Gradall began producing its well-known excavator in the 1940's, during a time wherein WWII had caused a shortage of workers. This decrease in the labor force brought a huge need for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction company known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this specific dilemma 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 major highway contractors in Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make an equipment that will save both their livelihoods and their company by making a model which would do what had before been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the worksite when so many men had joined the military.
The brothers first created a device that had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, which was fixed on top of a second-hand truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder in order to move the beams in and out. This allowed the attached 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 created a triangular boom to create more power. Then, they added a tilt cylinder that allowed the boom to rotate forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit can 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 a lot of work to be done.
Not a long time later, many digging buckets were introduced on the market. These buckets came in 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch sizes. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was available too.