Gradall started making its famous excavator during the 1940's, during a time in which the second World War had caused a shortage of laborers. 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 specific problem first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the company which had become amongst the major highway contractors in Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to build an equipment that would save their business and their livelihoods by making a unit that will perform what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when so many men had joined the army.
The initial device these brothers invented had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was attached directly onto the top of a truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. This allowed the attached blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design by making a triangular boom to produce more strength. Then, they added a tilt cylinder which allowed the boom to turn 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 rear of the boom. This design powered a long push rod and allowed a lot of work to be finished.
Not a long time after, 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 also offered.