Driving BX2230 over septic system?

[proudestmonkey]

Is this a bad idea? I used to use my JD L130 lawn tractor to mow over my rather large septic system area, but it was only about 600 pounds. The BX2230 is over 1,500 pounds with water-weighted wheels and mmm. So, I am hesitant to ride over it. The septic system is about 8 years old if that matters, and is situated on a fairly good incline.

What do others do?

 

[proudestmonkey]

Is this a bad idea? I used to use my JD L130 lawn tractor to mow over my rather large septic system area, but it was only about 600 pounds. The BX2230 is over 1,500 pounds with water-weighted wheels and mmm. So, I am hesitant to ride over it. The septic system is about 8 years old if that matters, and is situated on a fairly good incline.

What do others do?

 

[MadReferee]

This has been discussed to death here. Do a search for septic systems.

Bottom line is it all depends on the type and design of your system. Leach fields can be designed to be in the middle of a driveway or unpaved parking lot. Leach fields leach into the ground not up to the top of the ground.

I run my 15,000 lb bulldozer over my leach field with no problem. I run my B2710 over my septic tank with no problem. A small B series like yours would normally be no problem either.

 

[MadReferee]

This has been discussed to death here. Do a search for septic systems.

Bottom line is it all depends on the type and design of your system. Leach fields can be designed to be in the middle of a driveway or unpaved parking lot. Leach fields leach into the ground not up to the top of the ground.

I run my 15,000 lb bulldozer over my leach field with no problem. I run my B2710 over my septic tank with no problem. A small B series like yours would normally be no problem either.

 

[Jimbrown]

Yep depends on your system. If you got one of those new things that just lays on top of the ground with a little gravel on top I would not. You could drive 18 wheel truck over mine it is ten feet deep.

 

[Jimbrown]

Yep depends on your system. If you got one of those new things that just lays on top of the ground with a little gravel on top I would not. You could drive 18 wheel truck over mine it is ten feet deep.

 

[redharley]

I drive my BX2230 over my 1000 gal tank with no problem's.The tank is only about 1 foot under,Been there for almost 30 years.I have a old style drain feild so no problems there.Also mow out at our church and mow the sand mound bed with no ill effects.

 

[redharley]

I drive my BX2230 over my 1000 gal tank with no problem's.The tank is only about 1 foot under,Been there for almost 30 years.I have a old style drain feild so no problems there.Also mow out at our church and mow the sand mound bed with no ill effects.

 

[proudestmonkey]

I did do a search on it, but apparently my searches were not well-phrased. I found a number of threads about using your tractor to build a septic system, but nothing about whether you can drive your BX over one.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am a city boy who's never lived somewhere with a septic system, so I am not even sure which kind I have. Mine is about 8 years old, it covers an area that is about 20 feet wide by 30-40 feet long, with about 10 white vents sticking up out of the ground. That sounds like a drain field to me, which also makes sense because the ground is sandy there. On the other hand, the previous owner said we need to have someone come and pump it out every 2 to 3 years, so it also sounds like it has a tank (and there's a heavy-duty concrete manhole-style cover over what I assume is the tank. I don't know how deep the tank is. I was also told that the system is much larger than it really needs to be for our household size. Our inspector told us that the septic system is designed for a family with 6 to 8 people living in the home, but its just me and my wife now. What I might do is call the previous owner and see what he thinks. He owned a big old JD tractor, so maybe he drove over it. If he did, there shouldn't be a problem. I have to believe his tractor weight 2 to 3 times what mine does. He's a really good guy and might appreciate the call anyway just to say hi.

 

[proudestmonkey]

I did do a search on it, but apparently my searches were not well-phrased. I found a number of threads about using your tractor to build a septic system, but nothing about whether you can drive your BX over one.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am a city boy who's never lived somewhere with a septic system, so I am not even sure which kind I have. Mine is about 8 years old, it covers an area that is about 20 feet wide by 30-40 feet long, with about 10 white vents sticking up out of the ground. That sounds like a drain field to me, which also makes sense because the ground is sandy there. On the other hand, the previous owner said we need to have someone come and pump it out every 2 to 3 years, so it also sounds like it has a tank (and there's a heavy-duty concrete manhole-style cover over what I assume is the tank. I don't know how deep the tank is. I was also told that the system is much larger than it really needs to be for our household size. Our inspector told us that the septic system is designed for a family with 6 to 8 people living in the home, but its just me and my wife now. What I might do is call the previous owner and see what he thinks. He owned a big old JD tractor, so maybe he drove over it. If he did, there shouldn't be a problem. I have to believe his tractor weight 2 to 3 times what mine does. He's a really good guy and might appreciate the call anyway just to say hi.

 

[ByronBob]

A septic system has a tank. It collects the solids and the fluids drain into the field. This is the 10 vents you see. Being up north I'm guessing your tank is deep enough.
Pumping is a matter of how many people you have and the amount of stuff goes in the system.
FYI, I ride over my tank and field but if I'm on my little mover I use it to limit the BX from going over the system unnecessarily. If you have other means to use then use them. If not then odds are you won't do any damage.

 

[ByronBob]

A septic system has a tank. It collects the solids and the fluids drain into the field. This is the 10 vents you see. Being up north I'm guessing your tank is deep enough.
Pumping is a matter of how many people you have and the amount of stuff goes in the system.
FYI, I ride over my tank and field but if I'm on my little mover I use it to limit the BX from going over the system unnecessarily. If you have other means to use then use them. If not then odds are you won't do any damage.

 

[sonofczechgun]

Speaking of spetic tanks - anybody is using that bacteria stuff you pour into septic to help break the sediment? I do it every year, but it is hard to say if it works or not.

 

[sonofczechgun]

Speaking of spetic tanks - anybody is using that bacteria stuff you pour into septic to help break the sediment? I do it every year, but it is hard to say if it works or not.

 

[AMR]

Septic system debates are great because almost all of the information is anecdotal, as is mine.

The way I look at it is when they backfill the septic systems they do it with a dozer that usually weighs much more than a B or BX, and applies more ground pressure even if you consider the load distrubution of a tracked machine.

It is all about soils conditions, both for structural support and the effectiveness of your leach field, but I think that generally any of these mowers can go over almost any septic system. If you have concrete galleries I wouldn't hesitate, perf pipe in a trench should be fine to. Generally, these materials are strong by virtue of the backfill around them and the subgrade, a failure of that fill from a washout or wetness or of the material below could lead to a broken pipe, for example, if it is really wet and you sink in above a pipe you may have trouble.

So I think, as with most things, a little bit of judgement as to the soil conditions at the time and you'll be fine.

Regarding using bacteria stuff in the tank, I admit that I do and can't say that it works. It is the action of the bacteria in the tank and at the edge of the leach field that cleans up the water. I wouldn't do it but you should be able to drink the water just a few feet from your system once it is filtered through the bacteria and earth.

I sold a house a short while ago that had a septic tank in the ground for 11 years and we never did anything to it, the guy came out to pump for a home inspection and said that we were wasting our money pumping it out, it looked like new.

 

[AMR]

Septic system debates are great because almost all of the information is anecdotal, as is mine.

The way I look at it is when they backfill the septic systems they do it with a dozer that usually weighs much more than a B or BX, and applies more ground pressure even if you consider the load distrubution of a tracked machine.

It is all about soils conditions, both for structural support and the effectiveness of your leach field, but I think that generally any of these mowers can go over almost any septic system. If you have concrete galleries I wouldn't hesitate, perf pipe in a trench should be fine to. Generally, these materials are strong by virtue of the backfill around them and the subgrade, a failure of that fill from a washout or wetness or of the material below could lead to a broken pipe, for example, if it is really wet and you sink in above a pipe you may have trouble.

So I think, as with most things, a little bit of judgement as to the soil conditions at the time and you'll be fine.

Regarding using bacteria stuff in the tank, I admit that I do and can't say that it works. It is the action of the bacteria in the tank and at the edge of the leach field that cleans up the water. I wouldn't do it but you should be able to drink the water just a few feet from your system once it is filtered through the bacteria and earth.

I sold a house a short while ago that had a septic tank in the ground for 11 years and we never did anything to it, the guy came out to pump for a home inspection and said that we were wasting our money pumping it out, it looked like new.

 

[guyrj33]

I think you'll be fine driving over your leaching field. I drive my B7800 over ours.
Leach fields are close to the surface to allow aerobic bacteria to decompose the waste in the leachate. A deep drain field will deliver untreated leachate to the water table, and nature will take much longer to clean it up. A leach field needs air. Actaully a significant portion of the water delivered to a leach field evaporates.

 

[guyrj33]

I think you'll be fine driving over your leaching field. I drive my B7800 over ours.
Leach fields are close to the surface to allow aerobic bacteria to decompose the waste in the leachate. A deep drain field will deliver untreated leachate to the water table, and nature will take much longer to clean it up. A leach field needs air. Actaully a significant portion of the water delivered to a leach field evaporates.

 

[Tollster]

If you have a conventional system (Concrete tank usually 500 or 1000 gallons) I would say there will be no harm done. I have this type and it in my driveway, granted there is a 4 inch concrete slab that makes up my drive over this tank, which helps disperse vehicle weight. I have seen no harm done. Its been there since 68. I also have no harm in the leachfield which makes up part of my yard. The system is about 36" below the surface.
However in some areas a conventional system may not have been approve for use during construction, due to surface draining requiements or perk testing. Therefore they more than likely used a sandmound system. I am not as familiar with these as a conventional. But my understanding is these are not intended to support much weight at all. You see these more and more and typically have to be replaced over the lifespan of the home. Its ok for a small rider or push mower. They typically are very large areas in the yard, say 30' X 20' and about 3' high, and vented to the surface. However the height can vary do to topographical geometry and owers request during installation.

 

[Tollster]

If you have a conventional system (Concrete tank usually 500 or 1000 gallons) I would say there will be no harm done. I have this type and it in my driveway, granted there is a 4 inch concrete slab that makes up my drive over this tank, which helps disperse vehicle weight. I have seen no harm done. Its been there since 68. I also have no harm in the leachfield which makes up part of my yard. The system is about 36" below the surface.
However in some areas a conventional system may not have been approve for use during construction, due to surface draining requiements or perk testing. Therefore they more than likely used a sandmound system. I am not as familiar with these as a conventional. But my understanding is these are not intended to support much weight at all. You see these more and more and typically have to be replaced over the lifespan of the home. Its ok for a small rider or push mower. They typically are very large areas in the yard, say 30' X 20' and about 3' high, and vented to the surface. However the height can vary do to topographical geometry and owers request during installation.