Short answer: a mobile shear baler is a hydraulic machine that compresses and cuts heavy scrap metal and can be moved from one site to another instead of being built into one. The Roter RR715.6 is a semi-mobile shear baler: a 715-tonne shear and a 6-metre Hardox baling box on a single transportable unit. It needs no foundation and, according to Roter’s technical data, is ready to work only a few hours after it arrives on site. It is not self-propelled or tracked. It is moved by road transport, not under its own power.
That last distinction matters more than it first appears. The word “mobile” is used loosely across the scrap industry, and the three machines it can describe lead to very different site plans, transport budgets and permits. This guide explains what each one means, how the RR715.6 is delivered and installed, what it can do once it is working, and whether it fits your yard.
The problem a mobile shear baler solves
Heavy scrap rarely arrives in a shape a buyer will accept. Beams, plate, pipework and rebar come off demolition sites and industrial clear-outs too long, too heavy and too irregular to load efficiently or sell as they are. The traditional answer was two machines and two handling steps: one to cut, one to bale. A shear baler brings both into a single machine.
For a long time that single machine came with a second commitment: a concrete foundation. A foundation ties a shear baler to one spot for years, adds civil works, curing time and often permitting, and leaves the machine stranded if the work moves elsewhere. For a demolition contractor following projects, or a yard operator on leased ground, that commitment can outweigh the machine’s benefits.
Roter designed the RR series shear balers around that problem. Drawing on more than three decades of heavy-engineering experience, the team in Ferrara set out to build a shear baler heavy enough for demolition steel and structural sections, yet able to arrive, set up and start cutting without a foundation. Each machine is assembled and tested at Roter’s plant in Limidi di Soliera before it leaves Italy.
What “mobile” means for a shear baler
Buyers use the word mobile for three different kinds of machine. Separating them makes quotes far easier to compare.
Stationary
A stationary shear baler is fixed in one place, usually on a prepared concrete foundation with a permanent power supply and a defined loading area. It suits a yard that processes a steady flow of scrap in the same spot for many years. The trade-offs are the civil works, the lead time and the fact that the machine cannot follow the material.
Semi-mobile: where the RR715.6 sits
A semi-mobile shear baler stands on its own frame and support legs and does not need a foundation. It is delivered, set up and put to work quickly, and it can be relocated when the work changes. It is moved by transport, not under its own power. This is the category Roter places the whole RR shear baler range in: the RR550.5, RR550.6 and RR715.6. For a wider comparison with foundation-mounted machines, see our guide to semi-mobile versus fixed baler installation.
Self-propelled
A self-propelled machine drives itself on tracks or wheels. Roter does not describe any RR shear baler as self-propelled, and none should be specified as one. If a project needs a machine that drives around the yard under its own power, the RR715.6 is not that machine. If the need is to avoid a foundation and relocate when the work moves, semi-mobile is usually the practical answer.
How the RR715.6 is installed
No foundation required
Roter’s technical data is explicit: the RR shear series is a semi-mobile design and needs no foundation. That removes the concrete base, the curing time and the permitting that often comes with it. You still need a level, stable, suitably prepared area with room for loading, bale and cut-piece discharge, and service access. Our site preparation checklist sets out what to check before delivery.
Ready to work in a few hours
Once the machine is on site, Roter states that it is ready to work in only a few hours. Installation and commissioning on site are part of the Roter supply, carried out by technicians who know the machine, together with operator and maintenance training. Your team is not left to commission a machine of 42 to 45 tonnes on its own.
Transport and working dimensions
Because the machine travels, its dimensions are part of the buying decision. Roter publishes the following figures for the RR550/715 range. Values in brackets refer to the 5-metre box of the RR550.5.
| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Transport width | 2,460 mm |
| Transport length | 12,250 mm (11,250 mm) |
| Height | 3,960 mm; 3,160 mm without extension |
| Support leg height | 800 mm |
| Working length | 14,700 mm (13,700 mm) |
| Working width | 3,600 mm |
| Box length | 6,000 mm (5,000 mm) |
| Weight | 45 t (RR715.6), 44 t (RR550.6), 42 t (RR550.5) |
Hydraulic lifting legs are available as an option and help with positioning and set-up. Haulage rules for a load of this size vary by country and route, so share your route and site access when you request a quote and Roter will confirm the transport arrangements for your configuration.
Shear performance: the 550 t and 715 t classes
Shear force is the headline figure when you compare a shear baler with a plain baler, because it determines what you can process without pre-cutting by torch. The RR range is built around two force classes:
| Model | Shear force | Hold-down force | Box length |
|---|---|---|---|
| RR550.5 | 550 t | 120 t | 5,000 mm |
| RR550.6 | 550 t | 120 t | 6,000 mm |
| RR715.6 | 715 t | 120 t | 6,000 mm |
All three models share the rest of the core specification:
- 3.5 cuts per minute (dry cycle)
- 150 mm minimum cutting length
- Working pressure of 280/320 bar
- Hardox wear-resistant steel box with an opened width of 1,600 mm
- Three cylinders per lid, 200 t lid force and a 155 t main cylinder
- Bale size of 880 × 650 mm
The maximum section size or plate thickness the shear will take depends on the steel you actually handle, so it is confirmed in your quote against your material.
Four working programmes, one machine
Flexibility is what turns a shear baler from a machine into a business tool. The operator chooses the output to match each load and each buyer:
- Dense Bale for compact, heavy bales that maximise payload per truck and minimise storage space.
- Bale for Mills for bales sized to steel mill charging requirements.
- Shear for cutting long or oversized material into pre-sized pieces.
- Shear with Pre-compression for bulky, light or springy scrap that must be compressed before it is cut.
Your buyer’s specification should drive the choice. Bale density and weight depend on the material and are confirmed in your quote. If you are unsure whether you need cutting at all, our comparison of the scrap baler and the shear baler walks through the decision.
Control, safety and maintenance
A machine that moves between sites must also be easy to run and quick to diagnose wherever it lands. The RR shear series is built with that in mind:
- 7″ or 10″ touch-screen display and radio remote control as standard
- Light and sound signal system
- Troubleshooting assistance with alarm auto-diagnostics and guided procedures
- PLC protected from power surges by a stabilised power supply
- Safety engine auto-stop in the event of malfunctions or alarms that could compromise safety
- Automatic lubrication of the shear and the hold-down
- Every component easy to access for maintenance
Power and options
The RR715.6 is powered by a 225 hp / 168 kW Perkins or CAT diesel engine driving a Parker PV Plus Series main pump, so it does not depend on a heavy electrical connection at each new site. The oil circuit holds 1,600 litres and the diesel tank 250 litres. Fuel consumption at your duty cycle is confirmed in your quote.
The published options are:
- Hydraulic lifting legs (LL)
- Preloading (PT) for feeding bulky material
- Preheated hydraulic oil (OH) and preheated engine (EH) for cold-climate starts
- Emergency spare-parts kit (KE), so critical parts can be kept on site
- Customised colour (CCL)
Match the options to how you load the machine and where it will work. A yard that feeds by crane with bulky material has different needs from one that moves the machine between northern sites every winter.
Who a mobile shear baler suits
A semi-mobile shear baler earns its place where the material is awkward and the site changes:
- Bulky, long or irregular steel that a standard baler cannot take without pre-cutting
- Demolition contractors and dismantling projects where the work moves and a foundation is not worth building. See how shear balers handle heavy-gauge demolition steel and our industrial demolition applications.
- Yards that cannot or do not want civil works, including operators on leased ground
- Operations that need to start quickly, with commissioning measured in hours rather than weeks
If your material is mostly light scrap, turnings or production offcuts and the flow is continuous and indoors, a conveyor-fed automatic scrap metal baler is usually the better fit.
The support that travels with the machine
A shear baler works under the highest loads in the yard, and its value depends on staying in service. A machine that changes sites needs that support to follow it. Every RR715.6 comes with:
- Installation and commissioning on site
- Operator and maintenance training, so your crew runs it safely from the first shift
- Remote diagnostics, tracing many faults without waiting for a site visit
- On-site technical assistance when a visit is needed
- Spare parts held in stock and supplied from Ferrara
Read more about Roter’s baler spare parts and service and how after-sales support protects baler uptime.
Five questions before you specify a mobile shear baler
- Force class: is it matched to your heaviest regular material, not your average load?
- Programmes: does your buyer want cut scrap, bales, or both?
- Mobility: how often will the machine move, and can your haulage route take its transport dimensions?
- Feeding: is your crane and grapple capacity matched to a 6-metre box?
- Service: who installs it, who trains your crew, and how fast do spare parts arrive?
For the full buying framework, see the scrap metal shear baler buyer’s guide, our RR715.6 shear baler page and what drives a scrap baler’s price.
Check the RR715.6 against your site
Tell us your material, your daily volume, your site access and how you load. Our engineers will confirm the model, configuration, options, transport arrangements and delivery in a tailored quote. The full RR715.6 technical data and the RR550/715 datasheet (PDF) are available to download.
Request a quote for the RR715.6
Mobile shear baler: frequently asked questions
Is the RR715.6 a mobile shear baler?
The RR715.6 is a semi-mobile shear baler. It needs no foundation, is ready to work a few hours after arriving on site and can be relocated by road transport. Roter does not describe it as self-propelled or tracked, so it does not drive itself between locations.
Does a shear baler need a foundation?
It depends on the design. Stationary machines normally sit on a prepared foundation. The Roter RR715.6 is semi-mobile and needs no foundation. You still need a level, stable, prepared area with space for loading, discharge and service access.
What are the transport dimensions of the RR715.6?
Roter publishes a transport width of 2,460 mm, a transport length of 12,250 mm and a height of 3,960 mm (3,160 mm without extension). The machine weighs 45 tonnes. Transport arrangements for your route are confirmed in your quote.
How long does installation take?
Installation and commissioning on site are included, and Roter states the RR715.6 is ready to work in only a few hours once it is on site. Site preparation, transport and any permits are separate, and the timeline for your project is confirmed in your quote.
What material can a shear baler cut?
A shear baler handles bulky, long or irregular metal such as demolition steel, structural sections, plate, pipework and rebar, cutting it to length or baling it. The RR715.6 has a 715 t shear and a 150 mm minimum cutting length. Maximum section size is confirmed in your quote.
What is the difference between a baler and a shear baler?
A baler compresses scrap into bales. A shear baler adds a heavy shear, so oversized or long material can be cut to length or baled in the same machine. That removes separate pre-cutting steps and widens the range of scrap a yard can accept.
Specifications are taken from Roter’s published RR550/715 technical data. Last updated: 21 October 2026.