Im having a tree cut down in my yard. A bucket-truck needs to drive into the lawn to do the work.

It will likely be parked over the (I assume) clay sewer line which would be buried a few feet down. The guy intends to lay boards down on the lawn as to not damage the lawn.

Should I make other arrangements? Will that damage the buried pipe?

Very unlikely, unless his wheels sink in far enough to run over the pipe itself.

Theres also a galvanized electrical conduit in the same vicinity buried about a foot down. The truck would pass over it and possibly be parked right on it.

Should I be concerned about proceeding?



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Plywood should help distribute the weight across more area, reducing the pressure on the lines.

So any damage wouldn't be immediately evident correct? If the clay pipe was cracked or collapsed.

Am I making a mountain out of a mohill?

es, you zre. The pipes have been buried for a "long" time so the earth is compacted around them, including above them, so it would take a VERY severe localized force to damage them, and I suppose you do NOT know how difficult it is to break a pipe like that even when it is NOT underground.

I figure a metal conduit could be driven directly over and not crush... but the clay pipe I figured was very fragile.

After all, don't you guys simply shatter them with hammer when replacing?



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hj....Like an out-rigger on a bucket truck?

outrigger is the support crutch right? I was thinking about that as well....

A local heavy equipment operator is known for burying a raw egg a few inches deep and running over it with his dozer. He'll then retrieve the unbroken egg as a demonstration of sorts.

Have him bring his blade down on top of the egg, then push the lever forward.

Make sure the utilities are properly marked off. In your area, it might be 311. Your utilities will be marked before the trucks come in a do their deeds.
Best Wishes

Clay tile is similar in function to an eggshell. While it is intact, it is strong, but when it cracks from a sudden force, it shatters. As is stated above, it has been buried for years, and is now encased in compacted earth. Even under the outriggers, it won't likely do anything unless the ground is wet. Either way, putting down plywood will reduce the pressure under the outriggers and spread it over a much larger area.

A truck running over it would NOT be like hitting it with a hammer. It would be like trying to squeeze it and it is almost impossible to break it that way, (unless you are using a "squeeze snap cutter", especially when it is surrounded with compacted soil. A glass globe can also be shattered with a hammer, but put it 5,000 feet under water and it will not be crushed.

If the outrigger sinks 3' into the ground, I am not going up in the bucket.

Exactly. Once something is underground, ANY force is dissipated, so it would have to be an IMMENSE pressure to reach down to the sewer.

He is NOT TRYING to break the egg. He is demonstrating how little force the equipment applies to buried items. He doesn't need a bulldozer to break the egg, all he needs is his hand, (although it is VERY difficult to break an egg by squeezing it).

If you feel this is the safest course of action, I yield to your expertise.

Good decision.