The well-known Gradall excavator traces its roots back to the start of the 1940s. During this time, WWII had created a shortage of laborers since the majority of the young men went away to fight the war. 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 which faced this particular problem first hand. Ray and Koop Ferwerda were brothers who had moved from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm that had become one of the leading highway contractors in Ohio. The Ferwerdas' set out to build a machine that would save their livelihoods and their business by inventing a unit that will perform what had previously been manual slope work. This invention was to offset the gap left in the worksite when lots of men had joined the army.
The initial device these brothers invented 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 allowed the fixed blade at the end of the beams to pull or push dirt.
After a short time, the Ferwerda brothers improved on their initial design. They made a triangular boom to produce more strength. 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 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.
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 additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket which was also offered.