bpr18,
You need to know what levels of vibration are in each plane; horizontal or vertical. By using vectors, the counter measure for dynamic balancing can be calculated. Another reason - take for example a shell bearing on a modeartely sized fan. The bearing might be out of round (or oval) which would give higher levels of vibration in the major axis of the ellipse than on the minor axis. The different planes can indicate looseness in particular areas.
Do hope this brief explanation helps.
Langahl