Gradall started producing its famous excavator during the 1940's, during a time wherein World War II had caused a shortage of laborers. 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 referred to as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this particular dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop 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' set out to build a machinery which will save their business and their livelihoods by making a unit that would carry out what had previously been physical slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when lots of men had joined the military.
The brothers first invented a device which had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was connected on top of a used truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder in order to move the beams in and out. This allowed the fixed blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design. They created a triangular boom to produce more strength. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new model 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 much work to be completed.
Not a long time later, numerous digging buckets were introduced on the market. These buckets came in 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch sizes. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was also available.