Turn Your Pickup Into A Dump Truck

You'll like the price tag on "Loadhandler", an amazingly simple and lower-cost way to turn your pickup into a dump truck.

The new Loadhandler, manufactured by Loadhandler Industries, Neville Island, Penn., sells for considerably less than hydraulic or other unloading systems for pickups. What's more, it's simpler to install and operate.

It'll unload loads up to 4,000 lbs. in 30 seconds by simply turning a crank. And it'll handle most any kind of load -- from dirt, rocks, sand or gravel to feed, seed, fertilizer or firewood. It'll even unload big items, such as pianos, appliances or furniture.

The Loadhandler mechanism resembles a roll-up window shade, with a hand crank on one end. It mounts on the tailgate without any drilling, bolting or alterations of any kind. It's fastened to the tailgate with heavy-duty tie-down straps and can be in-stalled or removed in less than a minute.

To use the Loadhandler, you simply belt the roll-up mechanism to the tailgate, then pull out a 4 by 8 ft. drag sheet, made of high-strength, cut and abrasive-resistant woven fabric. You then put the load -- up to 4,000 lbs. -- on top the drag sheet, which extends the entire length of the pickup bed.

When you're ready to unload, you lower the tailgate, insert the crank, and begin cranking to roll up the extended drag sheet. With very little cranking effort (your wife or teenage son or daughter can operate it) the load, riding on the drag sheet, gradually moves out the rear end and onto the ground.

With one person doing the cranking, and another driving the pickup slowly ahead, the Loadhandler can be used to spread dirt, sand or gravel.

The manufacturer recommends using a plastic bed liner for the Loadhandler's drag sheet to ride on. If your pickup doesn't have a bedliner, Loadhandler Industries offers an optional 4 by 8 ft. "slipper Liner", made of industrial poly-plastic, to serve as a bedliner.

The Loadhandler comes in three sizes to fit most makes of mini and full-size pick-ups. Custom-built units available for straight trucks.