Telescopic handlers are somewhat similar to forklifts. It has one telescopic boom that extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight situated within the rear. It works more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be outfitted with different types of attachments. The most popular attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a bucket, muck grab or lift table. Also called a telehandler, this particular kind of machinery is usually utilized in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is commonly used to transport loads to and from places which would be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are normally utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more handy compared to a crane for carrying loads onto other high areas and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom could cause the equipment to destabilize as it extends. Hence, the lifting capacity lessens as the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
The Matbro company developed telehandlers in England. Their design was based on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Early models had a driver's cab on the back section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but nowadays the most common design has a rigid chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.