NARRATOR: Fred's wash plant is a three hour drive into the hills
almost 2000 feet up.
Hello.
You made it.
Is that wash plant close to here?
Yeah, it's up the Valley about half a mile.
Kind of stoked to see it.
Oh, look at that!
About a 4-foot New Zealander.
Small, easy to move.
Self leveling.
So this is running last season.
Yeah.
FRED LEWIS: Hydraulic ripples work?
Yeah.
It just needs a few tune ups.
OK.
Well, do you think we can get this thing fired up?
See if it runs?
Well, we can find out.
Wow!
She runs.
What were you thinking, the yardage it puts through now?
You're running at about 40 yards an hour.
The target I had when I came out here was 60 to 80.
You can up the volume down here.
Put a fan out each way and he'll double the volume.
It needs it's screens changed, the liner changed,
and a few other changes.
We're talking time and money.
Up to you.
NARRATOR: Paul's deal is to lease the plant as is.
If Fred wants any repairs or upgrades, he'll have to pay.
OK, well we're going to have to get the professionals on it.
See what they're going to charge for that.
Right on.
NARRATOR: First, Fred has to haul the plant half a mile
to the highway.
FRED LEWIS: So I've never moved a wash plant before.
Well the real sketchy spot will
be spinning around and going past that edge,
because of the ice.
Oh, jeez. Yeah.
OK.
Be very careful.
If you start sliding sideways just put the bucket down.
Put the bucket down.
Right.
I'm [BEEP] sketched right now.
It should be fine I hope.
Good test for him.
[ENGINE STARTS]
FRED LEWIS: Kind of out of my comfort zone here,
that's for sure.
I can't get this [BEEP] to turn.
Uh-oh.
Watch out!
Ooh!
It's starting to tip a little bit.
So far so good.
Whoa!
See, this track is on straight ice now.
You just never know.
Somebody actually just died up here in the Yukon
not very many days ago.
A tragic accident involving ice.
If this breaks, this thing is going to tip.
The bank is falling apart!
Whoa!
She's sliding!
NARRATOR: Fred Lewis is deep in the Yukon
trying to haul his new wash plant down to the highway
across a frozen creek.
FRED LEWIS: Whoa!
Holy crap!
Let's pull this one track on to try to get the machine
to get out of the ice.
Whoa!
Oh, my [BEEP] God!
Keep that way a bit. Yeah.
Go.
Stop.
One piece.
I'm not in one piece.
I'm like in eight different pieces after that.
So you have no traction on the ice whatsoever.
So she's here.
Now we get Rodger, is the guy that's
going to come pick it up.
Hey, guys.
How you doing.
Hi Roger.
Good to meet you.
Hey, I'm Fred nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
NARRATOR: Now to load the plant onto the truck for its journey
to the repair shop.
All right.
FRED LEWIS: I got my fingers crossed on this one.
I actually do like this plant quite a bit.
And I don't like moving things not to use them.
So let's hope it works our way.
Old Blue, I'm going to call her.
Old Blue.
I can't wait to see what Joel has to say.
Can't wait for him to get a look at this wash plant
and tell me what he thinks.
NARRATOR: Fred Lewis is finally on pay dirt
and has secured a wash plant.
Now he's headed to fabricator Joel Famularo to find out
what it will cost to repair.
You must be Joel.
I am, Yeah.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, nice to meet you too.
So this is her, aye?
This is it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Bam!
She's all unloaded on the ground and safe.
What do you think?
Needs some work for sure.
FRED LEWIS: Right now she's running about 30 yards an hour.
And we really need to be around 60 to 80.
What's limiting you now is, with the screen
inside that barrel, it's rats.
OK.
It looks like it's been patched for years.
Just redo the whole thing.
This feed hopper needs realigning.
It's paper thin.
I think it's worth spending the time and the money
and getting it right.
Do you have any guess on what I'm looking at for repairs?
Uh, give or take a few dollars, ballpark figure,
about 30k.
Um.
OK.
Yeah, I don't think the budget's going to allow us to put
the money that we want to.
I just thought this plant was in a little better shape
than it is in.
NARRATOR: Fred's investor has agreed to a maximum upfront
investment of $25,000.
$5,000 short.
What if I were to come and volunteer my time
and help out and be a hand?
I mean I don't have a lot of skills in welding,
but I could definitely turn a wrench or lift,
or whatever you need me to do.
That would help a lot.
OK.
Joel's plan?
Line the worn out hopper with a 1/2 inch steel plate,
and remove and replace the trommel screens.
Fred's first job, re-skin the two ton hopper.
Fred, have you ever used one of these before?
Nope.
This is an air arc gouger.
Just be careful, because it shoots sparks far.
NARRATOR: A graphite rod creates an arc of electricity
between the rod and the plate.
This heats up to 10,000 degrees, melting the metal.
Please no burnt hair!
We're going to cut a piece of steel to fit here,
and weld it in place.
NARRATOR: The hardened steel plate weighs 400 pounds.
Two, three.
Holy jeez!
JOEL FAMULARO: Oh, yeah.
She looks really good.
I think this will last at least a couple of seasons.
I love it.
Good work.
JOEL FAMULARO: I don't usually see
mining bosses getting hands on.
His mentality towards being a boss and doing the work
is showing through.
I think it's that Green Beret mentality, where you
just get in and get it done.
And I think that's what's going to set him apart from you
know the next guy.