"It's the handiest loader bucket ever built," says the inventor of a new "self-cleaning" bucket that eliminates the need to dump the bucket which, in effect, extends your reach.

The pusher plate inside the bucket is hinged in the middle so it'll fold flat against the back of the bucket. It attaches at the top to a steel shaft that extends the width of the bucket. Two hydraulic cylinders are used to rotate the shaft. Extending the cylinder causes the plate to fold flush against the back of the bucket, and retracting it moves the plate forward to eject the bucket's contents.

"It works great to clean out sticky materials that would otherwise cling to the bucket," says inventor Ron Berg, noting that Erskine Mfg. is marketing the unit. "It also increases the bucket's operating reach by 1 1/2 ft. and operating height by 2 ft. which allows you to load bigger trucks or spreaders and do it from one side. Overall, it can increase productivity by 15 to 30 percent depending on the situation. Another advantage is that the bucket never has to extend inside the truck box which can reduce the potential for damaging it."

Comes in widths of 60, 66, and 72 in.

Berg says he also plans to manufacture self-cleaning buckets for tractor loaders.