Building a Gold Dredger and Wash Plant in the Jungle

Three years ago, one of my customers approached me with a unique request: to build a gold dredger and wash plant. As someone who typically built dredgers for sand or gravel, I knew I had to do some research to learn about the specific requirements for gold mining equipment.

After a few months, we had successfully built the gold dredger and wash plant, and it was time to transport it to the mining site. However, setting up the plant on-site proved to be a challenge. There were a variety of equipment and tools needed for placer mining operations such as water pumps, generators, pipes, and excavators, and all of them had to work seamlessly.

To complicate matters, the mining site was located deep in the jungle, which posed dangers such as snakes and scorpions. Despite these challenges, I accepted the assignment and set out on a journey with a colleague to transport the equipment.

When we arrived at the mining site, we had to start from scratch. We turned on our GPS, built houses, ensured security, and set up a kitchen for meals. We were working on a bare plain deep in the jungle, and it was not something that could be done in a few days. It was a tough time, very hot, and the language barrier did not really help with the local population.

After bivouacking for a few months, our main building was finally ready, and we could start setting up the wash plant for the gold dredger. You could already imagine what the process would entail, but I will save that for another time. Overall, it was a challenging yet rewarding experience, and I learned a lot about the gold mining industry and the equipment involved in it.