It has the size and sophistication of a sport utility vehicle yet is as easy as a Matchbox car to operate.

Vac-Tron Equipment's 2000 PMD Series vacuum-jetter combination has more than 50 wet or dry uses, and you don't have to be a genius to take advantage.

"If you have a Shop Vac in your rental yard, you are qualified to operate this," said Brian Showley, Vac-Tron's vice president of sales and marketing. "It can suck up everything from liquid to dry sand, and it is strong enough to excavate without damaging utilities."

The vacuum-jetter can clean up drilling mud, install horizontal bores, clean waste-treatment plants, clean manholes and install street signs. It also can vacuum broken glass, clean power-plant control panels, wash out ship holds, and vacuum sand and contaminants from blasting operations.

The 2000 PMD Series features a 500- or 850-cubic-foot-per-minute vacuum capsule, a large wet/dry bag house, a combination emulsifier gun, a 6-inch rear discharge valve, a 15-gallon semiautomatic antifreeze system and 33 feet of 3-inch suction hose.

It also offers three engine choices: a 25-horsepower Kohler gas, a 38-horsepower diesel or a 58-horsepower diesel electric start with curbside controls. Its 4,000-pound-per-square-inch water knife includes a 4,000-psi pump, a 225-gallon water tank, and safety low-water shutdown.

"There is not another piece of vacuuming equipment out there that has so many uses or as many potential customers," Showley said.