A telescopic handler is like a forklift. It has a single telescopic boom that extends upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight within the back. It functions more like a crane than a forklift. The boom can be equipped with a variety of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a bucket, muck grab or lift table. Also known as a telehandler, this kind of equipment is commonly utilized in agriculture and industry.
When it is difficult for a conventional forklift to access areas, a telehandler is commonly used to transport loads. Telehandlers are usually used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy compared to a crane for carrying loads onto other high places and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the back, the weight-bearing boom could 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 mostly on articulated cross country forklifts utilized in forestry. Early models had a driver's cab on the rear section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but nowadays the design which is most common has a rigid chassis with a side cab and rear mounted boom.