The famous Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, World War II had created a scarcity of workers as most of the young men went away to fight the war. This decrease in the labor force brought a huge need for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this specific dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Koop and Ray Ferwerda had relocated to the United States from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business that had become one of the major highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make an equipment that will save both their company and their livelihoods by inventing a model which would carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the worksite when so many men had joined the military.
The initial apparatus these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was connected directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams in and out. This allowed the connected blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design by creating a triangular boom to create more strength. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that allowed the boom to turn 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit can be equipped with either a bucket or a blade and the attachment movement was made possible by placing a cylinder at the back of the boom. This design powered a long push rod and allowed a lot of work to be finished.
Many digging buckets were introduced to the market not long after. These buckets in sizes ranging from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was also a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was also offered.