A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It has a single telescopic boom that extends both upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated within the back. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be equipped with a variety of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a bucket, muck grab or lift table. Also known as a telehandler, this particular kind of machinery is commonly utilized in agriculture and industry.
A telehandler is often used to transport loads to and from places which will be difficult for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly utilized to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more practical than a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high locations.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom can cause the vehicle to destabilize as it extends. Hence, the lifting capacity decreases when the distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load increases.
The Matbro company developed telehandlers in England. Their design was based largely on articulated cross country forklifts utilized in forestry. Early models consisted of a driver's cab on the back section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but nowadays the most common design has a rigid chassis along with a side cab and rear mounted boom.