Dredge Tools

After you have chosen a good selection of items you could require for your tool box the next thing you will need to look into is the special tools that will help you during the dredging operation. This is also very important.

Rope is something that all dredgers should make sure to take along with them and it is not difficult to carry. Rope is often times used by dredgers that are setting their work up for shorter operations. For those that are going to be doing longer operations it is suggested to use waterproof chain and cable. If you are going to be using chain and cable we suggest you first rub it with a greasy rag before letting it get wet. Make sure to not do this with your bare hands though because you can get severely cut.

The last necessary items are the tools that all miners need. There are different kinds but in general these consist of shovels, picks, spades, rock hammers, hand winches etc, etc. Obviously this greatly depends on what you expect to find and the type of area you are planning on going to however, the items that you will always need are shovels, picks and rock hammers.

Before we get into the incidences that could occur when it comes to launching there is a rule that is a must when it comes to dredging and it should always be kept in mind. Make sure to dredge upstream and to let the tailings discharge downstream.

Always remember that the rocks and little boulders of the tailings have a tendency of dropping right after discharge but the sand and lighter gravels are usually carried. Due to the fact the discharge from the sluice is normally going faster than the velocity of the stream the materials that are lighter go into the stream at a distance from the discharge where the very rapidly settle to the middle area where the speed is higher than it is in bottom or surface. Because of this they can be carried at quite a distance before depositing again on the stream bed.

If they are eliminated above the dredging area the lighter material can become suspended throughout the dredging area and it can cause the water to get cloudy and will make it hard for you to see where your suction nozzle is functioning. In most cases this also means that the material will need to be dredged again like barren gravel and will end up wasting you time.

However the most important reason is because the fine sands will usually always be transported to the intake area where it will become sucked up into the centrifugal pump and wear down the impellers very rapidly. Even just a short time of fine sand running through the centrifugal pump can reduce its efficiency a lot.