The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, the second World War had created a scarcity of workers since the majority of the young men went away to fight the war. This decrease in the work force brought a huge need for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda was a Cleveland, Ohio based construction business that experienced this specific dilemma first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm which had become one of the major highway contractors in the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build a machine which will save both their company and their livelihoods by inventing a unit which would carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when so many men had joined the military.
The first device these brothers created had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was connected directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to move the beams in and out. This enabled the fixed blade at the end of the beams to push or pull dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their first design by creating a triangular boom to create more power. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to rotate forty-five degrees in either direction. This new unit can 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.
Numerous digging buckets were introduced to the market not long after. These buckets in sizes ranging from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was available as well.