Justin Nelson’s Truck Bed Loader lets farm, construction, and acreage operators handle bucket-style work with a pickup truck instead of a tractor.
“I built my first one because I thought it would be handy for me to use, and I still use it,” Nelson says. “The fact is, not every operation or job calls for a tractor. A loader that mounts in a truck box is a simple enough machine, and I was a little surprised no one had come up with it earlier.”
Designed to fit any pickup with a gooseneck ball, Nelson’s loader is fully self-contained. A solar-charged battery powers an electric-over-hydraulic pump, making the unit independent, portable and easy to operate.
“It’ll actually lift itself in and out of the pickup box,” he says. “It’s no harder than hooking up a gooseneck trailer.”
Installation follows the same logic. The operator lowers the bucket or attachment to the ground, installs small support stands on either side of the tilt head, disconnects from the gooseneck ball, lifts the unit clear with the remote hand control, and drives away. Reattachment is simply the reverse process.
Nelson builds folding bale spears for safe road travel, and the universal skid-steer mount accepts buckets, pallet forks, bale spears, and other common tools. Truck bed loader options include a hydraulic multiplier for attachments such as grapples and post pounders, along with wireless control and backup cameras. The standard corded remote is simple enough to run to the driver’s seat.
Built for practical work, the loader’s lift capacity depends more on the pickup and suspension, Nelson says.
“A 2,000-lb hay bale is no problem for my 1-ton truck. A smaller 1/2 or 3/4-ton truck will lift slightly less, but a typical gooseneck ball is rated for 7,500 lbs of vertical pressure, so there’s no worry about torque or ball stability with a heavy load.”
Patented and available in the U.S. and Canada since March 2026, Nelson has attracted buyers among farmers, landscapers, construction crews, county departments, hunting operations and buffalo ranches. He is currently working to establish a dealer network.
The Truck Bed Loader’s base price is just under $10,000, plus S&H.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Truck Bed Loader, 310 S Front St., Townsend, Mont. 59644 (ph 406-980-0023; justin@truckbedloader.com; www.truckbedloader.com).