Overview
Land clearing is plant work, and the spoil decides whether you made money
Land clearing is the trade that prepares a plot for whatever comes next: a build, a farm extension, a solar field, a development. The job is felling, stump grinding, brush clearance, levelling, and the removal of everything that came off the ground. The kit is heavy: excavators, mulchers, dozers, sometimes a stump grinder big enough to be towed behind a tractor. The cost the contractor needs to surface is the spoil. Trees become chips or logs to be hauled; topsoil becomes spoil to be carted; rubble becomes a tip fee. A flat 'site cleared, $4,800' quote without the disposal lines is a quote that absorbs the rising cost of tip fees and lorry hire.
QuoteGenio gives land clearing contractors a quoting shape that surfaces every piece of the operation. Site survey and access plan as the first line, vegetation clearance by area, tree felling by piece (with diameter banding), stump removal as a named line, plant hire by day, levelling and grading by hour or by area, spoil and chip removal by load or by tonne, and any drainage or service-line check before the dozer rolls. Send via WhatsApp or email to the developer or landowner, take a deposit at booking, raise progress invoices through each phase, and the final invoice closes with the site ready for the next contractor.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of land and bush clearing business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every land clearing crew knows
Land clearing prices on area, vegetation density, slope and disposal. Quote it as 'clear the plot for $ 8,000' and the client thinks you are guessing.
Slow site-to-quote turnaround
Site visits take half a day. Then you sit on the quote for two more days while you check refuse fees. By then the developer has signed up another crew.
Lump-sum quotes lose tenders
Developers compare line items. If your quote is one number, theirs is structured by area, machine days, and refuse, you lose even when your price is better.
No basis to charge for disposal
If you do not list refuse loads, dump fees, and chipping, the client treats them as free. You absorb thousands per job out of margin.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A workflow built around the way clearing jobs are scoped, with line items for area, machine time, crew, and disposal.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for land clearing
Line items for area cleared, vegetation density, machine days, crew, refuse loads, and chipping. Everything a clearing quote needs, nothing it does not.
Works from your phone
Quote at the boundary fence with hectare and density fresh in your head. No driving back to the office to write it up.
Quote in under 2 minutes
Save vegetation density brackets and machine packages as templates. Pick density, type the area, send. Done before the developer hangs up the next call.
Professional every time
Your insurance, your method statement, your branding. Every quote tells the developer you are not a one-bakkie crew.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how land clearing services actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Land Clearing Services choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Land Clearing Services build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Land Clearing Services job pricing
A rough guide to what land clearing crews charge. Pricing varies massively with vegetation density, slope, access, and distance to the dump. Use these as a sanity check when building your own rates, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Light vegetation clearing (per hectare, grass and small bush) | R14,048 - R29,749 |
| Medium density clearing (per hectare) | R29,749 - R74,372 |
| Heavy bush and tree clearing (per hectare) | R74,372 - R198,324 |
| Alien vegetation removal (per hectare, dense) | R107,426 - R297,486 |
| Firebreak cutting (per linear km, 5 m wide) | R7,933 - R23,138 |
| TLB or excavator day rate (operator included) | R14,048 - R29,749 |
| Refuse removal and dump (per truck load) | R5,289 - R14,048 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A site assessment fee of R2,479 to R5,784 covers your time to drive out, walk the boundary, and write up the method. Most clearing crews waive it on jobs over R82,635. List it on the quote so developers respect your time, especially on speculative plot enquiries.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use day rates for machines and crews (R14,048 to R29,749 per 8-hour day per machine, R5,784 to R10,743 per crew of three labourers). Use per hectare for clear, level plots. Use a hybrid (fixed plus provisional) for unknown vegetation density or slope.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here is what a clean land clearing quote looks like for a 1.5 ha plot. Notice how every component shows as its own line: area cleared, machine days, refuse loads, and chipping. Developers accept this kind of quote faster because they can compare it line-for-line against the next bidder.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Plot clearing, 1.5 ha medium density, plot for new build
Site assessment and method statement
Brush cutting and clearing (1.5 ha medium density)
TLB days (root removal, level off)
Refuse removal and dump (truck loads)
Chipping of timber on-site
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site assessment and method statement | 1 | R4,132 | R4,132 |
| Brush cutting and clearing (1.5 ha medium density) | 1.5 | R46,276 | R69,413 |
| TLB days (root removal, level off) | 2 | R20,659 | R41,318 |
| Refuse removal and dump (truck loads) | 6 | R7,933 | R47,598 |
| Chipping of timber on-site | 1 | R10,743 | R10,743 |
| Subtotal | R173,203 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R17,320 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R190,523 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Refuse truck loads, dump fees, chipping, herbicide for alien species, traffic management on busy roads, the standby day if it rains, and the second visit for snags. Add these as standard lines on your template so you stop absorbing them out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Land Clearing Services actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Land Clearing Services on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
28
Quotes sent per month
54%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R190,523
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Land Clearing Service jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of land clearing crews. The same scoping and pricing mistakes come up again and again. Fixing these will protect your margin and win you more developer work.
Mistake: Quoting per hectare without measuring
Better: Always measure or pull the size from a deeds plan. Quoting 'about 2 hectares' costs you 20 percent when it turns out to be 2.5 ha. Confirm the area on the quote so there is no argument later.
Mistake: No vegetation density bracket
Better: Set three brackets (light, medium, heavy) and price per hectare in each. State the bracket on the quote with photos. The client sees why your medium-density rate is not the same as the light-density rate next door.
Mistake: Skipping the refuse line
Better: Refuse trucks, dump fees, and chipping cost real money. List loads or tonnes as separate lines. A bundled 'clearing' price hides them and you absorb thousands per hectare.
Mistake: No machine day rate visibility
Better: List TLB and excavator days as separate lines with operator included. Developers want to see machine days because that is how their other contractors quote. Hiding them looks like you are guessing.
Mistake: Underquoting alien vegetation
Better: Alien species need follow-up herbicide and 12-month re-clearing. Quote a single clearing pass plus a 'follow-up at month 6' option. Otherwise the bush returns and the client blames you.
Mistake: No standby clause for rain
Better: Wet plots cannot be cleared. State on the quote that rain delays push the schedule and that standby is billed at half day rate after 4 hours. Otherwise wet weeks eat your margin.
Mistake: No deposit on big plot work
Better: For jobs over R82,635 take 30 to 50 percent upfront for fuel, dump fees, and crew advance. Land clearing has heavy outlays in week one. State the deposit on the quote so the client agrees in writing.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote land clearing jobs
Measure the plot in hectares, from a deeds plan if the boundary is unclear, and walk the full perimeter before quoting. Grade vegetation density against three brackets: light (grass and shrubs), medium (mixed bush), heavy (dense bush and trees). Photograph indicative sections of each density so the brackets are defensible later. Check slope, ground condition (wet, rocky, sand), distance to the nearest dump, and whether alien species (rooikrans, port jackson, lantana, bugweed) are present. Note access for a TLB or excavator and whether there are overhead cables or fencing. These observations set the hectare rate bracket and the machine day count.
Itemise like a developer's other contractors do. Separate lines for site assessment and method statement, brush cutting and clearing per hectare with density bracket stated, TLB and excavator days with operator included at $ 850 to $ 1,800 per 8-hour day, labour crew days at $ 350 to $ 650 per crew of three, refuse truck loads with dump fee included at $ 320 to $ 850 per load, chipping on site, and herbicide application on alien species with a follow-up visit at month 6. State the hectare count and density bracket on the quote. Add your insurance and method statement to the footer so developers see you are not a one-bakkie crew.
Set 14 to 30 day validity because fuel, dump fees, and machine hire rates move fast. Take a 30 to 50 percent deposit on jobs over $ 5,000 to cover fuel, dump fees and crew advance since clearing has heavy outlays in week one. State that rain delays push the schedule and that crew standby is billed at half day rate after 4 hours on wet sites. Quote permit application and lead time (10 to 30 days) for indigenous species, riparian zones, and any clearing over 1 hectare so the developer expects the delay and you do not carry the fine risk.
Send the quote on WhatsApp from the site fence before the developer calls the next contractor. Plot tenders move on who can quote first with a structured line-item breakdown that matches the other contractors' format. Build on your phone at the boundary with hectare and density still fresh, share the PDF link from site, and follow up within 48 hours on developer enquiries. When the scope changes mid-clear (extra hectare, unmapped root mass, second dump run), send a variation quote before the machine moves so the next invoice is already agreed.
FAQ
Common questions from land clearing services
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Set quantity to your hectare count (decimals allowed) and rate to your per hectare price. Add separate lines for machine days, refuse loads, and disposal so the client sees the full scope.
Yes. Once your quote is ready, share it as a link directly via WhatsApp. Your client gets a professional branded document instantly, before you drive home from the assessment.
Each line item has its own description, quantity, and price. Add a line per machine (TLB, excavator, chipper) with day count, plus a separate line per crew. Developers expect this structure because that is how their other quotes read.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client can open it on their phone and accept it online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert the accepted quote into a deposit invoice for 30 to 50 percent, then invoice the balance on completion. Both invoices link back to the original quote so there is no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Set three vegetation density brackets (light, medium, heavy) and price per hectare in each. Light is grass and shrubs at R14,048 to R29,749 per ha, medium is mixed bush at R29,749 to R74,372 per ha, heavy is dense bush and trees at R74,372 to R198,324 per ha. Add machine days, refuse loads, and disposal as separate lines. Always state the density bracket and ha count on the quote.
Often yes. Indigenous and protected species, riparian zones, and any clearing over 1 hectare frequently need an environmental authorisation. Check with the local municipality or environmental department before quoting. Add a 'permit application and lead time' line on the quote so the client expects the delay. Doing it without a permit exposes both of you to fines that exceed the job value.
Quote per truck load with the dump fee included. A standard 6 m³ truck load runs R5,289 to R14,048 depending on distance to the dump and the dump's per-tonne fee. List the expected number of loads on the quote and state that additional loads will be charged at the same rate. Never bundle refuse into a clearing rate; you will lose money on every dense site.
Always quote a single clearing pass plus an optional 'follow-up at month 6' line. Alien species (rooikrans, port jackson, lantana, bugweed) regrow aggressively. A single pass does not solve the problem and the client will blame you in year 2. Quote follow-up upfront and let the client choose. Most accept once they understand the regrowth cycle.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Land Clearing Services
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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