A telescopic handler is similar to a forklift. It possesses a single telescopic boom that extends forwards and upwards from the truck, and a counterweight located in the rear. It functions a lot more like a crane than a forklift. The boom could be outfitted 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 called a telehandler, this kind of equipment is usually used in agriculture and industry.
A telehandler is most frequently used to move loads to and from places which would be hard for a conventional forklift to access. Telehandlers are frequently utilized to unload pallets from in a trailer. They are also more practical compared to a crane for lifting loads onto other high areas and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Even with counterweights at the rear, the weight-bearing boom could cause the vehicle to destabilize when it extends. Therefore, the lifting capacity lessens when the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
Telehandlers were developed within England by the Matbro company. Their design was based on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Early models consisted of a centrally mounted boom on the front and a driver's cab on the rear section, but nowadays the most common design has a rigid chassis along with a rear mounted boom and side cab.