Telescopic handlers are a bit like forklifts. It has one telescopic boom that extends both upwards and forwards from the truck, and a counterweight in 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 could also attach a muck grab, lift table or bucket. Also known as a telehandler, this particular kind of machine is usually used in industry and agriculture.
A telehandler is commonly utilized to transport loads to and from places that will be hard for a standard forklift to access. Telehandlers are commonly used to unload pallets from within a trailer. They are also more practical compared to a crane for carrying loads onto other high areas and rooftops.
The telehandler has one major limitation. Despite rear counterweights, the weight-bearing boom can cause the equipment to destabilize as it extends. Thus, the lifting capacity lessens when the distance between the center of the load and the front of the wheels increases.
The Matbro company developed telehandlers within England. Their design was based mainly on articulated cross country forklifts used in forestry. Initial versions consisted of a driver's cab on the rear section and a centrally mounted boom on the front, but today the design which is most common has a rigid chassis with a rear mounted boom and side cab.