A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It has one telescopic boom that extends upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight within the rear. It functions a lot 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 lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also known as a telehandler, this kind of machinery is commonly utilized in agriculture and industry.
A telehandler is often employed to move loads to and from places which would be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for carrying loads onto other high places and rooftops.
There is only one major limitation in utilizing telehandlers. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom can cause the machine to destabilize while it extends. Hence, the lifting capacity lessens when the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
Telehandlers were developed in England by the Matbro company. Their design was based mostly on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Initial models had a driver's cab on the rear section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but today the most common design has a rigid chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.