Gold Rush - General Discussion

[Jenkins]

Without a doubt it brought tears to my eyes. It made me miss and think of my own grandfather. I really do hope Parker can appreciate how long he has had his grandfather around, most of us weren't that lucky.

 

I know Grandpa Schnabel is the main reason I continue to root for Parker...it certainly isn't because of Parkers awesome personality.

 

So Todd is going to be mining 10 months out of the year according to him on the after show. So I fear we are going to get 100% Todd infused Gold Rush episodes to start next season...

[SRTouch]

I know it's been said many times before, but I sure wish they'd give us some idea of the cost per ounce for each mine. I'd like to see a comparison of Todd's operation vs Parker's. Trying to compare Tony's dredge is pointless - apples to oranges. My ears did perk up when he said he was using 10 gallons of diesel an hour, about the same as 1 rock truck. So the dredge takes a two man crew and ten gallons of fuel an hour - that's comparable to Todd's mini-city. Add up the fuel costs of Todd's excavators, rock trucks, dozers, loaders, water pumps, wash plants, etc etc - it probably cost Todd (more accurately the film production company) more to operate each day than it cost to run the dredge all season. The dredge didn't pay for itself this season, but when you add in Parker's lease payments the Beets aren't hurting.

I really question Todd's grandstand play of bringing in a second wash plant. And what was with pushing the conveyor off the side with a dozer. I know it needed work, but Todd's solution to needed maintenance makes as much sense as using $100 bills to light a fire. A few months ago Todd and crew were acting like it was the best thing in the Klondike, now they turn it into scrap to save a couple hours.

[walnutqueen]

I am ever so glad we didn't have to listen to Todd crowing about beating Parker.  I loved that Tony Beets told them all the gold count means nothing - it's what you take home in your pocket that counts.  No matter how much gold Todd gets, he'll probably never break even with all the equipment and labor expenses he carries.  I hope he loses his fat lazy ass in Oregon.

[SRTouch]

So Todd is going to be mining 10 months out of the year according to him on the after show. So I fear we are going to get 100% Todd infused Gold Rush episodes to start next season...

If it was anyone besides Todd, I'd say it might be interesting. This will be a different type of mining. Instead of old creek beds where there's comparatively easy access to water, they're on a mountain top a long way from water. Where will they set up the washplant, and where do they start digging pay? How will they get the needed water? Will they have to establish a holding pond to control runoff? They're back in the US, so they'll have to comply with different rules and regulations than those in the Canadian Klondike. Do they have to get an environmental impact study done, or is that already taken care of by the mine owners? My guess is there needs to a sh*t load of engineering and planning before mining starts. Like I said, it could be interesting, but will turn into more Hoffman Rah Rah, Go Team nonsense and totally gloss over what I'd like to see.

[Jenkins]

Completely agree, if it was anyone but Todd (heres an idea, bring in a new miner or two) I would find it very interesting to see them mining in Oregon for the reasons you stated.

 

I know they better bring Juan with them...he saved their asses more than once this season.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Who ever would have guessed that Parker would owe Tony more gold than he advanced?  

 

The big question:  How much did Parker end up paying Toad for that trailer?  He won the bet, so he should not have owed any more cash.  But, he swore he would not accept that arrangement.  Of COURSE Disco didn't pay off this storyline.

 

The thing that frosted me in this one was that we had a crew vote unanimously to go home.  Then, with literally not a word about it, we just see them working as hard as ever, as if nothing had been said.  We get nothing but how wonderful a crew they were and how Parker wanted to be sire to shut down at the right time to not piss them off by running too hard, too long.  Huh?  A unanimous vote to quit the previous week wasn't a clue?

 

What happened to the fear that any damage to Goldzilla would cost Parker a ton of cash?  Where was the owner to come back up as he did that one time and put the fear of God in them?  Now, Goldzilla barely functions and Parker won;t even be using it again?  How much in damages did he have to pay?  How much will the new one cost?

 

Calling it now...Tony will demand a greater percentage, now that they saw what that creekbed yielded.

 

OR...in a total Disco move, Parker ends up buying McKinnon (where Toad was this season). 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Lonesome Rhodes

[FishyJoe]

It sounds very suspicious that the gold would be in the top layer of soil. Gold is heavy, it should be near the bottom not the top. 

[SRTouch]

It sounds very suspicious that the gold would be in the top layer of soil. Gold is heavy, it should be near the bottom not the top.

I'm not a miner or geologist, so my thoughts on the matter may be totally wrong. In the past we've watched them mine creek/river beds. There they had to move the overburden to get down to gold bearing pay dirt. The overburden is really just the topsoil washed down from hillsides. Now, by moving uphill where the topsoil has been washed away by centuries of erosion, they don't have the move all that overburden to get to paydirt.

I'm interested in seeing where in the ground they actually find the gold. In the river bed they wanted that layer of gravel which rested on bedrock. Will their new paydirt be a layer of gravel, or will the gold be in a different type of soil, like clay? Will they need a different type washplant to separate the gold? Obviously, if the gold is there it can be mined, but the question is, can enough be recovered to be a commercial success?

Is Todd going to show up with the right equipment? Remember the equipment he showed up with in South America. We've watched the Hoffmans move and establish new "mines" several times now. Half the time, it's obvious the mines failed. Even when they celebrate a successful season I'm left wondering if they would be bankrupt without Discovery covering the bills. Will the Hoffmans be setting up a commercial mine, or creating a tv set? As miners, they have a pretty dismal track record.

[walnutqueen]

Tony Beets is a real miner.

 

Parker wants to be a miner.

 

Todd Hoffman wants to be a TV star.

[SRTouch]

Exactly right

Tony Beets is a real miner.

Tony's 30+ years mining experience helps because he knows what to do to be successful. Having the already successful and established Tamarack mine gives him an advantage with men, equipment and supplies. When Gene convinced Tony to move overburden, they just brought in earth moving equipment - equipment Tony's owned longer than Parker and the Hoffmans have been mining. If he needs more men, just shift a couple over for a couple days. Piece of equipment down and needs a part fast - Minnie has it in her supply bins or knows the fastest way to get it. Even the way the mine camp at Paradise Hills puts the other two to shame. Why pay for infrastructure for all the individual trailers and 5th wheels instead of having a bunkhouse? Oh I know, it's so the tv stars can have their families with them.

Parker wants to be a miner.

A big problem with Parker is he's playing Discovery's gold total competition storyline. He will never be a successful big time miner until he becomes an owner and stops paying someone else to mine their land. Actually in an interview http://www.miningandexploration.ca/rockstars/article/for_tony_beets_nothing_beats_success/ Tony says to be successful you should start out small, look for 1,000ounce seasons at first - the overhead will be smaller and you'll have more net profit. That's sort of what Parker is doing. He's growing faster than he should according to Tony's advice, but he has the added income from the show. I'd love to see Parker play the spoiled brat just long enough to get the capital to buy his own ground and equipment, then tell Discovery to suck eggs and get off his mine. (Course that's assuming he's not the spoiled a$$hole he's playing on the show.)

Todd Hoffman wants to be a TV star.

As miners, the Hoffmans are a joke. They started out knowing squat about mining, and Todd hasn't learned squat in 6 years. Todd has as much as admitted he's not a miner, saying he's a tv reality star. He's got a few good hard workers who started out knowing as little as he does, but they've learned something while he hasn't. He has a couple really good specialty men with Juan and Freddy, a good all around guy in Dave, and a few other hard wokers. But the Hoffman operation is a made for tv affair not a mine. A pet peeve of mine with the Hoffmans is how they talk about how they're roughing it. In the Army I was on deployments where their living quarters in the jungle would have been a dream. They complained about their showers. I remember riding in the back of an open truck for over an hour on dusty dirt roads in the desert to take our twice a month shower - then being covered in dust by the time we got back to camp. (And I was in a support unit, lots of soldiers thought we had it easy.) Todd couldn't last a season without taking time off to spent with his family, and now they have their family at camp with them. Yet, there are many jobs, not just military, which require long separations from family.

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: Season 2015 review and season 2016 preview.

[forum4idiots]

interesting....remember the time they were moving the plant and parker disappeared and was bitching when he came back that it wasn't done.....i don't think i saw derek there too........hmmmmmmm.  there is just something weird about the dnamic between parker and derek....just saying.

[Rock knocker]

Todd sings Christian rock as poorly as he manages a gold mine.

 

That is what he partly did when he left this last summer.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

So, the one guy who Parker babied is looking to get out?  Parker took his side against freaking Rick and this tool doesn't like how parker treated him?!  

 

At least we got to see Toad make another moronic decision.  He may not have had any real choice since the Yukon is largely played out, but the choice to go where he is?  Bankrupt city.  

 

I will truly enjoy watching the move of the second dredge next year.  That kind of engineering  is what keeps me interested.

[Lemur]

Slightly OT, but did anything ever come of Todd's Family Fortress prepper show?  

[oakLeaf]

I cannot remember the last time I actually cried out loud, but I had to just stop watching this episode for now because I just had tears streaming down my face. I have always loved the relationship between John and Parker, and John reminded me of my own Grandpa (who was not a gold miner but who also took a risk going to a new place and carving out a life for his family).

 

I hope Parker and his family take comfort in the fact that John really had an excellent life right up until the end, and that he was a great example to his family.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

This ep proves that Disco really does understand how to do actual life/reality well.  Of course, John was no Saint.  But, his was certainly a life which was substantial and well lived.

 

One question..."His wife, Irma?"   Huh????  

[ShowsILoveToHate]

I thought it was very nice, and very fitting, to devote a special to John Schnabel.  He was a prominent component to the show, especially Parker's story.  I feel privileged to have been able to see that last party footage of him that they had.  It almost seemed like he knew he might not make it for very long.  I'm glad he passed peacefully.   He definitely loved his family, and them, him.  I'll miss Grandpa John on the show.

[AndreaK1041]

Quote

In the epic 2-hr premiere Todd Hoffman takes the biggest gamble and turns his back on guaranteed gold in the Klondike. Tony Beets expands his empire, buying a huge second dredge. Parker Schnabel starts his new season without his grandfather & mentor.

No one made an episode thread yet?  Hopefully at least someone saw this so you can read my complaint which my husband is beyond tired of hearing:

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH GOLD YOU GET IT MATTERS THE NET TAKE HOME CASH

Ahem.

Todd is such a pile of shit, but this particular sticking point just kills me about him, his operation, and the structure of the show. His expenses are silly high. Parker says it, but no one cares.  

Edited October 19, 2016 by AndreaK1041

[AndreaK1041]

14 hours ago, AndreaK1041 said:

 

Edited October 18, 2016 by AndreaK1041
Oops, did not mean to post this

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Tony Beets is now in Todd-land.  He lost large on the first dredge, and now he paid more for a larger dredge which will cost even more to disassemble and relocate and reassemble - on the very land which had unsatisfactory yields with the first dredge!

Tony was my most respected because he was always about the bottom line:  $  Sentiment and "giving back?"  Not so much.  His son has unfortunately fallen a little too far from the tree.  He has always been a wee bit shy of a full bale.  

And c'mon.  Nobody called Tony, but he finds out and is on his way à la Almira Gulch on her bicycle, who does not call himself.  At least one million dollars is at stake, he believes the dredge is sinking, and he chooses to maintain radio silence so as to surprise his boy?  He would not demand instant pics and videos to assess?  Uh huh.

Now, pie in the sky schemes rule all the arcs.  Grrr.

Good on Miss Ashley to use the show, and Parker, to advance her celebrity.  There is little conceivable reason to believe someone so completely and utterly not invested nor interested in the process of mining, as pretty as she is, would settle for a naive lug like Parker.  Nice little gold digger is she.

[Rock knocker]

I only hope that Parker is getting some

[AndreaK1041]

I changed the thread title to all episodes for Season 7 based on the good recommendation of another user and the fact that there are barely any posts for individual episode threads.  If people want to put the episode descriptions here as they come, I think that makes sense.

**I'm not a mod, hopefully this is ok for a very unpopular show!

[SRTouch]

29 minutes ago, AndreaK1041 said:

I changed the thread title to all episodes for Season 7 based on the good recommendation of another user and the fact that there are barely any posts for individual episode threads.  If people want to put the episode descriptions here as they come, I think that makes sense.

**I'm not a mod, hopefully this is ok for a very unpopular show!

Thanks, hopefully discussions will flow better.

[jwc]

I disagree about Tony Beets new dredge stragedy not being wise.  The running costs on that dredge are a lot less than conventional mining I think.  I think it made a million last year and that was working the bugs out.  That type of dredging is crazy efficient on good ground.  

Todd Hoffman and his operation is a joke.  If it wasn't for the show propping him up he would have been done long ago.  The move to oregon is a farce, that is probably just so he can commute half an hour for the 2 or 3 hours of shooting they need for the show.  If there was good gold on that property then why was it shut down?  Wouldn't the owners hire some truck & bulldozer drivers to get the millions of dollars of gold that is there supposedly?  Or like last year where they got to lease some ground that was already cleared off and ready to go.  Really?  It is my contention that the show sets him up to look good.  Remember the jungle?  What a big misadventure that was.  Freddy Dodge is the man though.  Not sure why he sticks around.  Maybe he is just there for a few days of shooting once in a while.  I swear they have a few jars of gold they flash around after a cleanup to make it look good.  His  whole operation just seems so contrived.  Search 'gold rush hoax' you will see reports he wasn't sluicing in the Yukon until June last year so whatever.  I like Dave but he is riding shotgun on a 72 pinto with a bad paint job.

Parker is awesome in my opinion & his operation looks real.  He has a good crew and they run it like it is a real ine from what I can see.  The guy has been mining since he was 6 ffs.  His new aussie gf is a good side story, He makes bank in the summer and is famous so he can winter in oz while he waits for the next season.

[SRTouch]

On 10/21/2016 at 9:47 PM, jwc said:

I disagree about Tony Beets new dredge stragedy not being wise.  The running costs on that dredge are a lot less than conventional mining I think.  I think it made a million last year and that was working the bugs out.  That type of dredging is crazy efficient on good ground.  

Totally agree with you. The cost of running the dredge is so much less that it can be profitable if it only gets a fraction of the gold. Smaller crew, much smaller fuel bill, dredge paid for, and no royalties going to a mine owner... hey, I think I'd like his profit margins. Sure, it started out slow last season, but it appears to be dialed it this year. Tony isn't always right, but he seems to recognise his mistakes. Remember, one of the problems last year was he wanted the dredge to cut through the overburden. He had a blow up with Gene, and finally let Gene move the overburden like Gene wanted. Seems he learned from that, this year he has Monica clearing away overburden from the start. I liked that he admitted he screwed up dumping trees in the pond - would have been better had he apologized for shutting down the dredge, but at least he admitted he screwed up. I keep hoping to see Gene back, maybe he'll show up as they work on getting the new dredge moved and set up.

Quote

Todd Hoffman and his operation is a joke.  If it wasn't for the show propping him up he would have been done long ago.  The move to oregon is a farce, that is probably just so he can commute half an hour for the 2 or 3 hours of shooting they need for the show.  If there was good gold on that property then why was it shut down?  Wouldn't the owners hire some truck & bulldozer drivers to get the millions of dollars of gold that is there supposedly?  Or like last year where they got to lease some ground that was already cleared off and ready to go.  Really?  It is my contention that the show sets him up to look good.  Remember the jungle?  What a big misadventure that was.  Freddy Dodge is the man though.  Not sure why he sticks around.  Maybe he is just there for a few days of shooting once in a while.  I swear they have a few jars of gold they flash around after a cleanup to make it look good.  His  whole operation just seems so contrived.  Search 'gold rush hoax' you will see reports he wasn't sluicing in the Yukon until June last year so whatever.  I like Dave but he is riding shotgun on a 72 pinto with a bad paint job.

Yep, agree with this also. Much as I'd love to have Tony's profit margin, I'd hate to have Todd's. Todd is shown as willing to spend every ounce he mines as long as he reaches his magic number. If his goal is 3000 ounces, he's ready to spend 3500 ounces. Looks like they're pulling another typical Hoffman move this season. A couple lousy cleanups... they're not even making enough to pay for fuel - oh no what can they do? Just get Jack to pray for God to let them find gold, then go out lease more land and double down, lease more equipment, another wash plant, and once again try to get a second mine up and running... yeah sure, remind me how many times we've heard this storyline before...  Oh, before I finish with the Hoffman operation, let me say I agree about Freddy Dodge being the real deal. I also like Andy, Dave and Thurber, don't mind Kevin as much as I used to, but would be happy if Todd and Jack never appeared back on my screen.

Quote

Parker is awesome in my opinion & his operation looks real.  He has a good crew and they run it like it is a real ine from what I can see.  The guy has been mining since he was 6 ffs.  His new aussie gf is a good side story, He makes bank in the summer and is famous so he can winter in oz while he waits for the next season.

Sort of expect to see Tony relent on his royaly cut, and turn Parker loose - as that plays to the whole TV bogus competition script. Without the TV driving it, I think the smartest thing is for Tony to work with Parker, give Parker a guarantee that he can mine the land in the future seasons and encourage him to clear land so it will be ready to mine earlier in the next season. The way Parker mines now every season he starts from scratch every year, and why not, at the end of every year he's hoping to be able to buy his own land and stop paying Tony a cut... I mean why try to mine more than 3000 ounces if Tony gets 25% of anything above 3000. Even the Hoffman crew was able to pull a lot of gold out of the ground when they had land cleared and piles of pay ready to run from the previous year. Give Parker a guarantee and let him make some long range plans. I'm just guessing, but it appears the season ends when the wash plant starts freezing over. I wonder every season if they couldn't be clearing land to get a jump on the next season, but why spend money on fuel to clear land someone else is going to mine. Course, we probably won't see that... competition for the cameras seems to be more important than mining for profit.

Edited October 23, 2016 by SRTouch
Wording changed

[SRTouch]

2 hours ago, 1kittykitty said:

Wish Tony Beets and Todd Hoffman would get rid of those beards.  I turn my head every time they come on the screen. Eeewwww!

Don't forget Jack Hoffman's white beard. One of the all time best scenes to come out of the jungle debacle was when Jack's beard changed colors after his face plant off the motorcycle. Ok, wouldn't have been funny if he'd been hurt, but he wasn't, so I can say I laughed my a$$ off

[Lonesome Rhodes]

That was some of the sketchiest gold ever seen.  If Beets got even 70% smelted, I'd be stunned.  Of course, that wasn't the actual clean out (they never are), so what does it matter?

I did enjoy the re-engineering Parker had to do on Slucifer.  This stuff is the best reason for me to watch.  

[Mrs. P.]

I must be a terrible person, but I laugh my ass off every time Todd's grand plans fail. He is such a joke. I wonder how he instills such loyalty from the men in his crew.

Parker continues to impress. I agree with the poster who wished that he could get out from under Tony Beets' thumb.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

What happened to Ashley???  She's needed more than ever if Parker is gonna be running two operations.  Obviously, she should be put on the Indian River project under Rick!  ;)

If the Beets weigh in was not the exact same dirty gold we saw in the last ep, I'll eat Tony's hat.  Of course, unspoken was that this was WEEKS after the previous ep, per Gene's arrival to fix the "teeth."  Even if we accept 220 as a legitimate number, divide that by 3 or 4, and they aren't getting very much.  

Parker said his basic running cost was north of $3K/day.  They run well over 100 days/year.  So, that's another $300K+ for every season, on top of equipment rental and labor, and royalties.  

That new deal with Tony was most certainly worked out with Disco involvement well before anyone set foot in Canada this year.  It actually makes good sense for Tony.  The fun part will be learning how Rick puts together all the equipment and crew, well after the season had begun.  No way could anyone put together that kind of deal then.  

[Rock knocker]

I like how Dave Turin poo-poos the forty feet of overburden like it's nothing, because "this could be a game changer".

 

Todd seems to really like being an ass to Parker, he doesn't even have to try for the cameras.

[SRTouch]

Finally got around to watching, so now I understand the comments a little better. Knew Discovery would pull something to loosen up Tony's control over Parker. Really, REALLY wish I knew the economics of Parker's operation, as I just don't understand doubling the expenses by opening a second operation in the hopes of getting an additional thousand ounces. Maybe that conveyor/excavator idea will make it feasible. As long as I'm wishing, I wish they'd tell us how much of the weigh-in is gold vs slag waste. I agree with the poster who mentioned how dirty some of the weigh-ins look. 100 ounce weigh-in isn't nearly so good if there's a high percentage of waste material. No comment on the Hoffman wash plant move - more TV drama instead of mining, but then watching them mine isn't all that riveting anywho. Not much to say about Tony this week, either. I remember when he was portrayed as the go-to guy in the Yukon. Nowadays, not so much. Last week he was shown dumping trees in the dredge pond, screwing up the operation. This week phony royalty fight with Parker where Minnie is the voice of reason, micromanaging the dredge operation again, and what seems to me misusing Gene to oversee dredge maintenance. And what is with having Gene oversee bringing those salvage yard boats back to life... maybe he has some marine background, but I thought he was more roadbuilder, construction contractor and supervisor, with strong mechanical engineering. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me to have Gene learning how boats work instead of working heavy equipment and the new dredge tear down and move. Oh well, maybe his job is more as a coordinator than actual engineer... but sounded like that wasn't what he thought he'd be doing.

Edited November 1, 2016 by SRTouch
Wording changed

[SRTouch]

Same old stuff. Parker and the Hoffmans both struggle to get their second operation going. Had to laugh at Todd's comment about what a big undertaking it would be to have two operations going at once - almost like it's a whole new concept, instead of a tired storyline they trot out every couple seasons going all the way back to season 2. Mildly interesting segment with Dave lining the ponds, but that was just a short segment. I knew eastern Oregon was dry, but didn't realize just how dry. Rick's struggle to find thawed gravel seems to back up my thoughts that Parker needs to have a long term commitment from Tony (or his own land). Here it is late in the season and that mine is still frozen... amazing how a few feet of overburden insulates that gravel underneath it. Just think, if he had a firm commitment he could strip a cut and have it ready at the beginning of the season with a pile of pay ready and waiying for the washplant.

What's with the dredge operation. Here I thought Monica and that all girl crew was going to be stripping overburden for the dredge. Maybe I just misunderstood, but it seems kind of stupid to be trying to dredge through trees and overburden. Didn't Gene and Tony already have that fight? Then we have Minnie cutting the labor on what is being portrayed as a profitable operation just as the operation is getting more labor intensive because of the trees. Heck, I bet they could hire more crew for the dredge if Tony stopped the micromanaging and quit flying between sites. Ah well, just more made for TV drama. I figure this is all just a sideline for the Beets family, anyway.

All in all a pretty lame episode, with the single bright spot with Dave and the Buckman pond. Todd is getting so discouraged he's hiding in the trailer afraid to tell the crew about the lousy cleanup. Didn't even get the crew together for Jack to pray over. Who was that he went crying to, his wife or mother? It just seems wrong to me to pray for gold, and about the time he went to the trailer I quit listening.

[SRTouch]

I found this episode very confusing, the editing seems off with continuity problems. Maybe things would be explained if I went back and paid more attention, as I was eating dinner during the first part, but I'm just not that interested anymore. Last week I was wondering why Monica and her crew weren't clearing overburden as the dredge was struggling with brush and trees as they dredged the overburden. This week seemed to imply Monica's crew WAS stripping overburden, but she, her crew, and Kevin are all pulled from the dredge to help the Paradise Hill operation. Here all along I thought Tony was planning ahead and able to wash more pay because he could strip overburden the year before so it would be ready to mine early the next season. Evidently I was wrong, because if what we saw tonight is right Parker is doing his third weekly cleanup before Tony even starts his washplant. Speaking of Parker, what happened with Rick opening up that second operation at Indian River. Hmmm, I thought he found thawed pay at the last minute last week, but this week he's back at Scribner Creek. If there was an explanation I sure didn't hear it. And that just leaves the pretend mine down in Oregon. Again, not being privy to the true cost of the Hoffman mine it's hard to see just what could be cut, but asking the crew to work without pay for two weeks? Nope, if I were Logan or Kevin, already worried about wife and kids at home just scraping by, I'd be packing up and looking for a job. And, the best they come up with is a pipe dream at the Buckman mine? OK, the made for TV drama says they'll hit it big, but then again Todd and crew historically seem to go bankrupt every other season so maybe this is another bust year.

Edited November 13, 2016 by SRTouch
Wording changed

[FishyJoe]

It seems like Todd has like 15 guys on his crew and he's getting owned by Parker and his crew of 4.

Haven't we seen enough of the Hoffman crew to know that are completely clueless about mining? I really don't understand why they aren't constantly testing to see if they have gold instead of running worthless material through the machine.

[SRTouch]

2 minutes ago, FishyJoe said:

It seems like Todd has like 15 guys on his crew and he's getting owned by Parker and his crew of 4.

Haven't we seen enough of the Hoffman crew to know that are completely clueless about mining? I really don't understand why they aren't constantly testing to see if they have gold instead of running worthless material through the machine.

All kinds of things about the Hoffmans that make no sense without Discovery helping bankroll their operation. Besides a bloated crew, there's also the latest and greatest equipment Todd always manages to start the year with. Heck, Parker doesn't have to buy new (well, guess he did buy a washplant this year and maybe a new pump(?) one time). He just waits and picks up Todd's used equipment. Off the top of my head, I seem to remember Parker buying a bull dozer, a gold room, washplant, and this year an excavator from Todd. We've also watched both Tony and Parker buying stuff at auctions. 

[Liberty]

Todd sure is a unpleasant doofus, but somehow he has found a way to stay in the mining television business.

Recall reading he was trying to mount a 'doomsday prepper' show or series, hope he has enough food stored up. Old link that may be of interest,

No Freddie Dodge of Gene Cheeseman in Episode 5

[SRTouch]

9 hours ago, Liberty said:

Todd sure is a unpleasant doofus, but somehow he has found a way to stay in the mining television business.

Recall reading he was trying to mount a 'doomsday prepper' show or series, hope he has enough food stored up. Old link that may be of interest,

No Freddie Dodge of Gene Cheeseman in Episode 5

Hmmm, granted that is before the failure of the South American trip, but the article seemed to suggest they were successful in Alaska. Uh, no, Alaska was a dismal failure, so much so that the owner brought in Fred Hurt to advise the Hoffmans, and then sold the mine out from under Todd when he failed to make the lease payment on time. Also has always bugged me a bit that Discovery made a big deal about going to Alaska, first season Alaska was part of the name, but never say much about the fact that they left Alaska for Canada after the first year.

[Liberty]

So many things wrong with Episode 6.

Funny to see William Worth wearing his 316 Mining t-shirt at the abandoned High Bar mine, and while Todd explained his "business" based decision to pull out of his contract.  Todd, hasn't made a decision based on "business" in the previous 6 seasons, but now his only excuse is 'it's a business decision'.

Why didn't Mitch weld the broken foot valve?  Parker's crew remains the only interesting group.

Several new and unidentified faces in the Hoffman crew as they were gathered to hear inspirational ramblings from Todd.  Todd's role on the show has deteriorated to cartoonish.

If the dredge loses $1200/hr when not running, would it have made sense to get "Big Mike" Beudry there in less than 6 hours?

[Medicine Crow]

On 11/20/2016 at 8:19 AM, Liberty said:

So many things wrong with Episode 6.

Funny to see William Worth wearing his 316 Mining t-shirt at the abandoned High Bar mine, and while Todd explained his "business" based decision to pull out of his contract.  Todd, hasn't made a decision based on "business" in the previous 6 seasons, but now his only excuse is 'it's a business decision'.

Why didn't Mitch weld the broken foot valve?  Parker's crew remains the only interesting group.

Several new and unidentified faces in the Hoffman crew as they were gathered to hear inspirational ramblings from Todd.  Todd's role on the show has deteriorated to cartoonish.

If the dredge loses $1200/hr when not running, would it have made sense to get "Big Mike" Beudry there in less than 6 hours?

I couldn't agree more ... I always ff through "The Hoffmans" & their foolishness.  Love Parker & his crew (not sure about his gf yet).

Tony, et al, seems to be over the top & hard to believe.  His son is given the responsibility of running the dredge, has the expertise to fix it, but Tony says no??  I'm thinking there's a little too much drama/antagonism "written in" to the characters.  Also, Tony finally giving Parker a break was refreshing.

[SRTouch]

29 minutes ago, Medicine Crow said:

I couldn't agree more ... I always ff through "The Hoffmans" & their foolishness.  Love Parker & his crew (not sure about his gf yet).

Tony, et al, seems to be over the top & hard to believe.  His son is given the responsibility of running the dredge, has the expertise to fix it, but Tony says no??  I'm thinking there's a little too much drama/antagonism "written in" to the characters.  Also, Tony finally giving Parker a break was refreshing.

I'm waiting to see what happens with Parker's second site. My understanding is that everything over 3000 ounces that he mines at Scribner Creek has higher royalties than he's willing to pay. So, Tony graciously says pull 3000 from Scribner Creek, then mine the Indian River at a lower royalty rate. That makes sense to me, first mine one site then switch equipment and crew to second. What Discovery showed a couple weeks seemed to be Parker opening two separate operations... which makes no sense to me. Yes, there's still the washplant from last year - but that's just one piece of equipment (admittedly a BIG piece). If they open a second operation they still need bulldozers, rock trucks, excavators, etc - and a second crew.  So, to try to make sense of what they showed, maybe Rick was getting down to pay and setting up that second plant so that when they hit that 3000 ounce cutoff point they can hit the ground running at the second site. Now, that would make sense to me, while trying to run two operations simultaneously doesn't. 

[Rock knocker]

On 11/20/2016 at 7:19 AM, Liberty said:

 

.

Why didn't Mitch weld the broken foot valve?  Parker's crew remains the only interesting group.

I think the broken part was plastic

[SRTouch]

34 minutes ago, Rock knocker said:

I think the broken part was plastic

Hmmm, I thought it was metal, but thinking about it, plastic makes sense. I've deleted the episode, but thinking back I remember it looking sort of like a big flapper valve in a toilet. That makes using zip ties make a lot more sense. Especially since they really only needed a short term fix to get the water pumped out, then they can order the correct part and get it fixed and ready for the next flood.

At the time I thought the whole segment contrived to show another "bush fix" by Mitch the Wonder Mechanic. The narrator seemed to imply that broken valve might shut the mine down days or even weeks. Uh, no, I kind of doubt they couldn't find another pump to shift around. Even pretending there aren't other pumps, they've got enough earth moving equipment to build a freaking canal, so I imagine a drainage ditch could be dug in no time.

Edited November 21, 2016 by SRTouch
Sense replaced with since

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Parker's second operation made no fiscal sense and it taxed his primary effort, as well.  Oops - that's if Disco weren't fronting all his equipment costs.   Also, there is no way this was not all planned out long before anyone arrived in the Yukon for the 2016 mining season.  Parker made sure Scribner was going to be OK with a skeleton crew and then went ahead with the new place.

The Beets' narrative has completely gone past the absurd.  He is contractually obligated first to run Paradise to a certain efficiency - those tracts are not his.  But, if we are to believe what we have been shown, he purposefully messed up things there so as to assign others, including Gene, to his Dredges.  No way.

[Medicine Crow]

26 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Parker's second operation made no fiscal sense and it taxed his primary effort, as well.  Oops - that's if Disco weren't fronting all his equipment costs.   Also, there is no way this was not all planned out long before anyone arrived in the Yukon for the 2016 mining season.  Parker made sure Scribner was going to be OK with a skeleton crew and then went ahead with the new place.

The Beets' narrative has completely gone past the absurd.  He is contractually obligated first to run Paradise to a certain efficiency - those tracts are not his.  But, if we are to believe what we have been shown, he purposefully messed up things there so as to assign others, including Gene, to his Dredges.  No way.

Totally agree!!!

[AndreaK1041]

That Hoffman wall looked so ridiculously expensive. If I saw that and I wasn't getting paid I would raise all hell. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Even if I buy that parker had no clue he was going to run into permafrost on his main dig, the weigh out conversation was absurd.  

Rick acted like this was the first he had heard of such a thing.   Then, he gets all butthurt at Parker because the conditions mandate more equipment and manpower?  

Totally manufactured Disco draaaaaaaaaaaaama.

[Spikey]

On 11/25/2016 at 11:57 PM, AndreaK1041 said:

That Hoffman wall looked so ridiculously expensive. If I saw that and I wasn't getting paid I would raise all hell. 

That's a fairly cheap solution actually. Of course they had problems because when you build a gravity wall like that you can't go that high without some sort of additional reinforcement.

[Rock knocker]

Kind of weird that the safety officer could OK a solution like he did.  After a screw up like that you would normally tear it down and rebuild it as per industry standards or have an engineer supply a solution.  

 

And an engineers solution won't involve substantially undersized turnbuckles or grab hooking chain together

[SRTouch]

The whole Hoffman wall deal was ridiculous. I seem to remember Dave is supposed to be a college trained civil engineer, besides having a couple decades experience working in his family quarry business. I don't believe for a second that he doesn't know how to build a retaining wall. Or that he would be out there eyeballing the wall instead of having basic survey tools to make sure each level was level and not leaning. Basically all they were building was a humongous block retaining wall. Heck, maybe they should have swung by Home Depot or Lowe's and picked up a how-to phamplet. At least if they had, they would have know about building a wall, little things like incorporating deadman bracing and cables as you build the wall, not retrofitting a half a$$ed jury rig after you fail the safety inspection, oh, and having a setback as you add layers.

Correct me if I got this wrong, but wasn't the whole wall thing to make a platform to put heavy equipment on that they plan to use to pump water in and make a slurry so it would go through the washplant? I don't know, I wasn't paying close attention, but that was what I thought the plan was. So, we have a retaining wall that is about to collapse BEFORE the equipment is put up there, and the plan is to add a bunch of weight and vibration. Hope they did a better job of putting in drainage and backfill than they did putting up the blocks.

Oh, and how come the clay soil seemed to be a shock? Didn't the season start out with talk of Todd's new washplant being specially designed to work with the area's clay soil. So, what was the surprise to find that Big Red, designed for the Yukon gravel, couldn't process Buckland clay?

More and more I find myself watching to catch the flaws in the storyline. Not quite as bad a Alaskan Bush People ... yet

Edited November 28, 2016 by SRTouch
Wording changed