The famous Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, WWII had caused a scarcity of workers as most 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.
Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda was a Cleveland, Ohio based construction business which faced this specific dilemma first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business which had become amongst the leading highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to build a machine that will save their business and their livelihoods by making a model that will perform what had previously been physical slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when a lot of men had joined the army.
The brothers first invented a device which had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, which 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.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design. They made a triangular boom to produce more power. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit could be outfitted 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 much work to be done.
Numerous digging buckets were introduced to the market not long later. These buckets in sizes varying from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was offered too.