Shearline builds commercial cannabis trimming systems for dry flower processing. Each system combines controlled feeding, clean cutting action, high-capacity trim collection, and stable material flow for commercial growers and processors.
The current Shearline commercial trimming system is the Shearline Original. The earlier Shearline 2.0 was a separate, smaller-capacity model that is no longer manufactured. Parts and technical support remain available for existing Shearline 2.0 owners.

Shearline Original — Operating & Maintenance Specifications

Normal trimmer cleaning: approximately 10 minutes when cleaned promptly after production with a 180°F hot-water pressure washer.

Cyclone collection-system cleaning: approximately 15 minutes under normal cleaning conditions.

Automatic feed operation: the integrated hopper holds a working volume of bucked flower and meters controlled timed pulses into the trimming drum. After the pulse and pause cycle is set, it repeats automatically; continuous operator attendance at the trimmer infeed is not required between hopper replenishments.

Cutting interface: the M2 tool-steel blade and electroless-nickel-plated reel operate with approximately 0.002–0.004 inch clearance and no metal-to-metal contact.

Preventive cutting-edge maintenance: Shearline recommends light diamond-stone honing every third or fourth crop. The blade setting does not need to be changed for this preventive edge maintenance.

Final air filtration: the cyclone removes bulk trim before the remaining exhaust reaches the final filter. The standard system uses E12 minimum-efficiency HEPA-grade ePTFE final-filter media with 95 sq ft of filtration area; the high-capacity configuration provides 155 sq ft.

Routine recalibration after cleaning: not required.

Drying Conditions Matter

Proper drying is the single biggest factor in how well any bucking or trimming system performs.

Shearline systems are engineered for whole-plant material dried under controlled airflow, temperature, and humidity conditions. When these conditions are met, material feeds cleanly, leaves remain extended, and trimming occurs earlier with significantly reduced loss.

If drying is not controlled, even the best equipment will struggle to deliver consistent results.

Are Large Buds Breaking Into Smalls?

If large cannabis buds are breaking apart during trimming, the problem is usually not the trimming system alone.

In most cases, the flower has been dried past its workable moisture range. Once the bud structure becomes brittle, mechanical handling during bucking, trimming, and sorting can turn large saleable flower into smalls.

This is a drying and equalization problem before it is a trimming problem.

Learn how to stop large buds from breaking into smalls during trimming →

Consistent trimming results are not achieved by drying alone. Material must be both properly dried and equalized to a uniform condition before processing.

See the Shearline Controlled Drying Method →

Shearline Original trimmer + matched cyclone/HEPA collector: US$18,500 plus shipping. The integrated timed-pulse auto-feeder is included with the trimmer.

Shearline equipment is sold directly by Shearline. This allows us to provide current specifications, accurate pricing, proper system configuration, and direct technical support before and after the sale. For current availability and equipment details, please use Shearline.com or contact Shearline directly.

Shearline — Quick Buyer Answers

What is the Shearline warranty?
Shearline-built equipment is covered by a 5-year limited warranty during normal intended commercial use. The Oneida cyclone/collection system and its motor are covered separately under Oneida’s manufacturer warranty.

What is the Shearline Master System?
The Master System is the complete processing line: two Tandem buckers, one Shearline Original trimmer with integrated timed-pulse Auto-Feeder and matched cyclone/collection system, and one Shearline sorting system.

Why are two Tandem buckers included?
Commercial operation has shown that two Tandem buckers are needed to keep the trimmer consistently supplied and maintain continuous production.

What does the Master System cost?
US$49,950 plus shipping — a 10% package discount compared with purchasing the components individually. Saving US$5,550 compared with purchasing the components individually.

How long does normal cleaning take?
Approximately 10 minutes for the trimmer when cleaned immediately after production with a 180°F hot-water pressure washer, plus approximately 15 minutes for the cyclone collection system.

Does the machine require recalibration after cleaning?
No. Normal cleaning does not require recalibration. Routine disassembly and reassembly uses only three sizes of supplied Allen keys.

Why Shearline Does Not Scale by Making the Trimmer Larger

Shearline spent years developing and commercially testing larger-diameter and multi-reel trimming machines. The conclusion was that increasing machine size was not the best way to increase production while preserving flower quality, reliability, and operating simplicity.

Smaller trimming systems allow more controlled flower movement, shorter drop distances, gentler handling, simpler mechanics, faster cleaning, fewer consumable parts, and lower maintenance requirements. Those advantages matter because the goal is not simply to move the largest possible number of pounds through one machine. The goal is to preserve the highest possible amount of saleable flower while keeping the processing line reliable and economical to operate.

When more capacity is required, Shearline scales by adding complete processing lines rather than making the trimmer progressively larger. This allows production to increase while preserving the same trimming environment and also provides redundancy if one line is being cleaned or serviced.

Trim quality is produced by stable conditions inside the trimming environment.

View Real-World Shearline Customer Results & Performance

If your trimmer is tearing instead of cutting cleanly, the issue is often related to material condition and presentation. Why Trimming Machines Tear Instead of Cutting Cleanly

When feed rate, airflow, and internal volume remain consistent, trimming proceeds progressively and gently. When those conditions fluctuate, trimming becomes reactive and aggressive.

A True Automatic Feeder—Not Simply a Conveyor

Moving flower toward a trimmer is not the same as automatically feeding the trimmer.

A conventional conveyor runs continuously and carries whatever workers place on its belt. Although the belt speed can be adjusted, the conveyor cannot control whether the flower is loaded evenly. Someone must remain beside it, continually adding flower and attempting to maintain the correct quantity and spacing.

When too much flower enters a rotating drum, it climbs the inside wall and forms a curl, much like a breaking ocean wave. Think of a surfer riding inside that curl without touching the bottom of the wave. Buds can do the same thing: they travel through the curl without properly contacting the drum slots or being exposed to the cutting reel. They can then leave the machine without being properly trimmed.

The Shearline Auto-Feeder was developed specifically to prevent this condition. Its large, flexible hopper holds a substantial working volume of bucked flower. A timer releases a controlled pulse into the drum and then pauses, allowing the drum to process that charge before more flower is added. This produces a gentle wave that repeatedly returns the buds to the cutting surface instead of allowing an overloaded curl to form.

Once the timing is set for the flower being processed, the cycle repeats automatically. The person overseeing the line does not have to remain stationed at the trimmer. That person can load branch tables for the buckers, replenish the Auto-Feeder hopper, collect graded flower from the sorter, and prepare finished flower for weighing and bagging.

Conventional feed conveyors are also costly additions. As of August 2026, Twister’s standard feed conveyor is advertised at US$5,396, while Mobius lists its M108S Infeed Conveyor at US$7,400. Both still require someone to load them.

The Shearline timed-pulse Auto-Feeder is included as standard equipment with the trimmer. It does not simply transport flower—it controls how much enters the drum and when.

Learn why controlled pulse feeding matters →

Consistency is a mechanical outcome, not an operator skill.

Why the Vertical Cyclone Matters

The Shearline collection system is not simply a vacuum with a filter attached. It is designed as a two-stage separation and filtration system so valuable trim is removed from the airstream before the air reaches the final filter. The standard matched collector is the Oneida Air Systems V-System 3000.

Air from the trimmer enters the vertical cyclone tangentially and begins rotating at high velocity. Centrifugal force drives heavier plant material outward toward the cyclone wall. As that material loses velocity, gravity assists its downward discharge into the collection drum while the remaining airstream continues toward the fan and final filter.

That geometry matters. The cyclone performs the primary material-separation work before the filter ever sees the exhaust stream. Bulk trim is recovered in the drum instead of becoming filter loading, which protects downstream filtration and helps maintain stable suction during production.

A Surface That Works With Cannabis

The Oneida cyclone body is molded from static-dissipative polyethylene rather than fabricated from sheet metal. In Shearline operating experience, the smooth polymer surface is highly resistant to cannabis-resin buildup under normal use. Separated trim moves readily down the cyclone wall and into the drum rather than accumulating heavily on the separator surface.

Published Oneida Collector Specifications

Oneida publishes the following specifications for the standard 3 HP V-System 3000:

• 74 dBA at 10 ft with the supplied sound-control components
• 1,349 actual CFM at 2.3 in. water column
• 2,940 CFM free-fan rating
• More than 99% cyclone separation of fine wood dust
• E12 minimum-efficiency HEPA-grade ePTFE final-filter media
• 95 sq ft of final-filter surface area

These are Oneida Air Systems specifications for the collector/filter subsystem, not Shearline estimates. Actual worker exposure depends on installation, room acoustics, duct layout, operating conditions and other equipment in the room.

The Shearline trimmer itself is mechanically quiet because its cutting reel and M2 blade do not touch. They operate with a controlled 0.002–0.004 in clearance, eliminating the continuous metal-to-metal cutting noise produced by contacting blade systems. The trimmer still produces normal motor, drum, airflow and material-handling sound, so facility-level sound measurements remain appropriate.

The Filter Is the Second Stage — Not the Trim Collector

After the cyclone has removed the bulk trim, the remaining air passes through the large E12 HEPA-grade ePTFE final cartridge. The filter handles the much smaller fraction of fine particulate that remains in the airstream instead of being asked to collect the main trim stream.

The standard Oneida V-System 3000 uses galvanized quick-connect ducting that provides a sealed, low-restriction air path and comes apart quickly for cleaning and inspection. Stainless-steel quick-connect ducting is available as an option. A drum-vacuum interface allows a standard contractor garbage bag to be used as a liner for fast changeovers and minimal trim handling. A bright red “drum full” warning light alerts operators before overfilling, and the cyclone can be wall-mounted or installed on a freestanding stand.

Standard and High-Capacity Configurations

Standard and High-Capacity Filter Configurations

The standard matched configuration uses a 13-inch-diameter by 36-inch-high HEPA-grade media filter with 95 sq ft of filtration area and a 35-gallon collection drum.

For longer production runs, Shearline offers a high-capacity configuration using Oneida’s 18-inch-diameter by 54-inch-high two-part stacked HEPA-grade filter assembly with approximately 155 sq ft of total filtration area and a 55-gallon collection drum, mounted through a Shearline-designed adapter. This provides approximately 63% more filtration area and greater trim-collection capacity than the standard 95 sq ft configuration. The larger arrangement requires additional ceiling clearance.

Recovering the Fines Instead of Throwing Them Away

Very fine resin-rich material can still reach the final cartridge. In Shearline operating practice, the cartridge is periodically cleaned by blowing and tapping the pleats so accumulated fines fall into the collection area below. That recovered material can then be returned to the usable trim stream rather than discarded with filter waste.

• Bulk trim: recovered in the cyclone drum before the fan and final filter.
• Fine resin-rich material: recovered during final-filter cleaning and returned to the usable trim stream.

Cyclone First. Filter Second.

A separator should separate the product. A filter should clean the air. By doing those jobs in the correct order, the Shearline/Oneida system reduces final-filter loading, helps maintain airflow, simplifies material recovery, and keeps valuable trim and fines available for secondary processing instead of burying them in disposable filtration media. Oneida states that, with regular maintenance, its cartridge filters can last up to five years.

Commercial Cannabis Trimmer– key engineering features

• No metal‑to‑metal contact. The reel and blade run with a controlled 0.002–0.004 inch clearance, so the cutting surfaces never actually touch.
• Blades that stay sharp for years. The cutting blade is M2 tool steel and the reel edge is hardened by a full electroless nickel process, so both wear extremely slowly, even in full‑time production. Shearline commonly recommends a light honing of the M2 blade every third or fourth crop as routine preventive edge maintenance. This is not a blade-replacement interval; there is no routine hourly or crop-based replacement schedule, and the blade is intended to remain in service for years under normal operation.
• Electroless‑nickel plated reel. Every reel is fully plated in food‑grade electroless nickel after an extensive prep process (deburring, blasting, and finishing) so the coating bonds properly and produces a hard, uniform cutting surface.
• Solid-lube stainless bearings in washdown-critical assemblies. Shearline uses stainless solid-lubricated bearings on the cutting-reel supports and on the cleaning-brush shaft. The food-grade solid lubricant is rated to 350°F, far above Shearline’s normal 180°F hot-water cleaning temperature. These bearings are selected for repeated washdown service and eliminate routine relubrication.
• Eliminates a direct metal-wear pathway at the cutter. Because the reel and blade are designed not to contact each other, normal operation does not create sliding metal-on-metal wear at the cutting interface. See the complete Shearline cutting-system engineering explanation.
• Surfaces that resist resin build‑up. Electroless nickel is naturally low‑friction, so resin does not load up on the reel or housing, which keeps the machine cleaner and easier to maintain.

Technical Specifications — Shearline Trimmer & Automatic Feeder

• Input voltage: 120V–60Hz
• Trimmer motor: 0.5 HP, 120V, 7A
• Feeder motor: 0.5 HP, 120V, 7A
• Product-contact materials:
• All product-contact surfaces are 304 stainless steel, or
• Food-grade polymer fabric in the feeder (certification available)
• Cutting blade: M2 tool steel
• Reel finish: Full electroless nickel (food-grade)
• Running clearance (reel to blade): 0.002–0.004 in
• Automatic feed: Flexible hopper with timed pulse/pause metering that automatically controls how much flower enters the trimming drum and when. Standard equipment.
• Frame: Single rolling frame for trimmer and feeder
• Trimmer + automatic feeder (combined dimensions):
• Length: 60 in / 152 cm
• Width: 26 in / 66 cm
• Height: 36 in / 91 cm
• Weight: 175 lb / 79 kg

Cyclone (Trim Collection) Specifications

• Motor: 3.0 HP, 220V, single phase
• Amperage (typical): 13A
• Plug type: NEMA 6-20P (250V / 20A)
• Optional motor: 3.0 HP, 3-phase
• Application: Dedicated trim collection for Shearline trimmer systems
• Filtration: Standard 13 in × 36 in HEPA-grade media filter with 95 sq ft of filtration area; optional high-capacity 18 in × 54 in HEPA-grade media filter with 155 sq ft of filtration area
• Ducting: Galvanized quick-connect standard; stainless-steel quick-connect optional
• Drum: Standard 35-gal collection drum; optional high-capacity 55-gal collection drum; both use contractor bag liners
• Drum full indicator: Bright red warning light
• Footprint: 54 in × 72 in
• Overall height (typical):
• ~7 ft / 2.24 m with 35-gal drum
• ~8 ft 4 in / 2.54 m with 55-gal drum
• Working height flexibility:
• Can be reduced with a shorter drum/stand, or
• By using a wall-mount system
• Mounting options:
• V-System freestanding stand
• V-System wall-mounting bracket
• Mounting system features:
• Compact, configurable layout
• Multiple cyclone body rotations for inlet positioning
• Heavy-gauge, powder-coated steel
• Flat-packed for easy assembly
  

Direct line: 1-778-968-3773

Shearline Cutting System — Technical Videos

See how the Shearline cutting reel and precision blade work together to produce a clean cut while minimizing damage to the flower.

A close technical look at the Shearline cutting reel and how its precision design supports a clean, consistent trimming action.

A technical look at the M2 tool-steel blade used in the Shearline cutting system and why its hardness, edge quality and precision matter for consistent trimming.

A technical look at the Shearline bedbar and its role in maintaining precise reel-to-blade alignment for clean, consistent cutting.