The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, World War II had created a scarcity of laborers as the majority of the young men went away to fight the war. This decrease in the work force brought a huge demand for the delicate work of finishing and grading highway projects.
Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda was a Cleveland, Ohio based construction business that faced this specific dilemma first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the business that had become among the leading highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to build an equipment that will save their livelihoods and their company by making a unit that will carry out what had before been physical slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when a lot of men had joined the military.
The first device these brothers invented had 2 beams set on a rotating platform and was fixed directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to be able to move the beams in and out. This allowed the fixed 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 create more strength. Next, they added a tilt cylinder which allowed the boom to turn forty-five degrees in either direction. This new model can be equipped with either a bucket or a blade 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 finished.
Numerous digging buckets were introduced to the market not long later. These buckets in sizes varying from 15 inch, 24 inch, 36 inch and 60 inch buckets. There was additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was also offered.