Vermeer intros the D9x13 S3, the first in its new line of drills

Marcia Doyle Headshot
Updated Oct 14, 2013

vermeer d9x13 S3Improved hydraulic efficiency is one of several enhancements to the D9x13 S3 Navigator horizontal directional drill, the first of the S3 generation, introduced at ICUEE last week. “We’ve increased the speed of the carriage, rotation and vise cycle, all of which translates into completing a bore much faster,” says Jon Kuyers, underground global product manager. “You can go quickly from one shot to the next.”

Designed to install communication, power, gas and water utilities, the drill has a 30-percent faster carriage speed than its predecessor, operating up to 188 feet per minute.  Rotation speed has increased to 190 rpm. In addition, the ground drive speed of the drill has been improved 60 percent over the D9x13 Series II. “That means you can get to and from jobs much faster,” Kuyers says.

The Tier 4 Final 44-horsepower Kubota engine powers 9,000 pounds of thrust/pullback and 1,300 foot-pounds of rotational torque. The on-board pump delivers drilling fluid at 15 gpm at 750 psi.

The D9x13 will share common controls with the rest of the S3 line of drills, allowing operators to feel comfortable on a variety of drills.

In the video below, Jon Kuyers goes over the features of the new drill.

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