Gradall started making its well-known excavator during the 1940's, during a time in which World War II had caused a scarcity of workers. This decline 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. Koop and Ray Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm that had become one of the major highway contractors within Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to make an equipment that will save their company and their livelihoods by making a model that will do 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 brothers initially created a device that had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was connected on top of a second-hand truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams out and in. 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 made a triangular boom to produce more strength. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which enabled the boom to turn 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 back of the boom. This design powered a long push rod and allowed a lot of work to be done.
Many digging buckets became available on 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 also available.