Rebuilt Vermeer Facility Assembles First D24X40 S3 Navigator HD Drill

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The compact yet powerful Vermeer D24X40 S3 Navigator drill supplies 28,000 pounds-force of thrust and pullback and 4,200 pounds-force feet of rotational torque. (Photo courtesy of Vermeer.)

Vermeer has rebuilt its 400,000-square-foot (37,160-square-meter) Plant 7 factory in Pella, Iowa, which was devastated by an EF3-class tornado in July 2018. The restored manufacturing facility has now shipped its first fully assembled product, a D24X40 S3 Navigator horizontal directional drill. Vermeer team members joined Industrial Solutions President Doug Hundt in signing their names on the machine before it headed out to a dealership.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our teams as they’ve continued to adjust throughout the rebuilding process,” says Vermeer President and CEO Jason Andringa. “These teams were directly impacted by the tornado and have worked with agility through those constraints over the past two years as we’ve made significant steps to come back stronger than ever. Now, it’s exciting to see them doing important work in their new space and producing tough yellow iron. We have the strongest team in the world.”

The Vermeer D24X40 S3 Navigator

The D24X40 S3 Navigator drill, the successor to the Series II model, has a minimum bore diameter of 4 inches (102 millimeters) and an automated rod loader. It supplies 28,000 pounds-force (124.6 kilonewtons) of thrust and pullback and 4,200 pounds-force feet (5,694 newton-meters) of rotational torque. Rotating at 270 rpm, the compact yet powerful machine’s 240-feet-per-minute (73-meters-per-minute) carriage speed allows it to outproduce many other drills in its class.

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Vermeer team members signed their names to the first D24X40 S3 Navigator assembled at its Plant 7 factory in Pella, Iowa, which was rebuilt after a 2018 tornado. (Photo courtesy of Vermeer.)

Depending on which John Deere turbodiesel engine option is selected, the 125-horsepower (93-kilowatt) drill may have maximum operating angles of up to 30 degrees fore and aft or up to 30 degrees left and right. At the same time, its noise level is only 82.9 dB(A) as measured at the ear of the operator. It comes standard with drilling lights, a strike alert system, remote lockout, and other features.

Cab Details

The D24X40 S3 Navigator has an optional, excavator-type cab with extra legroom. The cab increases the machine’s transport height from 76 to 117 in. (1,930 to 2,972 mm) and its weight from 20,700 to 22,250 lbs (9,390 to 10,090 kilograms). The drill’s DigiTrak Aurora color touchscreen displays locate information and more in real time.

Source: Vermeer