Gradall began producing its famous excavator during the 1940's, during a time wherein WWII had created a scarcity of workers. This decline in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction company known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda experienced this specific dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had moved to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm which had become amongst the leading highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make an equipment which would save their business and their livelihoods by inventing a model which will do what had previously been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the worksite when lots of men had joined the military.
The brothers initially created an apparatus that 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 attached blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design. They created a triangular boom to create more power. Then, they added a tilt cylinder that allowed the boom to turn forty-five degrees in either direction. This new model could be equipped with either a bucket or a blade 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 completed.
Numerous 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 too.