A material handling bucket apparatus and method comprising a material handling bucket having a bucket front half to haul application material, a horizontally sliding mechanism allowing the bucket front half to slide horizontally, a pair of linkage systems secured to the bucket front half, a loader tractor, a boom, a hydraulic power unit, and a power source. The pair of linkage systems laterally move the bucket front half forward beyond and independent of the opposing bucket back half, parallel to the ground surface, leaving the opposing bucket back half tilted back to be loaded. The bucket front half slides forward; and pivots upward to open with respect to the opposing bucket back half and subsequently reversing or pivoting downward to close against the opposing bucket back half, allowing the material handling bucket to doze, having the bucket front half to slide forward to scoop more application material.