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 since most of the young men went away to fight the war. This decline in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction company known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda experienced this specific dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Koop and Ray Ferwerda had relocated to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm which had become among the major highway contractors within Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build a machinery that will save both their company and their livelihoods by inventing a unit which will do what had previously been physical slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when so many 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 to move the beams in and out. This allowed the connected blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design. They made a triangular boom to produce more strength. After that, they added a tilt cylinder which allowed the boom to turn forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit can 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 completed.
Many digging buckets became available on the market not long after. These buckets in sizes ranging from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was also offered.