Mound type septic systems

[TommyP]

Hello All,
I have a mound style drain field and I am wondering what kind of weight the mound can handle. I have a 2210 with a 54" MMM and currently I am push mowing the mound so as not to pack it down or risk damaging any of the pipes.
I would appreciate any knowledge as to how much weight it should be able to handle. I was only told not to go over it in the winter (no sledding, snowmobiling, etc.) when the soil was not spongy, but I also had a much smaller(lighter) riding mower.

 

[Egon]

As you have allready been told --- The less the better

Egon

 

[ByronBob]

Tommy welcome and next time you might want to post this question in the projects forum as it fits there better. The moderators might do it anyway so if it's missing look there.

You know the land best and if your worried about it then stick with your push mower for piece of mind.

 

[JD2210MAN]

I would really like to know the answer to this one myself.
I too have a mound system and it is not very far below the surface.
Each time I pass over it (with my 2210), I wonder how many more times I can do it /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. When I mow, I try to mow at 30 to 60 degrees to the pipes. Hopefully this takes some of the pressure off the pipes as only one tire passes it at a time.
I would mow by hand but my health is not so good and a push mower would be very though for me /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

When I purchased the machine I asked the salesman his opinion. He has a 4210 and said he has not had a problem but when driving near the septic tank... the weight of the machine broke the pvc pipe exiting the tank. The plastic flexed but the cement did not so it broke the pipe. Of course the 4210 is a massive machine compared to the 2210. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[dummy]

As Egon replied, the less the better is a very true statement. Soils compaction on a mound system can be as serious as the broken pipes. Do not dig in this area either. Locally, a mound system is created by scraping the site, adding a layer of sand, then a layer of gravel, then the pipes, layer of gravel, layer of sand, layer of clay to seal, then a layer of topsoil. Driving any machinery over it is not a recommended practice. Would be best to let it go to a "natural" state. Plant some hedges around it and let it be.

 

[bczoom]

Well... I probably shouldn't, but I've been driving over my mound for as long as I've lived here (10 years).

Although the traffic is normally with smaller things (ZTR, Quad, UTV although it weighs 2000#), I have driven on the mound several times with tractors (JD 770 with loaded tires and box blade, Kioti DK35) and cars, but never on the tanks.

I guess I'm either lucky or really pushing my luck but to date, I've never had any problems. Neighbor does about the same and has had no problems either.

Although I don't condone driving on it (as I concur with the less is better), just saying we've gotten away with it without issue.

 

[dummy]

<font color="blue"> but never on the tanks.</font> Why not? Out of all the components in the system, these are the most rigid.

 

[Ronzonie]

Well Tommy the less the better is true! However I don't think the whieght of a 2210 will hurt it as long as you don't goes on it if the ground is wet. I live in Ma. and install them for a living.We run them over with a Kobelco excavator to smooth them out for loaming,I know the psi is a lot less on a track machine. Some use a backhoe to install them . The only differance beteen a regular system and a mound is they raise the system for ground water seperation. you still need the same amount of cover over thew pipes aproximatly 1-3 feet

 

[neilly2]

I just completed building my own sand mound system, myself. At some point I plan on posting all the pics, as it was a massive project for one person.

Like Ronzoni said, the amount of cover over the pipes takes away any concern. In fact, i was concerned about the depth of my delivery pipe, so i took a 1 1/2 " pvc pipe scrap and ran over it over a few times with a 30 hp tractor. The pipe barely deformed (this was in the warm weather though, come winter i will try again)

The real concern with weight on the mound is compacting the sand layer and preventing percolation. However there is even more cover over the sand layer than the pipes. I asked the inspector if running my L285 would be a problem and he said not at all.

Forunately, my mound is far away in an area I don't cut, so I only go back once in a while to make sure trees don't grow on it.