Camel Mining Products
Family maker of spiral gold panning machines and reverse-helix trommels, in business since 1969
- Where
- Quartzsite, Arizona
- Makes
- Desert Fox and Pro-Camel 18/24 automatic spiral gold panners; Mountain Goat and American Buffalo reverse-helix trommels
- Made in
- USA
- Orders
- Online, or by phone (800) 331-5311; (928) 927-4009 from Canada or overseas
- Canada
- Also sold through Canadian dealers
- Since
- 1969
Builder: builds the gear it sells
Builds the Desert Fox spiral panner, made in the USA since 1969
Sells online or by order: no storefront to visit
Works from Quartzsite, Arizona.
Builds: Trommels · Fine gold recovery
What they sell: Trommels · Fine gold recovery
Makes: Desert Fox and Pro-Camel 18/24 automatic spiral gold panners; Mountain Goat and American Buffalo reverse-helix trommels
Ships nationwide.
What Camel Mining Products builds
All products made in the USA; Desert Fox built since 1969.
Desert Fox Automatic Gold Panning Machine ↗
Spiral wheel that works concentrates down to clean gold · Fine gold recovery
- Seven spirals; the wheel turns 105 times a minute
- About 70 lb of concentrates an hour
- Runs on 3 to 4 gallons of water
- 12-volt, 7-amp DC: car battery or a 35-watt solar panel
- Under 10 lb with its folding stand; stores in its own tub
- Standard or variable-speed model
- Five-year limited warranty
Pro-Camel 18 and 24 ↗
Bigger spiral panner for placer sand · Fine gold recovery
- 18-inch or 24-inch wheel on the same drive unit
- Up to 400 lb of placer sand an hour with the 24-inch wheel
- Two-stage wheel: 15 spirals feeding 5 more
- Aqua-Jet water feed, variable wheel speed, adjustable water flow
- Gear drive on sealed ball bearings
- Any 12-volt battery with at least 16 amps
- Pro-Camel 24 since 2009, Pro-Camel 18 since 2011
Mountain Goat Reverse Helix Trommel ↗
Portable trommel that brings heavies up a reverse helix · Trommels
- 24 x 16 x 32 inches, 18 lb
- 4-inch barrel; spiral riffles 1/4 inch deep, 3/4 inch apart
- Screen material to 1/2 inch; nugget trap at the low end
- 12 V DC, 17 Ah; 5 gallons recirculated by a 750 gph pump
- About 2 yards of material a day
- Can feed a Desert Fox directly
American Buffalo ↗
Hopper, trommel and Desert Fox wheel in one station · Fine gold recovery
- Barrel 33 x 7 inches with a 45-foot reverse helix
- Feeds a built-in 12-inch Desert Fox spiral wheel
- About 1,000 lb of material an hour in their field tests
- 12-volt DC; AC power supply available
- 35-gallon water tub with 1,000 gph and 500 gph pumps
How to order
- Toll-free in the USA: 1-800-331-5311
- From Canada or overseas: 1-928-927-4009
- Online store, phone, fax or email
- Ships worldwide; Canadian dealers listed on their site
- American Buffalo ships by special freight: order by phone
Where to use your gear near Quartzsite
167 gold spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Camel Mining Products
Camel Mining Products grew out of a working prospector's problem. Angus Niccolls made his living from the pockets of placer gold that monsoon floods leave in desert dry washes, and he needed equipment that ran quietly, used little water and could be carried into remote country. His first prototype, the Little Camel, worked well enough that other prospectors asked him to build one for them, and the company has been making spiral gold panners since 1969.
The Little Camel became today's Desert Fox. Its spiral wheel has seven separate leads that lift gold toward the center and drop it through a hollow shaft into a hanging catch cup, while a spray bar washes the lighter sand away. It runs on a 12-volt battery or a small solar panel, needs three or four gallons of water, weighs under ten pounds with its folding stand and packs into its own tub. The maker rates it at about 70 pounds of concentrates an hour, and each machine ships with a bag of practice sand containing real placer gold.
The larger Pro-Camel 18 and 24 do the same job at higher volume. Upstream of the panner, the Mountain Goat and the bigger American Buffalo are reverse-helix trommels: spiral riffles inside a turning tube carry heavy material up to the high end while lighter material washes out the back, so the machine cleans itself as it runs. A Mountain Goat can feed a Desert Fox directly, turning one person into a small processing line.
Everything is made in the USA and sold direct, online or by phone, with Canadian dealers for buyers north of the border. The business is based in Quartzsite, in the same kind of desert placer ground the first Little Camel was built to work.
Clubs and places nearby
- Quartzsite Roadrunners Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 0 mi
- Red Cloud MinePay-to-dig · 45 mi
- Wiley Well District Geode BedsFree public dig · 48 mi
- Savahia Peak Rock Collecting AreaFree public dig · 50 mi
- Havasu Gold SeekersClub · 56 mi
- Lake Havasu Gem and Mineral SocietyClub · 57 mi
Other shops and gear makers nearby
- Miners DepotShop · 1 mi
- Half Fast Mining Co.Shop · 1 mi
- Gem World (Quartzsite)Shop · 1 mi
- T-Rocks in QuartzsiteShop · 1 mi
Access
Sells by phone and online: (800) 331-5311 or (928) 927-4009. Based in Quartzsite.