A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It possesses a single telescopic boom which extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight located in the back. It functions much more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be outfitted with different kinds of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also referred to as a telehandler, this kind of machinery is commonly utilized in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is most frequently used to transport loads to and from areas that would be difficult for a standard forklift to access. Telehandlers are usually used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high places.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize while it extends. Therefore, the lifting capacity decreases 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 utilized in forestry. Initial versions consisted of a driver's cab on the back section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but these days the design which is most common has a strong chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.