A telescopic handler is similar to a forklift. It has one telescopic boom that extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight located within the back. It works more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be outfitted with various kinds of attachments. The most common attachment is pallet forks, but the operator could also attach a lift table, bucket or muck grab. Also called a telehandler, this kind of machine is normally used in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is often utilized to move loads to and from places that will be hard for a standard forklift to access. Telehandlers are usually utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more practical compared to a crane for lifting loads onto rooftops and other high areas.
There is just one major limitation in using telehandlers. Even with counterweights at the back, the weight-bearing boom could cause the equipment to destabilize while it extends. Thus, 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 on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Early versions consisted of a driver's cab on the rear section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but nowadays the most common design has a rigid chassis along with a rear mounted boom and side cab.