#HTE

Great Design Feature: Pickman Electric Mini Pickup Truck Gets Folding Sides and Tailgate

The last time we looked in on the Pickman, the electric mini pickup truck from China, it looked like this:

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But that was in February 2019, and now they’ve thankfully evolved the design. Here’s the latest iteration. Look closely for the line running along the side of the bed:

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To increase its utility, the Pickman’s designers have borrowed a design trick used by Japanese kei trucks. That feature is fold-down sides and a fold-down tailgate. Combined with the lack of wheel wells protruding into the bed, this provides flatbed functionality for easy loading:

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Additionally, a small storage space has been placed where a gas engine would be:

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Incredibly, they say the 4KW engine can tow up to 2 tons–though they make no mention of the tongue’s maximum weight capacity, nor if you’ll need an adapter (I’m guessing the ball hitch is much lower than normal on this truck).

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The other thing that’s changed over the past year and half is the price. Once priced at 9 grand, the Pickman will now set you back ten. That excludes taxes, registration and delivery.

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The Pickman would be, at least for my wife and I, the ultimate farm vehicle. The only reason we’re not giving it a harder look is because we already have a kei truck. Below is our 1999 Daihatsu Hijet, which may be the most useful tool on this farm:

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Only thing that sucks about it is, the previous owner had the fold-down sides welded permanently into the upright position (he said they rattled too much).

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After looking enviously at the Pickman, I may finally free the sides of the Hijet with a reciprocating saw and angle grinder.

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https://www.core77.com/posts/102147/Great-Design-Feature-Pickman-Electric-Mini-Pickup-Truck-Gets-Folding-Sides-and-Tailgate