The famous Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, the second World War had created a scarcity of workers as the majority of the young men went away to war. This decline in the labor force brought a huge need for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this specific problem first hand. Two brothers, Koop and Ray Ferwerda had relocated to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business which had become one of the leading highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build an equipment which would save both their livelihoods and their company by making a model that will do what had previously been manual slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when so many men had joined the military.
The brothers initially created a device which had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was connected on top of a used truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. This enabled 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 made a triangular boom to produce more power. After that, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to turn 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit can 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 finished.
Numerous digging buckets were introduced to 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 that was also offered.