The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the beginning of the 1940s. During this time, WWII had caused a scarcity of laborers since nearly all of the young men went away to fight the war. This decrease in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business referred to as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda experienced this specific problem first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had moved to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the company that had become amongst the leading highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make a machinery that will save their company and their livelihoods by making a unit which will do what had before been physical slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when lots of men had joined the military.
The initial apparatus these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was attached directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams in and out. This enabled the connected 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 strength. Then, they added a tilt cylinder that allowed the boom to turn forty-five 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 much work to be completed.
Many digging buckets became available on the market not long later. 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 available.