Shearex VM-35SK excavator mulcher

Where the VM-35SK sits in the range

The VM-35SK is the 8 to 12 tonne head in the Shearex VM excavator mulcher range, and for mixed contractors it is often the most interesting model in the family. An 8 to 12 tonne excavator still floats economically behind a truck without a pilot, works inside a single-lane corridor, carries a bucket, a grab or a tree shear between mulching jobs, and gives useful reach over drains and batters. Below it, the VM-25SK is a 70 cm access head for mini excavators; above it, the VM-40SL steps up to 12 to 15 tonne carriers and a 20 cm target diameter with a noticeably larger hydraulic appetite. The VM-35SK sits at the point where a general civil machine becomes a credible vegetation-management unit without being rebuilt around the attachment.

What the published figures mean on site

The 95 cm cutting width is a real jump from the 70 cm of the smaller head, and on an 8 to 12 tonne boom it can be swept in wide arcs from one stance. The optimal target material diameter of 15 cm is the commercially honest figure: it is the stem size the rotor keeps processing at a productive rate, not an occasional maximum. Regrowth eucalypt coppice, wattle thickets and shelterbelt understorey in that class are its natural material, and anything regularly above it should push the buyer towards the VM-40SL. Our guide on maximum diameter versus production diameter explains why the distinction decides whether a tender makes money.

At 522 kg the head is barely heavier than the VM-25SK, which is why it sits so comfortably on this carrier class. Continuous flow of 87 to 144 L/min and a minimum carrier power of 54 hp (40 kW) are where the work is: the upper flow figure is beyond what many 8 tonne machines deliver on a single auxiliary circuit, so the real production window depends on the carrier. The VM family’s maximum operating pressure is published as up to approximately 410 bar, and the carrier relief setting needs to be checked against it.

Carrier matching

The 87 to 144 L/min window is wide enough that where a particular machine falls inside it decides the production rate, so the buying question is not tonnage but measured continuous flow under load, the pressure available at that flow, return back-pressure and a case drain to tank. Work the measured figures through the hydraulic power calculator: the top of the window asks for more hydraulic power than most 8 tonne excavators produce, which is why a 12 tonne machine with a well-specified auxiliary circuit gets far more out of this head than an 8 tonne machine that merely meets the 54 hp minimum. On the cooling side, mulching holds the pump at high demand for hours without the pauses digging provides; see hydraulic matching and hydraulic cooling and heat.

Typical work and production considerations

The head fits road corridor clearing, bushfire fuel reduction around assets and firebreaks, and farm clearing, shelterbelts and orchards where old rows need removing. Rock on batters, table drains and old farm tracks is the main threat to tooling, and carbide teeth are usually the safer choice there, while blades win in clean green material; see blades versus carbide teeth.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

On open flat paddocks a front-mount head such as the HM-70 runs twice the width and will outproduce an excavator head; excavator mulcher versus skid steer mulcher weighs the two. Step down to the VM-25SK only if access, not production, governs the work. Step up to the VM-40SL when stems regularly exceed 15 cm or when the fleet already runs 12 to 15 tonne machines with strong auxiliary circuits.

Options and hydraulic circuits to settle at quotation

The hydraulic door is standard, and its circuit requirement is set out in full on the VM-25SK page. What is specific to this class is that an 8 to 12 tonne machine bought as a general civil excavator often has one double-acting auxiliary and nothing else, so adding tilt or grapple means a second circuit and a diverter. Decide the options at quotation, before the auxiliary kit and hose routing are built, and confirm the quoted weight is for the configuration ordered.

Wear parts and support

Get the consumables listed in the quote with Australian prices and stock, not just the head. A part-time mulching contractor is the most exposed to a parts delay, because the attachment only earns on the weeks it is booked. Daily blow-down of the belt housing and engine bay, bearing temperature checks and a leak inspection are part of fire housekeeping; see fire risk in clearing operations.

Confirm before ordering

• Continuous auxiliary flow under load and the pressure available at that flow, measured on the actual carrier
• Return pressure limit and a case drain routed to tank
• Circuit plan and diverter wiring for the door, plus any tilt, grapple or heel option
• Head weight in the ordered configuration against the lift chart at working radius
• Cooler capacity for continuous summer operation
• Blade or carbide tooling for the expected rock exposure
• Australian stock and price of teeth, holders, belt and bearings
• Delivered price including bracket, hoses and commissioning

Frequently asked questions