Gold Mule transporter

This is something I build a couple of years ago. It started out as a broken craftsman snow blower. We do not have much snow near San Francisco so I poked around in craigslist and found two near Reno, NV. It did not have an engine and it was too big anyway. I stripped everything off that I did not need except for the transmission which was a steel plate and a rubber wheel that moved back and forth giving you 5 gears forward and one reverse. Machined a motor mount for my 1.5 hp Honda. Also had to machine a hub for the large gear and a few other parts. First attempt was a fixed wheel but it had limited steering. Swapped this out for a swivel wheel and that worked much better. In 5th gear it was a little slow so I swapped out the gear for a 42 to one the only one they had in the shop. I packed it up with my hydraulic winch and walked it up a steep slope at Moccasin Creek in 5th gear it did not stall. The other gears were far to slow so I plan to swap the larger gear again so I can make use of the other speeds. Have used it at several outings and it has preformed well. The drive plate does not like to get wet, it slips. I have had 200 pounds on it and no problems. My big test is in a remote canyon where there is a 42 ton boulder laying over a crevice. I need to take my core drill down and drill some holes to put the dexpan in. Dexpan is an expansion powder used in quarrying granite and marble. Drill a 1 7/8 hole mix the powder with water and pour it in. Within 24 hours it will expand and crack the rock. Archer USA in New Mexico sells it. What is nice about it is it is quiet no dust and you do not need a license to use it.

http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc110/dandbln/

The other stuff in the album is a bunch of core drills I bought at an estate sale. I was only looking to buy the rock crusher and impact mill but it was the last day and they did not want to cart all that heavy stuff off to the dump so I got a good deal on every thing and now trying to figure out what I want to do with it. The air drills weigh about 190 pounds and there is several thousand pounds of coring steel.

The funny looking gun is an air powered crevice tool. I will be rebuilding that at the TechShop.ws once I finish making an injection mold for my new blue bowl adjusters.

We used the dexpan last year at a friends house near Mariposa. They were putting in a new foundation and reconstructing parts of the house. The house was over a hundred years old, the front porch was bowed up because of a large chunk of granite. We used the dexpan to remove about 4 ft off the top of the boulder. The next day my friend was washing down the rock and it activated the dexpan again and broke more of the rock. It did a nice job and the boulder is now under ground.

I have a portable core drill that was built in Canada in the 1950's I think photobucket has a video of me using it on the big boulder. Just after I drilled 3 holes the crank shaft fractured. I found a collector of old equipment in Canada and he had a crank for it so I was able to get it running again. Planning to go back at the rock as soon as the water level drops in the creek.

Replies

James Madden March 27, 2011 at 12:56pm

We used the dexpan last year at a friends house near Mariposa. They were putting in a new foundation and reconstructing parts of the house. The house was over a hundred years old, the front porch was bowed up because of a large chunk of granite. We used the dexpan to remove about 4 ft off the top of the boulder. The next day my friend was washing down the rock and it activated the dexpan again and broke more of the rock. It did a nice job and the boulder is now under ground.

I have a portable core drill that was built in Canada in the 1950's I think photobucket has a video of me using it on the big boulder. Just after I drilled 3 holes the crank shaft fractured. I found a collector of old equipment in Canada and he had a crank for it so I was able to get it running again. Planning to go back at the rock as soon as the water level drops in the creek.
- Brian Cole > James Madden March 27, 2011 at 11:31pm
  
  I have a 1 inch chisel impact Drill. I was not sure on your hole size ....depth....etc. And the number of holes and spacing. Just talked to a miner friend this eve about the dexpan and he was asking me questions as well. Figured the internet would supply the "How To". Thanks
  - James Madden > Brian Cole March 28, 2011 at 1:22am
    
    If you go to this site http://dexpan.net/ Look at the usage instructions it explains the process. The holes should be between 1.5" and 2" and 80 to 90% of the depth of the material you are going to crack. If you are breaking out a hole in a solid wall you will need expansion holes. The material has an 18000 psi expansion. The PDF downloads is the best one to look at, it shows photos and gives all the details of its use. Around page 9 it looks like they are breaking a vein of quartz. Remember order the dexpan according to the temperature range of where you will be working. Heat is part of the reaction process so if the temps are low it does not work as well if you have the wrong temp range material. I had called them because I had Dexpan I and the temp was in the 50 to 70 range. They told me to add ice to the water and that would start the reaction.
    - Brian Cole > James Madden March 28, 2011 at 10:32am
      
      Well that rules out "MY" impact drill. Did not realize the holes would have to be so deep. Thanks for the info....it is good to know.
Brian Cole March 27, 2011 at 10:45am

That is real slick! Good job. Thanks for the info on Dexpan......glad I saw your input. I now know how to deal with some " BIG" rock. Going to go tell a friend as we were just talking about cracking a big rock he is digging around as I type.

Good luck on your big rock....hope you hit some good gold.....and think you will.

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