Driving over Schedule 40 PVC

[eastexan]

Jay 4200: Actually, the table I posted is for double walled HDPE...sorry if I confused you; I am confused about 4" thick Sch 40 PCV, which you reference.

The attached table shows Sch 40 dimensions and four inch PVC has about 1/4" wall thickness ...even for the bigger diameters, wall thickness gets just over 1/2" ...but, maybe I didn't understand.

My reference to "conservative" was that the info was for HEAVY CONSTRUCTION LOADS, and much less would be required for normal traffic, including tractors such as those normally referenced on this board.

Properly bedded, it is very difficult to deform a circular cross section ...and, of course, pneumatic tires spread the load so that even a heavy truck running, say, 100psi in its tires, only puts 100psi on the ground, as I recall.

Anyway, sorry if I misled anyone

This table is for metal pipe, if that matters.
I don't know if the wall thickness of schedule 40 pipe is the same regardless of the material it's made out of, or not.
Just thought I would mention it. :confused3:

 

[gengine]

Jay 4200: Actually, the table I posted is for double walled HDPE...sorry if I confused you; I am confused about 4" thick Sch 40 PCV, which you reference.

I think he was talking about 4" schedule 40 pipe, shed. 40 being "thick walled", and not 4" thick walls

 

[Jay4200]

Jay 4200: Actually, the table I posted is for double walled HDPE...sorry if I confused you; I am confused about 4" thick Sch 40 PCV, which you reference.

I didn't mean PVC with 4" thick walls. I meant 4" PVC pipe with thick walls, as opposed to 4" PVC with thin walls (like leach field pipe).

Now that's funny...

JayC

 

[Jay4200]

Ours is about 6" under the ground right by the house (yep - way too shallow) and I take our tractor (over 3k) over it without any issue.....

Ditto. Well, except the time I was using my backhoe to scrape the grass away from the house while prepping for a gravel-covered area. On the VERY first swipe **CRACK**, I hit the clean-out tee. That's how I discovered it was so shallow. I hate when that happens

JayC

PS - my 1200th post...how 'bout that.

 

[JoeL4330]

here's one for expressly labeled PVC ...note quite similar wall thickness for 4" ...if it matters

 

[Dirthog]

There is no way you could hurt that pipe driving over it with anything have ran large track hoes over pipe with less cover than that dug them up later and they were fine also we were putting a water service in one time and i had some sch35 pipe for the conduit the so called engineer had a fit said that if there were any heavy truck on the road it would crush down over 4'. Had my son inlaw throw a piece on the bear ground walked up to it with a 10,000lb excavator and walked right across it and it only made a slight dimple in should have seen the look on that guys face.

 

[Jay4200]

Had my son inlaw throw a piece on the bear ground walked up to it with a 10,000lb excavator and walked right across it and it only made a slight dimple in should have seen the look on that guys face.

Tracked vehicles are a completely different animal, however, than wheeled vehicles when it comes to crushing ability. That 10k machine probably only puts down ~2psi under the tracks. Run over that same piece of pipe with a 3,500 pound car and see what happens.

JayC

 

[JoeL4330]

Jay4200 said it: tracked vehicles put down a few psi, by design; pneumatic tires bear down with a pressure that equals the psi in the tire ...maybe 80 to 120 psi for a heavy truck...the purpose of the cover is spread the load and disperse it evenly...ideally around the entire perimeter of the pipe, in which case there is no way you can damage it. ...anyway, the initial guidance I posted is that 2-4 feet insures against heavy construction equipment even if it has to be mounded up, and less is needed for normal vehicles and tractors.