Driving over septic ?

[bcarwell]

I have a Kubota 7500. The spec says 1300 lb. weight, but with a FEL its a bit more.

I have a garden variety residential septic field (sorry, can't be any more specific; don't know how far down the big drainage pipes are buried, but as I recall from watching construction 18 years ago and the trenches, it seemed it was a couple feet below surface).

My question is: can you drive over the field <once> without damaging it ? I'm not talking about any access pipes that come to the surface, etc. as I know where those are, but rather the basic field of the big pipes. And I'm not talking about repeated driving over them, but just once. There is a huge amount of thatch that has built up which is adversely affecting septic performance. I want to drive over it once with a box blade and skim off the top thatch. I have tilled it before with a power walk behind tiller and don't want to do that again- too much work. And mowing close isn't enough because the stuff causing the thatch has left roots just below the surface I want to pull out. I realize I might have to replace some dirt the box blade drags with it in capturing the thatch and roots.

Thanks for any opinions.

Bob

 

[Dmace]

Driving over a leach field once should not cause any damage. Especially if it is a stone and pipe system. If you were to drive over it constantly in different spots, that would compact the fill above the system and not allow the system to breath which would eventually lead to bacteria growth and clogging.

You can put a septic system right under a driveway (I have done many), as long as it is properly vented and as a minimum of 18" gravel above the normal fill (according to NH DES).

You should be all set.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Driving over it won't hurt the field. But don' think about going over the tank. When your septic was installed a bigger machine than yours was used to backfill the lines and to finish grade it when they were finished.

 

[bcarwell]

Great ! Thanks guys. I love this site. Perfect for Newbs like me. And, no, there's no way I'm gonna drive over the tank. You guys have saved me hours of getting my arms ripped out of my sockets by that darn tiller. And a great way to justify my new Kubota acquisition to my domestic Finance Committee. Now if there was just a PTO dishwashing attachment ...

Regards,
Farmer Bob

 

[755inNY]

Driving over it won't hurt the field. But don' think about going over the tank. When your septic was installed a bigger machine than yours was used to backfill the lines and to finish grade it when they were finished.

Don't drive over the tank? Crap, I wish you had told me that before. I have been drivng over my system, including the tank, continuously for the last 18 years. The first 16 years with a 2000# JD 755 and the last 2 years with a 3000+# JD 4310. Now how am I going to mow the grass?

Jeff

 

[Soundguy]

Same here.. I used to mow over mine with my NH 1920 and 5' mower.. figure 3500# no issues years later...

Soundguy

 

[DaryleD]

Same here. I forget the weight of my tc30 with loaded r-4 tires front loader ,Woods 72" RFM attatched etc, but it's been 4-5 years of driving over my leach field and septic tank and thankfully no problems yet. I can't imagine that your cement septic tank couldn't hold your tractor, especially when it is full of liquid and burried in dirt to support it on all sides. Think about the plastic culverts that towns are using now on roads with no ill effects when being driven over with loaded dump trucks. The reason is the ground around them helps to support their shape and gives them an incredible boost in strength. Do what you feel comfortable with, as this is just my opinion.

Daryle.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

My 8N with loaded tires is about 3000 pounds. Plus the weight of the implements.
I regularly mow over my tank and leech field with a finish mower.
Hope I'm not causing any damage. Time will tell.

Pooh Bear

 

[Dmace]

The only problem with driving over the tank is that on the house side, depending on the grade and total head to the house, the pipe will be pretty close to grade and could be cracked or crushed under heavy loads. If you are going to drive over the leach field on a regular basis, I would get some kind of airator to at least give myself peace of mind that the leach field is getting air (at least walk around with golf spikes on).

 

[MadReferee]

The only problem with driving over the tank is that on the house side, depending on the grade and total head to the house, the pipe will be pretty close to grade and could be cracked or crushed under heavy loads. If you are going to drive over the leach field on a regular basis, I would get some kind of airator to at least give myself peace of mind that the leach field is getting air (at least walk around with golf spikes on).

Leach fields leach down into the ground. That is why you do a perc test. Walking around on the grass over a leach field with golf spikes is nonsense.

This topic has been discussed to death at least 3 times since the beginning of the year. I wish everyone would learn how to use the search function (when it is back up working, that is).