Gradall to showcase 1945 excavator, VR simulator at ConExpo 2020

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Updated Mar 3, 2020

Gradall Con Expo

Gradall will merge the old and the new at its ConExpo 2020 booth in North Hall—bringing one of its first truck-mounted excavators from 1945 and a virtual reality simulator for training operators.

(You can see more of what OEMs have in store for ConExpo 2020 in our show preview page by clicking here.)

The No. 3 Gradall, to be shown at the Alamo Group’s N10801 booth, still runs, with 90 percent of its parts original. It features a Linn carrier and a rebuilt Waukesha engine and track drive.

“The control valves, hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic pumps and boom assembly are all restored to working order,” the company says.

The showcasing of No. 3 is part of Gradall’s 75th anniversary celebration.

The company was founded by brothers Ray and Koop Ferwerda in Cleveland. They were contractors who developed fully hydraulic truck-mounted excavators. All of the company’s construction equipment continues to be manufactured in the United States.

The company continues to evolve in its technology for its excavators and also plans to display the new Gradall Virtual Reality Simulator. Visitors at the booth will be able to try out the joystick simulator. It is designed to train operators, giving them a working feel of a Gradall excavator boom’s telescoping and tilting movements.