A power sluice or highbanker is basically a sluice box with height and mobility and is motorized. It is mounted on a 4-legged stand that gives the sluice box the correct slope. Instead of being put right in the creek like a hand sluice, an engine with a water pump and some hoses gets the water up from the stream into the sluice or highbanker. Gold-bearing gravel and dirt is then shoveled into the hopper, which is mounted at the top end of the sluice box.  Inside the hopper is a "grizzly" which is a series of sloping rods that filter out larger rocks. Also in the hopper are spray bars that shoot water onto the gravel and dirt that you shovel into the hopper.  In addition to the ability to go just about anywhere, these power sluices and highbankers are able to run more material in less time than a hand sluice without power.

What's the difference between a highbanker and a highbanker/dredge combo? For example, #6523 below is called a dredge because an actual dredge nozzle is included and the unit was built for sucking up gravel, etc. from underwater. Notice the shape of the Dredge Header Box on this item -- it is different from the header box on power sluice #6529. A power sluice "washes" material you shovel into it, whereas a dredge sucks material up from a stream through a hose and deposits it into the sluice. #6521 comes with BOTH types of header boxes AND a dredge nozzle and a bigger pump so you can use this one piece of equipment as either a sucking dredge or as a power sluice.