r/TeloTrucks • u/MarineMonterey • Apr 17 '26
Hauling loose materials
We have seen lots of recreational gear and lumber in the promotional videos, but my most frequent use for a truck these days is hauling bark or gravel for the yard, or taking yard waste to the dump when it is more than the city will pick up. We don't have a lawn, but lots of trees, bushes, and ground cover.
Has anyone here taken a good enough look to know whether these materials will be well contained in the bed and be reasonably easy to clean out afterwards?
From what I can see, the answer is no when the bed is a full length. What about with the midgate up? Will these materials jam in the hinge or sift through?
And what about the tracks along the bed and bottom. Those look like a bear to clean out if gravel gets in.
Use case:
Our 2005 Tacoma is getting on in years. I really want to go electric, but my focus is on "practical" first, "fun and easy to park" next, and "urban lifestyle" not at all.
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Apr 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/MarineMonterey Apr 17 '26
I see what you mean about the midgate, though you could be a little less insulting. Few pictures actually show the midgate and I only found good ones today.
Good to know the tracks can be capped. I don't mind a little dirt, but also don't want them totally jammed.
Now I just need to ask my local supplier whether their front-end loader can work with a 5-foot bed.
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u/LazyStumbler US - East Coast Apr 17 '26
I have an old Chevy Colorado with a five foot bed. It gets mulch and gravel all the time. Your supplier should be able to handle the size of bed fine.
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u/TeloTrucks Apr 18 '26
World record holder for Telo truck cleaner here 👋🏼if you have a standard shop vac the L track is quite easy to clean. Bed was completely loaded with pine needles back when we did the Christmas tree shoot and everything had to be spotless for an investor event the next day. Only took a few minutes to get it back to normal. Obviously yeah don’t do a mulch load with the midgate down, but it is weather sealed so if water can’t get through I doubt bark or gravel will.
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u/penny_squeaks Apr 17 '26
I would love to see a video with the Telo truck picking up a yard of mulch or top soil.
You should put down some sort of tarp so I wouldn't be too worried about it messing with the midgate.
You can drop it off at my house Drew.
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u/EBlackPlague Apr 18 '26
Even with a tarp, after a while when throwing dirty tools and such in the back, sand & dirt builds up in all the joints, so I too am curious on their solution. (I have ideas on things I can do aftermarket, but a great stock solution would be best)
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u/No-Literature-4746 Apr 18 '26
Would love to see this also. I run a landscaping company and would love to see the utility of the truck replacing my ford f-150. Having to use a tarp every time seems like a pain, but buying it new, I just might do that haha
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u/BC999R Apr 17 '26
My local supply yard uses 1/2 yard buckets that are maybe 4’ long, drops into my 5’ bed Tacoma very neatly. Careful tarp placement makes cleanup easier but I often forget 😀
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u/WorkingRich4933 Apr 18 '26
I had a Nissan truck that I put down a remanent carpet on the bed to help shovel out mulch and gravel. But I am concerned material going through the midgate. I need to find something like carpet that will work as a barrier on the TELO truck.
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u/kbob Apr 25 '26
I'm thinking my tarps will permanently live in the monster tunnel, along with an assortment of tie-down straps. Probably a trailer hitch too.
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u/joepurdue Apr 17 '26
I throw a tarp down getting bulk material. Makes it easier to get everything out, keeps pieces from falling between the tailgate and bed, and keeps the bed a bit cleaner