Subdivision and civil clearing is the application where a vegetation attachment most often pays for itself, because the carrier is already on site and already financed for the earthworks that follow. A residential estate, an industrial park or a school site is cleared against a surveyed boundary and a tree-retention plan, priced as a lump sum or per hectare inside the civil package, with stump removal and disposal either included or scheduled as separate items. Small infill and demolition sites are priced per tree or per day, and the contractor is judged on how quickly the excavator can move from felling to bulk earthworks without a second machine.
The commercial distinction from corridor work is the specification of the finished ground. A verge stump can be processed below grade and forgotten. A stump under a future road formation, sewer trench, retaining wall or building pad is an earthworks defect that will be found by the next contractor and charged back, so the clearing scope on a development site runs deeper than the trees. The attachment fleet that suits this work is the one that fells, recovers, extracts and reinstates on one carrier, with the fewest changeovers and the least material handled twice.
The work sequence
A development clearing runs through the full chain below, often with several stages overlapping across the site as the earthworks crew follows the clearing crew. Trees near boundaries, neighbours and retained vegetation are sectioned under control; everything else is felled and recovered as fast as the grapple can keep up.
- Confirm the clearing boundary and tree-retention plan
- Erect tree protection and exclusion zones
- Section trees over boundaries and servicesEX28 or EX36 grapple saw
- Fell the balance of stemsWR10 or WR15 shear
- Grapple to stockpile or chipperEX28 or EX36 grapple
- Extract stumps in pads, trenches and formationsWE10 or WE15
- Process remaining stumps below gradeSC600 or SC850 Pro
- Rake brash and rip rootsTerragrip
- Backfill and compact stump holes and trenchesCPT425 or CPT910
The reasoning behind that order, and how a quick coupler changes the arithmetic, is set out in the clearing workflow guide and quick couplers and attachment changeover.
Which attachments do the heavy lifting
Tree shears for the stem count
The bulk of a development site is felling, and a shear that grips, cuts and places in one cycle processes stems faster than any other excavator head. The Trevi Benne WR10 (indicatively 12 to 16 tonne carriers, around 400 mm nominal cut) suits the mid-size civil excavator, and the WR15 (17 to 22 tonne, around 500 mm) fits the 20 tonne class that most civil contractors run as their main machine. Both use a twin-blade cutting system with rotation options that make placing a stem along a boundary or beside the chipper much easier. On regrowth-dominated sites the WL Series with its optional accumulator gathers several small stems before slewing to the pile. Size to the diameter distribution, not the largest tree on the plan; maximum diameter versus production diameter explains why.
Grapple saws for the boundary and the neighbours
Every subdivision has trees that cannot simply be dropped: over a neighbouring fence, a retained tree, overhead services or a public footpath. Sectional removal with every piece controlled is grapple saw work. The Powerhand EX28 grapple saw covers the 12 to 25 tonne carriers on most civil sites at 986 kg with a 600 mm saw cut, and the EX36 grapple saw (16 to 25 tonne, 650 mm cut, 1,000 mm bar, 1,176 kg) handles larger timber and cross-cutting at the stockpile. For precision dismantling beside houses, the EX40 grapple saw is available in tiltrotator and tree-care configurations for 20 to 30 tonne machines. The saw capacity is a cutting figure, not a suspended-load figure; the lift chart decides the piece. Tree shear versus grapple saw sets out when each is the core tool.
Stump cutters where the ground is going to be dug
This is the application the Trevi Benne WE range was built for. The WE10 (11.5 to 18 tonne carriers, 1,190 kg, 980 mm jaw) cuts the structural roots, extracts the stump and splits it to a transportable size, which replaces the improvised bucket method of digging an ever-larger hole to find leverage. The WE15 (20 to 28 tonne, 2,240 kg, 1,400 mm jaw) is for large hardwood root systems on 20 tonne class and above carriers. The commercial case is minutes saved per stump multiplied by the count, plus the smaller excavation and backfill. Where the stump can stay processed below grade, the Dipperfox SC600 (6 to 12 tonne, 600 mm stump, 700 mm depth) and SC850 Pro (13 to 30 tonne, 850 mm stump, 900 mm depth) do it in place with a contained footprint. Stump grinder versus stump cutter explains which outcome each delivers.
Forestry grapples for recovery and the Terragrip for clean-up
Development sites almost always recover material, either to a chipper for mulch or to a stockpile for removal, so a purpose-built forestry grapple earns its keep. The Powerhand EX28 forestry grapple (12 to 25 tonne, 0.28 m², 617 kg with rotator) is the crossover choice, and the EX36 (16 to 25 tonne, 0.36 m², 837 kg with rotator) handles heavy brash and bigger bundles. The Terragrip (around 14 to 25 tonne, about 1,540 mm opening) combines a root-ripping rake leg with a gripping leg, which suits the raking and root clean-up that precedes bulk earthworks. Forestry grapple versus sorting grab covers whether an existing demolition grab will do.
Compactors for reinstatement
Every extracted stump leaves a hole in ground that will carry a road or a house, and every service trench needs compaction in lifts where a roller cannot reach. The point of an OMEF CPT plate is that it goes on the excavator that made the hole, so the backfill is done in the same set-up rather than waiting on a roller crew: size it to the carrier, which for the 20 tonne clearing machine means the CPT910 and for a small-lot machine the CPT425. The stated force figures are supplier comparison figures; a specified density still needs the project field-testing process.
Carrier size and fleet composition
The 16 to 25 tonne class is the natural centre of a civil clearing fleet, because every head in the chain above has a model published for it and the same machine then digs the trenches, which is the only reason the attachment economics work on a development site at all. The 10 to 16 tonne class is the mobile second machine for infill lots, where it floats on a simpler combination and the timber is smaller. Large hardwood stumps and industrial sites push the extraction carrier into the 25 to 40 tonne class, and on small lots a 5 to 10 tonne machine with a stump grinder and a compactor is what gets through the gate. Check the lift chart and attachment mass guide before hanging a 2,240 kg WE15 or a 1,176 kg saw on any of them.
Site and commercial factors that change the equipment choice
The tree-retention plan and any tree protection zones are the first filter, because they decide how many trees need controlled sectioning rather than felling, and that is the difference between a shear-led and a saw-led fleet. Neighbours, footpaths and overhead services do the same on infill sites. A planning consent is not by itself a vegetation clearing approval, and on a development site the two are often held by different parties at different stages. Confirm with the developer and the relevant state agency what is approved, for which trees, and who signs the instruction to fell; native vegetation approvals sets out the questions to put to them.
Hardwood stumps resist an extraction head far more than the same diameter in a planted species, which is the figure a per-stump rate lives or dies on; see the Australian hardwood guide. The geotechnical specification decides the stump method: extraction where footings, formations or trenches cross the root zone, grinding below grade elsewhere. Underground services on brownfield sites must be located before any below-ground stump work. Material disposal is usually the contractor’s problem, so the choice between chipping on site, trucking to a green waste facility or selling firewood or biomass changes the grapple, the truck count and the rate. Chipping and other hot work stop on the days the relevant state fire authority or the principal’s site rules say they stop, which on a staged estate means the disposal plan needs a stockpile fallback; see fire risk in clearing operations. Urban sites bring noise and dust conditions that favour a low-speed vertical stump grinder over a high-speed wheel.
Measuring and pricing production
Run a trial on a representative part of the site and record, per productive hour: stems felled with a diameter distribution, cuts per hour and piece count for grapple saw work, stumps extracted or processed per hour by diameter and species class, and the backfill and compaction time per stump hole. Record changeover time between heads separately, because on a one-carrier site that is where production leaks.
As an illustration only, assume an internal cost of $230 per hour for a 20 tonne excavator and operator, and a site with 300 stumps that must come out. If the bucket method averages 35 minutes per stump and a trial with a WE10 averages 20 minutes including a smaller backfill, the difference is 15 minutes across 300 stumps, or 75 machine hours, worth about $17,250 on that site alone before the reduced backfill and import of fill are counted. That is the arithmetic that justifies an extraction head on a business doing several estates a year. The building a tender rate guide, the total cost of ownership guide and the cost per unit calculator take the same numbers through mobilisation, wear and utilisation.
Before you tender or buy for this work
- Obtain the clearing boundary, tree-retention plan and any tree protection zone requirements before pricing.
- Walk the site and record a stem diameter distribution and a stump count by size class and species.
- Confirm from the geotechnical or civil specification which stumps must be extracted and which may be ground below grade.
- Locate underground services on brownfield and infill sites before pricing any stump extraction or grinding.
- Confirm whether material is chipped on site, trucked or sold, and who pays for disposal.
- Check the carrier lift chart at working radius for the heaviest head plus rotator plus hitch, particularly a WE15 or EX36 saw.
- Confirm continuous auxiliary flow, pressure and case drain for every head that will share the carrier.
- Ask whether native vegetation approvals apply in addition to the planning consent, and who holds them.
- Establish exclusion zones and WHS procedures for felling and sectioning near neighbours, footpaths and other trades.
Frequently asked questions
Is a tree shear or a grapple saw the better first purchase for civil clearing?
For greenfield estates dominated by felling and recovery, a WR shear processes more stems per hour. For infill and demolition sites with neighbours, services and retained trees, a grapple saw controls every piece and is the safer core tool. Most civil clearing contractors end up owning both.
Do stumps on a subdivision have to be extracted?
Not all of them. Stumps under road formations, building pads, retaining walls and service trenches usually must come out, which is what a Trevi Benne WE cutter is for. Stumps in open space and future landscaping can often be processed below grade with a Dipperfox. The civil specification decides.
Can a 20 tonne civil excavator carry the whole clearing fleet?
Usually yes. A WR15, an EX28 or EX36 grapple saw, an EX36 grapple, an SC850 Pro and a CPT910 all sit in the 16 to 25 tonne band. Confirm each head against the actual carrier hydraulics and lift chart, and budget for a quick coupler because changeover time is where a one-carrier site loses production.
Is a stump cutter faster than a bucket?
For occasional easy stumps the bucket may be adequate. The dedicated cutter becomes attractive as stump count, root size and hardwood content rise, because it targets the structural roots instead of digging a large hole for leverage, and leaves less to backfill.
What should be done with the extracted stumps?
Plan a laydown area where they can be split and shaken clean before stockpiling or trucking. Soil and stone contamination is the issue for any chipper or grinder downstream, so a WE that reduces the stump after extraction helps, but the disposal pathway should be settled before the first stump comes out.
Models commonly specified for this work
OMEF CPT180 excavator compactor
The mini-excavator compactor: 170 kg with a 12 to 20 L/min requirement that suits almost any 2 to 5 tonne carrier, for trench backfill, pathways and small foundations.
Trevi Benne WE10 root and stump cutter
The medium-excavator stump extractor: a 1,190 kg hydraulic pincer with a 980 mm jaw that severs structural roots, lifts the root ball and splits it down to a transportable size.
Dipperfox SC600 stump grinder
The mid-range and arguably most versatile Dipperfox: a 600 mm stump capacity on the 6 to 12 tonne excavators that civil, utility and landscaping contractors mobilise most often.
OMEF CPT425 excavator compactor
The middle civil class: a 430 kg plate compactor for 5 to 9 tonne excavators handling road base, retaining-wall backfill and medium trenches in confined areas.
Powerhand EX28 forestry grapple
The crossover grapple: 0.28 m² of capacity across a broad 12 to 25 tonne carrier band, for civil clearing, biomass and chipper feeding.
Powerhand EX28 grapple saw
The versatile middle ground: a 0.28 m² grapple saw spanning the 12 to 25 tonne excavators most civil and vegetation contractors already own, with saw motor and chain options.
Trevi Benne WE15 root and stump cutter
The heavy WE model: more than two tonnes of attachment with a 1,400 mm jaw for large hardwood root systems on 20 to 28 tonne carriers.
Trevi Benne WR10 tree shear
The entry point to the heavy WR family. Indicatively matched to 12 to 16 tonne excavators with a nominal 400 mm cutting class, twin-blade architecture and hydraulic rotation options.
Dipperfox SC850 Pro stump grinder
The production model: 850 mm stump capacity, 900 mm depth and 43,000 Nm of first-gear torque for forestry blocks, highway and rail corridors and large development sites on 13 to 30 tonne carriers.
OMEF CPT910 excavator compactor
The heavy excavator compactor: 900 kg on 12 to 20 tonne carriers for major trenches, road foundations and structural backfill where a roller cannot reach.
Powerhand EX36 forestry grapple
Wider tines and 0.36 m² of grapple volume for heavy brash and larger log bundles on 16 to 25 tonne excavators.
Powerhand EX36 grapple saw
The heavy rigid grapple saw: a 0.36 m² grapple, 1,000 mm bar and 650 mm cut for substantial forestry and clearance work, with 1,176 kg that must be counted in every lift calculation.
Trevi Benne WR15 tree shear
The mid-range WR shear for the 17 to 22 tonne excavator class that most civil and clearing contractors already run, with a nominal 500 mm cutting class.
Powerhand EX40 grapple saw (tiltrotator and tree-care)
The largest EX saw, available only in tiltrotator and tree-care configurations rather than the rigid range. A 700 mm cut and 0.40 m² grapple for 20 to 30 tonne carriers.
Trevi Benne WR20 tree shear
The largest of the WR family, indicatively matched to 23 to 30 tonne excavators with a nominal 550 mm cutting class for industrial clearing and large-stem work.
Powerhand Terragrip clearing grapple
A clearing and raking hybrid rather than a conventional grapple: one fixed leg works as a root ripper and rake while a single moving leg grips, with around 1,540 mm of opening on 14 to 25 tonne machines.
Get a recommendation, not just a price
Send us your excavator model, hydraulic figures, tree species and typical diameters. We will come back with a carrier-matched configuration and a written specification you can compare against any other quote.