A drum cutter-loader machine includes discrete units joined together by tie bolts extending transversely to the direction of advancing movement along a face conveyor. The units in succession from the stow side to the working side include a gantry casing supporting winch drive motors and straddling the face conveyor, a transmission box, a winch casing and casing carrying actuators coupled to arms carried by pivots at opposite ends of the winch casing. The arms carry cutter drums driven by motors supported by the arms. A toothed rack at the working face side is engaged by drive wheels driven through gearing in the winch casing and transmission box by the winch motors. The gantry casing is supported at the stow side through runners that engage a guide rail. In one embodiment, the machine is supported by rollers at the working face side on the toothed rack. In a further embodiment, the machine is supported by rollers at the working face side on a machine track.