Shearex HM-70SR / HM-70DR front-mount mulcher

Where the HM-70 sits in the range

The HM-70 is the second step in the Shearex HM front-mount mulcher range, offered as an SR variant at 1,361 kg and a heavier DR variant at 1,490 kg, both rated from 74 hp. It is the head for large-frame high-flow skid steers and compact track loaders doing right-of-way maintenance, solar farm vegetation and agricultural reclamation where swath width drives the hectare rate. Below it, the HM-60 runs 149 cm on a smaller flow window; above it, the HM-70SV keeps the same 190 cm width but moves to 125 hp dedicated carriers and a 25 cm target. The HM-70 is the widest head in the family that still belongs on a conventional loader.

What the published figures mean on site

The 190 cm cutting width is the number that sells the head: it is wider than any Shearex excavator mulcher, and on open ground a loader running it forward covers a great deal of area per pass. The optimal target material diameter of 20 cm is the stem size the rotor processes continuously at a productive rate. Regrowth, woody weeds, wattle and shelterbelt species fit; mature stems do not, even if the occasional one can be worked from the top. Our guide on maximum diameter versus production diameter explains why tenders priced on the occasional maximum lose money.

Weight is the constraint on a loader. At 1,361 kg for the SR and 1,490 kg for the DR, the head sits ahead of the front axle or idlers and bears directly on tipping load and traction, which is why it belongs on a large-frame machine or CTL. Continuous flow of 133 to 204 L/min is firmly high-flow territory; the lower figure is achievable on the largest conventional loaders, while the upper figure points to a dedicated carrier.

Carrier matching

Carrier horsepower is only the first filter, and on this head the gap between the filter and reality is wide: 74 hp is the published minimum, but a 74 hp loader will not deliver 204 L/min at pressure, as the worked sum on the HM-60 page shows. Ask for the high-flow circuit rating in L/min and bar, whether a case drain is fitted, the return pressure the loader imposes and how the cooling pack behaves after an hour of continuous mulching in summer heat, then check those figures in the hydraulic power calculator. Weight is the second filter: 1,361 kg for the SR and 1,490 kg for the DR against the loader’s rated operating capacity and the manufacturer’s attachment guidance, with a CTL carrying it over soft ground far better than a wheeled machine. See hydraulic matching, hydraulic cooling and heat and the skid steer and track loader class page.

Typical work and production considerations

The head fits solar and wind farm site preparation, powerline and transmission easements on traversable ground and farm clearing, shelterbelts and orchards. Rocky paddocks, old fence lines and easement tracks favour carbide teeth; blades cut faster and cleaner in clean green material. See blades versus carbide teeth.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

A front-mount head works only where the loader can drive: not over drains, not down batters, not behind guardrails, and not on wet or steep ground; excavator mulcher versus skid steer mulcher covers when an excavator head such as the VM-40SL wins despite its narrower swath. Step down to the HM-60 if the loader cannot support the weight or flow. Step up to the HM-70SV or HM-88LV when a dedicated carrier is available and material regularly exceeds 20 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 1,490 kg against 1,361 kg. On a loader already close to its capacity that 129 kg is not a rounding error, so settle the variant, and therefore the quoted weight, before the mounting plate is made. Tooling, the case drain and the electrical control on the loader’s auxiliary harness belong in the same conversation.

Wear parts and support

Price the consumable set with Machinery Specialist and confirm Australian stock levels. Fines and dust thrown forward and back at the loader

Confirm before ordering

• Loader high-flow circuit rating in L/min and bar, and where it sits within the 133 to 204 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