Gradall started producing its famous excavator in the 1940's, during a time in which World War II had caused a shortage of workers. This decrease in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda was a Cleveland, Ohio based construction company that experienced this specific dilemma first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had relocated from the Netherlands. They were partners in the company that had become one of the major highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build an equipment which would save their livelihoods and their company by making a unit that will carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the worksite when so many men had joined the military.
The initial apparatus these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was fixed directly onto the top of a truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. This allowed the attached blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design. They created a triangular boom to produce more strength. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to turn 45 degrees in either direction. This new model could 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 a lot of work to be completed.
Numerous 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 also a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was also offered.