The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the beginning of the 1940s. During this time, World War II had caused a shortage of laborers as the majority of the young men went away to fight the war. This decline in the labor force brought a huge need for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction company referred to as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda experienced this particular dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had relocated to the United States from the Netherlands. They were partners in the company that had become amongst the major highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make an equipment which will save both their company and their livelihoods by making a model which would carry out what had previously been manual slope work. This creation 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 attached directly onto the top of a truck. They utilized a telescopic cylinder to move the beams out and in. This enabled the fixed blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
The Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design by making a triangular boom to produce more power. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that enabled the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new model can be outfitted 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 done.
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 offered as well.