Gradall started producing its famous excavator in the 1940's, during a time in which the second World War had caused a scarcity of workers. This decrease 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 company that experienced this particular dilemma first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business that had become one of the major highway contractors within Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make an equipment which will save their company and their livelihoods by inventing a unit which would carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when lots of men had joined the military.
The initial device these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was fixed directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to move the beams out and in. 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 made a triangular boom to create more power. Next, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to turn 45 degrees in either direction. This new model could be outfitted 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 done.
Many digging buckets were introduced to the market not long later. These buckets in sizes varying from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was available too.