of mining a protest. I am willing to risk punishement to inform people on the benefits of Motor Dredging. Another mentor of mine gave me good advice. He said that all prospectors need to remove the word "recreational" from our vocabulary. If the government thinks we are all recreational prospectors then they will bend the laws so we only have recreational rights. We all need to start stating that we are "Professional Miners." And treat gold mining like it is a our only way of income, then maybe Dredging will come back to CA. I was eyeing Peteys Place, and it may have more than enough drop to utilise a gravity system🤑🤑

[@jeffhays1968]

Winner ! BUT there are way lighter hoses for this, just say'in

[@AUmajor]

I made this dredge on a completely free budget! The hoses were loaned by a friend, the pipe was old scrap from a construction site. The weight and burden hiking them in was worth the cost and the gold return.

[@robertbriggs1968]

So is gravity dredging allowed? Have you been fined? I want to Gravity Dredge my Gold claim in California

[@aaronknowlton3996]

You need a y on the dredge hose to use water jet to blast the material into the line.

[@KWAHU93]

Please do elaborate

[@EatHotLead4Ever]

how long were you working the gravel?

[@justinharman9833]

This man thinks outside the box

[@DanielHunterUSA]

How long is that pipe ?

[@jordanshatswell4347]

Hey, you ready to get this back out and move some dirt this year?! I got a killer dredge spot that hasn't been hit in 10+ years because of the laws and no one wants to do this.

[@davidwalker8359]

4inch pipe of what kind?

[@visamedic]

How are you able to dredge in California?

[@aarondunlap6827]

With a dredge 👍

[@joerooney6724]

I never understand why when you work so hard many don't use a safety pan.

[@AUmajor]

cause if i lose some gold i will just dig it up again later. its on my claim, it isnt going anywhere

[@adampurcell7119]

All the gold would be in the hose

[@GramCanyonSam]

You out by jim's......

[@AUmajor]

I am at the Indian Valley Outpost Resort now. I am always open for visitors

[@davidwalker8359]

@@AUmajor I am down to work hard, and have an adventure.

[@davidwalker8359]

@@AUmajor past Sacramento is a bit too far though, I would say.

[@maxinpains6937]

@01:04 ... Bad Acting. 😂🤣

[@joeybrown2089]

You aren't going to leave all that plastic in that river, are you?

[@AUmajor]

No. Hike it out and reuse it next season.

[@davidwalker8359]

You're somebody that doesn't understand what we do. Please don't ask questions like that. Rhetorical or not. We clean the rivers, never leave anything behind. We actually take the crap out that other turds leave behind.

[@davidwalker8359]

Obviously you didn't listen to what Major talks about in the video.

[@joeybrown2089]

@@davidwalker8359 You know, sometimes when life is happening around you, things get missed. This is why I didn't hear it, and asked. There is no reason for you to chime in a month later and be rude about it.

[@ronaldnelson7204]

I agree with you.