Shearex HM-60SR / HM-60DR front-mount mulcher

Where the HM-60 sits in the range

The HM-60 is the entry point to the Shearex HM front-mount mulcher range, offered in an SR variant at 1,043 kg and a heavier DR variant at 1,113 kg, both rated from 68 hp. It is the head for a skid steer or compact track loader contractor who wants forward-travel production on flat or gently rolling ground: firebreak maintenance, roadside verges, property clearing and council reserves. Above it, the HM-70 widens the swath to 190 cm and lifts the target diameter to 20 cm on a larger flow window. On the excavator side, the VM-35SK shares a similar 15 cm target diameter but trades swath width for reach.

What the published figures mean on site

The 149 cm cutting width is the same swath as the much larger VM-60SR excavator head, which is the whole point of a front-mount machine: a loader drives the rotor forward continuously instead of sweeping it from a stance. The optimal target material diameter of 15 cm is the stem size the head processes continuously at a productive rate, not the largest stem it will eventually get through. That suits regrowth, woody weeds, wattle thickets and shelterbelt understorey; anything regularly above 15 cm should push the buyer to the HM-70. Our guide on maximum diameter versus production diameter explains why the occasional maximum is the wrong number to tender on.

Weight matters more on a loader than on an excavator, because the head sits ahead of the front axle or idlers and directly affects tipping load and traction. At 1,043 kg for the SR and 1,113 kg for the DR, the head is at the top of what many compact loaders carry comfortably on soft ground. Continuous flow of 87 to 159 L/min places it in high-flow territory: the lower figure is within reach of many high-flow skid steers, while the upper figure needs a large-frame machine or a dedicated carrier.

Carrier matching

Carrier horsepower is the first filter and 68 hp is the published minimum, but horsepower alone does not prove compatibility. The questions that matter are the rating of the high-flow auxiliary circuit in L/min and bar, whether a case drain is fitted, the return pressure the loader imposes and how the machine cools its oil through an Australian summer with the cooler pack full of fines. Weight on a skid steer or compact track loader should be checked against rated operating capacity and the manufacturer’s attachment guidance, and a CTL will generally carry this head over soft ground better than a wheeled machine. See hydraulic matching, hydraulic cooling and heat and our skid steer and track loader class page.

Hydraulic horsepower is the useful sanity check: flow in L/min multiplied by pressure in bar, divided by 600, gives kW. As an illustration, a loader delivering 159 L/min at an assumed 240 bar supplies 159 × 240 ÷ 600, about 64 kW or roughly 85 hp, which is why a 68 hp carrier will not reach the top of the flow window. At 87 L/min the same pressure gives about 35 kW, a realistic level for a mid-frame high-flow machine.

Typical work and production considerations

The head fits bushfire fuel reduction along firebreaks and asset protection zones, farm clearing, shelterbelts and orchards and council parks and urban vegetation. Verges, old farm tracks and rocky paddocks favour carbide teeth, while blades cut faster and cleaner in clean green regrowth; see blades versus carbide teeth.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

A front-mount head cannot reach over a drain, down a batter or past a guardrail, and it works from the ground it stands on, so slopes and wet ground limit it; excavator mulcher versus skid steer mulcher sets out when an excavator head wins. Within the HM family there is nothing smaller, so a buyer whose loader cannot support the weight or flow should look at an excavator head or a lighter class of tool. Step up to the HM-70 when the loader has flow to spare and material regularly exceeds 15 cm.

Options and hydraulic circuits to settle at quotation

The SR and DR variants share the same width, target diameter, power minimum and flow window; the DR is the heavier build at 1,113 kg against 1,043 kg. Shearex does not publish what the letters stand for, so ask Machinery Specialist which variant suits the loader’s flow and frame, and confirm the quoted weight matches the variant ordered. Settle tooling, the case drain and the electrical control for the door on the loader’s auxiliary harness at quotation.

Wear parts and support

Price teeth or blades, holders, drive belts, rotor bearings, wear liners and skid shoes with Machinery Specialist and confirm Australian stock. A loader-mounted mulcher

Confirm before ordering

• Loader high-flow circuit rating in L/min and bar, and where it sits within the 87 to 159 L/min window
• Case drain and return pressure arrangement on the loader
• SR or DR variant, with the quoted weight matching that variant
• Head weight against the loader's rated operating capacity and attachment guidance
• Cooling pack capacity and cleaning access for summer work
• Blade or carbide tooling for the site's rock exposure
• Australian stock and price of teeth, holders, belt and bearings
• Delivered price including mounting plate, hoses and electrical harness

Frequently asked questions