A telescopic handler is similar to a forklift. It possesses a single telescopic boom which extends upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight in the rear. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with different types 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 type of equipment is normally utilized in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is commonly used to transport loads to and from areas that would be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are normally used to unload pallets from inside a trailer. They are also more practical compared to a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high places.
There is only one major limitation in using telehandlers. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom can cause the machine to destabilize when 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. Early models 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 with a side cab and rear mounted boom.