The famous Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, WWII had created a shortage of workers because nearly all of the young men went away to fight the war. 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 which faced 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 in Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make a machine that would save both their livelihoods and their company by making a model which would do what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when a lot of men had joined the military.
The first device these brothers invented had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was connected directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder in order to move the beams in and out. This enabled the connected 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 created a triangular boom to produce more power. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to turn 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit can be outfitted with either a bucket or a blade 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 finished.
Many digging buckets became available on the market not long after. These buckets in sizes varying from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was also a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was offered too.