The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, the second World War had caused a shortage of workers since nearly all of the young men went away to war. This decline in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business referred to as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this specific problem first hand. Two brothers, Koop and Ray Ferwerda had moved to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm which had become one of the major highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make a machine that will save both their livelihoods and their business by inventing a model that would carry out what had before been manual slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the workplace when lots of men had joined the military.
The brothers initially invented a device that had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was connected on top of a used truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. This enabled the connected blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design by making a triangular boom to create more strength. Then, they added a tilt cylinder which allowed the boom to rotate forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit could be equipped 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 a lot of work to be completed.
Many digging buckets were introduced to the market not long later. 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 available as well.