Gradall started producing its well-known excavator in the 1940's, during a time in which the second World War had created a shortage of laborers. This decrease in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this particular 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 among the leading highway contractors within Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build a machinery that will save their livelihoods and their business by inventing a model which will do what had previously been manual slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the workplace when so many men had joined the army.
The brothers initially created a device which had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was fixed on top of a used truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to move the beams in and out. 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 initial design. They created a triangular boom to produce more strength. Then, they added a tilt cylinder which allowed the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit could be equipped with either a blade or a bucket 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 done.
Not a long time later, many digging buckets became available on the market. These buckets came in 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch sizes. There was also a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was offered too.