Gradall began producing its famous excavator during the 1940's, during a time in which World War II had caused a shortage of laborers. This decline in the labor force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda was a Cleveland, Ohio based construction business which faced this specific problem first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had relocated from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business which had become one of the leading highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to build a machine which would save both their livelihoods and their company by inventing a unit that would perform what had before been physical slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when a lot of men had joined the army.
The first device these brothers invented had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was fixed directly onto the top of a truck. They used a telescopic cylinder in order to move the beams in and out. This enabled the attached blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design by making a triangular boom to produce more power. Next, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to turn forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit could be equipped with either a blade or a bucket and the attachment movement was made possible by placing a cylinder at the rear of the boom. This design powered a long push rod and allowed a lot of work to be done.
Not a long time later, numerous digging buckets became available on the market. These buckets came in 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch sizes. There was also a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was also available.