Vermeer Expands Pile Driver Lineup With Compact PD5 & PD5R, Designed For Smaller Solar Installation Projects & More

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Vermeer has introduced the compact, lightweight PD5 and PD5R pile drivers for availability later this year. The machines are aimed at smaller solar installation projects, congested jobsites, and civil fencing and guardrail installation applications. (Photo courtesy of Vermeer.)

As Vermeer Product Manager Ed Savage says, not every jobsite is the same. That’s why Vermeer developed its new PD5 and PD5R pile drivers, with availability beginning later this year. Both are compact, lightweight models well-suited for smaller solar installation projects, congested jobsites, and civil fencing and guardrail installation applications. The PD5 includes machine-integrated controls located on its side, while the PD5R provides a full-function wireless remote control to engage the hammer, position the machine, and align the pile to full verticality using an auto plum feature.

Smaller, Lighter Options

Vermeer’s PD10 and PD10R pile drivers have been popular in the solar industry for some time for installing ground mount solar piles. The PD5 and PD5R include similar feature sets and productivity, but provide contractors with smaller, lighter options. The latter models’ 15-foot (4.6-meter) mast, for example, is compact enough that operators can leave it fully assembled during transport. The PD5’s transport weight is 10,380 pounds (4,708 kilograms), and its transport measurements are 87 inches (221 centimeters) wide, 98 in. (249 cm) high, and 11.7 ft (3.6 m) long. The PD5R weighs 10,330 lbs (4,685 kg) and has roughly the same dimensions except that it’s about 2 in. narrower. Those measurements and weights mean companies can sometimes haul two units on one trailer.

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Unlike the PD5 that builds in machine controls on the side of the pile driver, the PD5R provides operation via a full-function wireless remote control. (Photo courtesy of Vermeer.)

Power & Other Considerations

Along with a 90-degree rotating platform, both pile drivers support an optional laser receiver or compatible third-party GPS system for better machine alignment to specified install locations. Both also come with a four-cylinder, 49-horsepower (36.5-kilowatt) Caterpillar C2.2T CRDI 49 engine that’s compliant with Tier 4 Final emissions standards, although an optional four-cylinder, 60-hp (44.7-kW) Cat C2.2T Tier 3 engine is also available. The forward travel speed for both machines is 2.4 mph (3.9 km/h). 

Source: Vermeer