Gradall began making its well-known excavator in the 1940's, during a time wherein WWII had created a scarcity of workers. 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 that experienced this particular problem first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had relocated from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business that had become one of the major highway contractors in Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make a machinery that will save both their livelihoods and their business by inventing a model which will carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when so many men had joined the army.
The brothers first invented an apparatus that had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, which was attached on top of a used truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to move the beams in and out. This enabled the attached blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design. They made a triangular boom to create more strength. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to rotate forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit could be outfitted 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.
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 that was also offered.