Gradall began making its well-known excavator in the 1940's, during a time wherein World War II had caused a scarcity of laborers. 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 specific dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had relocated to the United States from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm that had become among the major highway contractors within Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make a machine which will save both their business and their livelihoods by making a unit which will perform what had previously 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 fixed directly onto the top of a truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams in and out. This enabled the attached blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design by making a triangular boom to create more power. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new unit can be equipped with either a bucket or a blade 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 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 also offered.