Gradall started producing its famous excavator in the 1940's, during a time wherein WWII had caused a scarcity of workers. This decrease in the labor force brought a huge need for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction company referred to as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda faced this particular problem first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had moved to the USA from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business which had become among the leading highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build a machinery that would save both their business and their livelihoods by inventing a model that will perform 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 army.
The first apparatus these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was connected directly onto the top of a truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. This enabled the fixed 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 create more power. Then, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to rotate forty-five 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 rear of the boom. This design powered a long push rod and allowed much work to be finished.
Not a long time later, numerous digging buckets were introduced 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 that was available too.