L3710 and Flail Mower Safe on Leach Field?

[Mr Haney]

Is it possible to get away with running an L3710 and a flail mower over a septic tank leach field? I don't know how the leach field was constructed, but it's in North Florida, and it was put in in 2000.

Also, will a flail mower suck leaves up and mulch them? I have heavy oak leaves that like to stick to the ground.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Personally, I wouldn't. I won't roll the 2501 over mine even without the weights. I don't want to compact the soil or crack a line. Too much risk for me. Every septic company around me uses ultra low ground pressure track loaders. The ones with crazy wide tracks.
That said, what your field can handle depends a lot on what kind of system you have, how dry the dirt is and how deep it's buried.

 

[Mr Haney]

My regular mower weighs around a ton with fuel in it and me sitting on it, and it's concentrated in a small area. I guess the L3710 would be twice the weight on a larger area.

 

[powerkraut]

If you don't know how your leach field was constructed then don't roll over it. I've seen some hackabilly leach fields and you don't want to find out the hard way that you have a fragile one. My sister trashed mine when she drove over it with her 2500lb prius C. I ended up replacing it with concrete chambers since my leach field is in the middle of a circle drive and I anticipate many more people driving over it

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

in our jurisdiction the reg's say "not recommended"
I wouldn't do it to mine.

 

[Mr Haney]

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Humm.... I drive over mine all the time, have for 15+ years.
Either all of your leach fields are really shallow or really poorly built.

 

[powerkraut]

Humm.... I drive over mine all the time, have for 15+ years.
Either all of your leach fields are really shallow or really poorly built.

And there's realistically no way to tell unless you have the plans or have to replace it. Given Florida's low water table I'd expect OP to have a shallow leach field.

 

[jyoutz]

Humm.... I drive over mine all the time, have for 15+ years.
Either all of your leach fields are really shallow or really poorly built.

I do too and have been doing that for 20 years. I don’t drive over the septic tank or get near it.

 

[D2Cat]

I do too and have been doing that for 20 years. I don’t drive over the septic tank or get near it.

I've driving over ours since well over 20 years ago. Have had the tank pumped twice in that time, and one of those times the lid simply fell in! Never had been even walked on....no steel in the lid, so I made one that won't fall in.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I do too and have been doing that for 20 years. I don’t drive over the septic tank or get near it.

I have a 1250 gallon drive over tank, so that doesn't bother me.

And there's realistically no way to tell unless you have the plans or have to replace it. Given Florida's low water table I'd expect OP to have a shallow leach field.

I have inspected mine when we moved the septic tank years ago.
My leach field is 3 feet in the ground and clean a 100% intact.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

driving over a septic field is kinda stupid topic to be arguing without the design spec's of the field in question?

for example the standard chamber in my area is the Quick 4 and it is rated at wheel loads of 16,000 lbs/axle with 12" of cover. An up sell chamber here is an h-20 which supports a load of 32,000 pounds per axle with a 18" covering!!

although I see regularly a couple times a year tractors stuck in leach fields that are injector based usually when rain is frequent with water tables high in high clay soils.

How much cover? what type of cover? soil spec? chambered or other? if chambered what type of chamber?

my field is sand mound system designed for a high water table areas and no way in heck will I drive on it after the big investment I made in it a few years ago. Not designed to support any weight but the design spec spells this out.

 

[dirtydeed]

Well, I guess I differ than most. I wouldn't be afraid to drive over a leach field. Have done so many times with much heavier equipment. Fla seems like many standard septic leach fields are done predominantly in sand and many of the new one's use the plastic dome tunnels (not pvc pipe). Likely down 2 feet or so because of high water table.

Driving over tanks/lids - I like seeing 18 - 24" of cover to do that.

For this one, I was actually sitting on the tank to dig the line for repair.

Yu can see here how shallow the tank was.

If OP is really curious, get yourself a soil probe and do some poking. You'll feel how deep it is.