A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It has one telescopic boom which extends both forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated in the rear. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be equipped with a variety of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also called a telehandler, this particular type of machinery is commonly utilized in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is commonly used to transport loads to and from places which will be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are usually used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy compared to a crane for carrying loads onto rooftops and other high areas.
There is just one major limitation in utilizing telehandlers. Even with rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom could cause the machine to destabilize while it extends. Thus, the lifting capacity decreases as 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 on articulated cross country forklifts utilized in forestry. First models consisted of a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the rear section, but nowadays the design which is most common has a rigid chassis along with a side cab and rear mounted boom.