A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It has one telescopic boom which extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight in the rear. It works more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with various types of attachments. The most popular attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also referred to as a telehandler, this particular type of machinery is normally used in agriculture and industry.
A telehandler is often utilized to transport loads to and from areas 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 compared to a crane for lifting loads onto other high locations and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Despite rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom could cause the equipment to destabilize as 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 largely on articulated cross country forklifts utilized in forestry. First versions had a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the back section, but nowadays the most common design has a strong chassis together with a rear mounted boom and side cab.