Gradall began making its well-known excavator during the 1940's, during a time in which WWII had created a shortage of laborers. This decrease in the work force brought a huge need for the delicate work of grading and finishing highway projects.
A Cleveland, Ohio construction business known as Ferwerda-Werba-Ferwerda experienced this particular dilemma first hand. Two brothers, Ray and Koop Ferwerda had moved to the United States from the Netherlands. They were partners in the firm that had become among the leading highway contractors within the state of Ohio. The Ferwerdas' started to make a machine which would save both their business and their livelihoods by inventing a unit that would do what had before been manual slope work. This creation was to offset the gap left in the workplace when lots of men had joined the military.
The brothers first created an apparatus which had 2 beams set on a rotating platform, that was connected on top of a used truck. They used a telescopic cylinder to be able 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 making a triangular boom to create more strength. After that, they added a tilt cylinder that allowed the boom to rotate 45 degrees in either direction. This new model could 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 completed.
Numerous 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 additionally a 47 inch heavy-duty pavement removal bucket that was also offered.