A telescopic handler is similar to a forklift. It has a single telescopic boom that extends both upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated in the rear. It works 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 muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also called a telehandler, this particular kind of machine is usually utilized in agriculture and industry.
When it is hard for a conventional forklift to access areas, a telehandler is commonly used to transport loads. Telehandlers are normally utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high places.
There is just one major limitation in using telehandlers. Despite rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize when it extends. Thus, the lifting capacity decreases when the distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load increases.
Telehandlers were developed in England by the Matbro company. Their design was based on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. First models had a driver's cab on the back section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but nowadays the design that is most common has a rigid chassis with a rear mounted boom and side cab.