Telescopic handlers are a bit similar to forklifts. It has one telescopic boom which extends both forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight within the rear. It works more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be equipped with various types of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator can also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also called a telehandler, this particular kind of equipment is commonly utilized in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is often employed to move loads to and from places which would be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly utilized to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more handy than a crane for carrying loads onto rooftops and other high places.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the back, the weight-bearing boom can cause the machine to destabilize when it extends. Therefore, the lifting capacity lessens when the distance between the front of the wheels and the centre of the load increases.
Telehandlers were developed within England by the Matbro company. Their design was based mainly on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Early versions consisted of a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the rear section, but today the most popular design has a rigid chassis with a rear mounted boom and side cab.