How to identify Vermeer trailer vacuum excavators by model numbers

Vermeer offers one of the industry’s most extensive trailer vacuum excavator (trailer vac) product lines. The current lineup ranges from skid-mounted vacuum excavators (skid vacs) that can fit in the bed of a pickup truck up to powerful 4-inch (10.2 cm) and 1,200-cubic-feet-per-minute (34-m³/min) vacuum systems that can be used for demanding ground conditions and digging at deeper depths. To create this line, Vermeer combined the best features from the well-respected former McLaughlin and Vac-Tron models.

As with any piece of equipment in your fleet, Vermeer vacuum excavators use a series of letters and numbers, often referred to as a “model nomenclature,” to highlight a given vac model’s specifications and features. As Vermeer continues to innovate, model numbers will become universal across the line, but the current line includes nomenclatures established previously by McLaughlin and Vac-Tron. Because of this, it’s important to understand the differences between the vac series and specific models built today. The most significant variation you’ll see applies to trailer and skid vacs.

As you probably know, Vermeer also offers an extensive range of truck-mounted vacuum excavators (truck vacs). For now, though, we’ll focus on skid and trailer vacs.

Letters and numbers

In the Vermeer trailer vacuum excavator line, there are more than 30 different vacuum excavation configurations to choose from. Some of the models are designed to be economical solutions for specific applications. Others are powerful all-around options, whether you need a vacuum excavator for utility potholing and fluid management or working alongside a microtrencher removing dry, dusty material from the cut.

Nomenclature for trailer and skid vacs is grouped the following way:

• CS — competitive series: Vacs in this group are designed to only suction wet material; no digging. They are an excellent option for horizontal directional drill (HDD) contractors looking for an economic vac for slurry management. These machines have a 3-inch (7.6-cm) hose size.
• EV — economy vac: With a 150-gallon (567.8-L) spoil tank and 40-gallon (151.4-L) water reserve, this competitively priced machine is ideal for cleaning out valve boxes and industrial cleaning applications.
• ECO — economical: These skid vacs are an economical option because they can be mounted to a trailer or truck bed; they’re an ideal fit for anyone looking to add a vac to a truck or trailer that’s already in their fleet. They have a 3-stage cyclonic filtration system and a 4-inch (10.2-cm) hose.
• CV — competitive vac: These high-performance vacs are built on a sturdy I-beam trailer that can hold up to challenging environments. CV models also feature a 3-inch (7.9-cm) hose diameter and a 580-cubic-feet-per-minute (16-m³/min) vacuum, as well as a .5-micron cyclonic filtration separator.
• LP — low profile: This line shares many of the same qualities as the CV line, with a more compact and streamlined design. The major difference between the two models is the LP’s cyclone 4-way valve silencer filtration system (CVS) for quiet operation. There are several additional accessories these units can be outfitted with, including side hose and tooling storage area, strong arm, hydraulic boom, and FlowMaster water valve, as well as hydrant exerciser. LP models are available with 3-inch (7.9-cm) and 4-inch (10-cm) hose diameters.
• VX — vacuum excavators: Like the LP vacuum excavators, VX models are designed for demanding utility, HDD, municipal, industrial and a long list of other applications. With a 3-stage cyclonic filtration system and cam-over rear door for a tight tank seal and 4-inch (10-cm) vacuum hose, these machines can handle wet material, as well as small dry particles, from applications like microtrenching.
• MC — mini combo: These hydro vacuum excavators are also outfitted with a jetter for municipality work.
• Air — air and hydro combination: These vacs are ideal for dry material excavation using air without losing the option of digging with a high-pressure water wand. 

Every Vermeer trailer vacuum excavator model will start with one of these letter combinations. Now is where some of the model nomenclatures get a bit more involved.

• ECO and VX machines will have a number that represents the machine’s gross engine horsepower. However, on spec sheets, you may also see a dash followed by the spoil tank size listed in gallons. For example: ECO50-500 means it’s skid vac with a 50-horsepower (37-kW) engine and has a 500-gallon (1,892.7-L) spoil tank.
• EV vacuum excavators are only available in configuration but can affix to a skid or trailer.
• The other Vermeer trailer vacuum excavator categories (CS, CV, LP, MC, Air) are next grouped by engine configuration, the specification pages and websites. However, these letter grouping will be the last set of nomenclature digits on the machine and model-specific information, which looks like this: CS870 GT. Here is what each of these abbreviations represents:
  • G — gas engine on 25-horsepower (18.6-kW) EV units and 27-horsepower (20.1-kW) EFI gas on CS, CV and LP models
  • SG (super gas) — models with a 37-horsepower (27.6-kW) gas engine
  • XD — models with 24-horsepower (17.9-kW) diesel engine
  • D — vacs with a 36-horsepower (26.8-kW) diesel engine
  • SD — vacs that have a larger 49-horsepower or 84-horsepower (36.50-kW or 84.6-kW) diesel engine
• After the nomenclature representing the engine type and size, there may also be a “T” for the trailer or “TB” for the truck bed. If there isn’t one of these designations, it means the vacuum excavator is designed for a skid-mount. So, the CS GT vacuum excavator has a 3-inch (7.6-cm) hose diameter, powered by a 25-horsepower or 27-horsepower (18.6-kW or 20.1-kW) gas engine.
• Also, sandwiched between the series of letters to designate the vacuum excavator’s category (CS, CV, LP, MC and Air) and the engine type is 3 – 4 numbers. These numbers represent the vac’s spoil tank size in gallons, tank door style and pressure configuration.
  • If a model has four numbers, the first two will represent the first two digits of the tank size.
  • If there are only three numbers, only the first digit is connected to the tank size.
  • The next digit represents the tank’s door style:
    • 0 = Manual locking door
    • 3 = Hydraulic screw locking door
    • 5 = Internal hook locking door
    • 7 = Claw locking door
  • The final number represents pressure configuration to help with offloading spoils:
    • 0 = Is not equipped with reverse pressure option
    • 3 = Is outfitted with reverse pressure using the CVS filtration system
    • 5 = Has reverse pressure and uses the .5-micron cyclonic filtration separator

Breaking it all down for Vermeer vac models with longer nomenclature, like the Vermeer CV 1270 SGT, looks like this:

• “CV” means it’s part of the competitive vac series.
• “12” means this vac has a 1,200-gallon (4,542.5-L) spoil tank.
• “7” means the spoil tank has a claw locking door.
• “0” means it does not offer reverse-pressure quick offloading.
• “SG” means this vac has a 37-horsepower (27.6 kW) gas engine.
• “T” means it’s a Vermeer trailer vacuum excavator.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember it all, you can download this handy reference sheet for a quick reference guide. 

If you have any questions about which type and specific model is right for your team, your local Vermeer dealer is just a phone call away.

Vermeer MV Solutions, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications.

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